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Workshops for schools

Our vibrant and engaging school workshops give students new perspectives on the role of designers and the impact of design in everyday life.

Using the museum's handling collections of contemporary design objects, students will interact with key inventions through experiential learning.

Our workshops happen at the Design Museum, with some topics available remotely. Please check more details below.

Suitable for key stages 2, 3, 4 and 5.

What to expect

Students will be introduced to an area of design through hands-on activities, responding to a creative brief and developing design ideas that meet real user needs.

These workshops support the National Curriculum for Design and Technology and incorporate STEM subjects for Key Stage 3, as well as relevant KS4 and post-16 qualifications.

Learning Outcomes include:

– Observation

– Product handling and evaluation skills

– Drawing

– Sharing idea and presenting

– Responding to a design brief

– Design thinking

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Capacity: Each 1-hour long workshop session can accommodate up to 30 students. Larger groups will need multiple sessions.

Availability: Workshops are available to book on Mondays to Thursdays during term time only and start at 10:30, 11:45 or 13:30.

Safeguarding: Your group must meet the adult-to-pupil ratio of 1 adult per 10 students.

Risk Identification: Download the document via the link below to help write your risk assessment.

The museum is fully accessible via wheelchair with lifts operating across all floors inside the premises. Limited parking for learning groups with additional access needs – please visit our access page to find out more information.

Access information

Booking information

  • Our design workshops for schools run from Mondays to Thursdays during term time

  • Duration: 1 hour-long session starting at 10:30, 11:45 or 13:30

  • Cost per session: £150 (including VAT)

  • Workshop capacity per session: 1– 30 students

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HOW TO BOOK

  • Whether you are part of a formal education group, a tour operator or a home educator, you can book a workshop by clicking on the button 'Book a workshop here' below

  • When browsing the availability, please search for the required number of sessions one at a time

  • Please read our Terms and Conditions via the link below before making the booking

  • Please download the School Visit Form via the link below and send it to us with the required details via email: bookings@designmuseum.org, with the subject line 'WORKSHOP BOOKING', so we can finalise your booking

  • Home educators and groups must pay by card when booking

  • Educational organisations and Tour operators can opt to pay by invoice. For that, you must download and complete both forms: School Visit Form and Customer Invoice Form via the links below and email to bookings@designmuseum.org. Please use the subject line: WORKSHOP BOOKING & INVOICE

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CONTACT INFORMATION

  • If you have further questions regarding the content of the workshops, please get in touch with the Learning team via email:  learning@designmuseum.org

  • If you need assistance with the booking system, please contact the Bookings team via email: bookings@designmuseum.org

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We look forward to welcoming you and your students to our workshops.

Topics available

Sustainable Design

Inspired by our exhibition 'Waste Age: What can design do?' and its accompanying handling collection, this workshop will teach students how to become well-informed consumers and responsible future designers.

Suitable for KS2,3 & 4. Delivered at the museum or remotely.

To book an onsite session, click 'Book now'. To book an online workshop, please email the team via learning@designmuseum.org

Capacity: 30 students.

Your group must meet the adult to pupil ratio of 1 adult per 10 students.

Designer Maker User

Find out about the making process and learn about the design process and the steps to making the end product.

Suitable for KS2 & 3. Delivered at the museum.
Capacity: 30 students.
Your group must meet the adult to pupil ratio of 1 adult per 10 students.

Stranger By Design

Come and find out about the world of unconventional design that often hides the true meaning of the object function.

Suitable for KS2,3 & 4. Delivered at the museum.
Capacity: 30 students.
Your group must meet the adult to pupil ratio of 1 adult per 10 students.

Chairs and seating

Look at why the chair is the ultimate design challenge and why the user has the last say on whether a chair becomes a classic or a relic.

Suitable for KS2, 3, 4 & 5. Delivered at the museum.
Capacity: 30 students.
Your group must meet the adult to pupil ratio of 1 adult per 10 students.

Lighting

Find out how lighting can give messages, set the mood, make or break your day at school and help you to customise the space you inhabit.

Suitable for KS3, 4 & 5. Delivered at the museum.
Capacity: 30 students.
Your group must meet the adult to pupil ratio of 1 adult per 10 students.

Materials: Smart and Sustainable

A look at materials and the social obligation of a designer to seek new and ever environmentally friendly materials.

Suitable for KS3, 4 & 5. Delivered at the museum.
Capacity: 30 students.
Your group must meet the adult to pupil ratio of 1 adult per 10 students.

More Workshops

Digital Design Workshops

Focusing on the role of digital technology in the design and technology industries, these sessions combine analogue hands-on experiences with an introduction to designing through software. During the sessions, students will learn to use the software to create a design response to a user brief.

Suitable for KS2, 3, 4 & 5. Delivered at the museum or remotely. To book an onsite or online session, please email the team: learning@designmuseum.org

Get in touch

Have a question? You can contact the team via learning@designmuseum.org for further information.