History Curriculum
Built by subject experts to give every child a genuine fascination with the past and the world it created.
History should make children fascinated by the past
When history is taught well, children don’t just learn what happened. They develop a genuine understanding of why things are the way they are, how ordinary people shaped extraordinary events and what the past tells us about the world today. That’s a powerful kind of thinking that goes far beyond dates and facts. But without a specialist in every classroom, delivering that experience consistently is genuinely hard. That’s why we built a carefully sequenced history curriculum that gives every teacher everything they need to make history come alive, no matter their level of confidence or subject expertise, fully aligned to the history national curriculum.
What does great history teaching look like?
Children arrive at history lessons genuinely curious, asking questions about the past and wanting to make sense of how things came to be. Your teachers plan and deliver lessons with confidence, supported by rich resources, quality historical artefacts and clear guidance already in place. And your history lead has a clear view of chronological progression and coverage across the whole school, from Nursery to Year 6, and can lead the subject with real credibility. This is the reality for schools using the Cornerstones history curriculum.
Here’s what sets our history curriculum apart
Four reasons why schools choose the Cornerstones history curriculum to strengthen their subject provision.
Chronology and narrative
Our history curriculum is built on a strong chronological narrative that helps children build a coherent framework for understanding the past. Rather than isolated topic boxes, each project connects to what came before and what comes next, so children develop a genuine sense of how history fits together from Nursery to Year 6.
Disciplinary and substantive knowledge
Children don't just learn historical facts. They learn to think like historians — handling sources, asking questions, evaluating evidence and developing their own historical understanding. Substantive and disciplinary knowledge are taught simultaneously, giving children both the content and the thinking skills they need.
Diversity and representation
Our history curriculum reflects the diverse contribution of different groups of people across time. Teachers have everything they need to tackle sensitive topics with confidence, using expertly planned lessons and resources that prepare children for life in modern Britain.
Teacher confidence
You don't need to be a history specialist to teach this curriculum brilliantly. Every project comes with clear lesson plans, quality historical artefacts, knowledge organisers and all the resources teachers need to deliver history with confidence. Every project is mapped to the national curriculum history programmes of study.
See how Cornerstones could strengthen your history curriculum
Whether you’re starting from scratch or looking to strengthen what you already have, a curriculum conversation is the best place to start.
I must admit, I had never taught the Shang Dynasty before, and it was my first time teaching it last year. But now I'm teaching it for a second time; I feel so much more knowledgeable about it already. A lot of people I know steer clear of the subject as they don't know anything about it, but not me.
Claire Taylor
Inside the Cornerstones history curriculum
Here's what you get with the Cornerstones History curriculum
Planning and teaching
- Sequenced history projects from Nursery to Year 6
- Detailed lesson plans with clear skills and knowledge
Resources
- Quality resources supporting teaching and learning
- Knowledge organisers and vocabulary support
Assessment
- Concept-led skills and knowledge progression framework
- Fully integrated formative and summative assessment
Subject leadership
- Leadership tools and free online support
- Clear links to present and future programmes of study
Our digital platform gives your history lead the tools to lead with confidence
Maestro is our digital curriculum platform that brings your history curriculum to life as a managed, trackable system. Your history lead can see exactly what is being taught in every year group, monitor chronological progression across the school, identify gaps and adapt projects to incorporate local history that reflects your school’s community.
Every lesson is live and connected, so teachers always work from the same coherent curriculum. And because all resources sit in one place, there’s no more searching for artefact images, knowledge organisers or lesson plans. Everything is exactly where teachers expect it to be.
Find out more about Maestro
What school leaders say
Through this unit, and others like it, the children see themselves as historians, and have developed the skills and knowledge to excel at secondary school.
Read their story
Craig Steel
Take one boy in my class who's dinosaur crazy — he was so into Ancient Greeks because the links were clearer for him, and he kept linking facts from his dinosaur books to what he was learning. As a class we looked at the Romans, the Anglo-Saxons and the Vikings, then Ancient Greeks, and they were buzzing.
Claire Taylor
Everybody in school really likes the Cornerstones curriculum. Before, it was a matter of sitting around a table with a big sheet of paper and saying 'Right, what are we going to do for history? What topics are we covering?' And coming up with the learning outcomes ourselves. All this work has already been done for us by Cornerstones.
Read their story
Abigail Wilburn
Give your children a history curriculum to be proud of
Whether you're building your history curriculum from scratch or looking to strengthen what you already have, a curriculum conversation is the best place to start.