The Sorrell Foundation

The Sorrell Foundation was set up in 1999 with the aim of inspiring creativity in young people and improving the quality of life through good design. The Foundation creates and prototypes new ideas and develops models that can be widely used. Programmes and initiatives include:

Launched in 2000, joinedupdesignforschools explores how good design can improve the quality of life in schools by listening to the voices of pupils – the consumers of education. It inspires pupils by putting them in the driving seat, giving them control and responsibility as clients. Through this experience they develop work and social skills such as problem-solving, reasoning, communication and teamworking, which lead to increased self-confidence and self-esteem. Joinedupdesignforschools is a unique programme that also demonstrates ways in which the UK design industry can be joined up with the education sector, so that schools can benefit from its experience and skills.

The Sorrell Foundation Young Design Centre

The Sorrell Foundation Young Design Centre opened in Somerset House in spring 2007. The aim of the centre is to explore what young people want from design at school and in their daily lives. Over the last 2 years, it has presented exhibitions and events, run creative workshops for 3,000 pupils a year, and supported young people’s contribution to the conversation about design in their environment. The centre also encourages designers, architects and local authorities to use the significant body of practical evidence gathered over the past ten years through both the joinedupdesignforschools programme, and the Joinedupdesign for Building Schools for the Future, Primary Capital and Academies programmes.

What’s Next for Schools?

The What’s Next for Schools? exhibition at the Sorrell Foundation Young Design Centre was created in 2007 in partnership with award-winning designers Casson Mann. The exhibition is an innovative interactive display that uses film, web games, models, audio and imagery to describe what pupils want in their schools. The display focuses on common issues identified by pupils that, if solved, would improve the quality of life in schools. What’s Next for Schools? also exhibits the results of the Young Design and Academies programmes each year, as well as the shortlist and winner of the annual RIBA Sorrell Foundation Schools Award.

Pupil Advisory Board

The Pupil Advisory Board is a panel of young people who advise and give feedback to the Sorrell Foundation on current and future programmes. They hold regular meetings throughout the year and are involved with a number of different projects. In the past year, the board has presented their views on school design to Jim Knight MP, Minister of State for Schools and Learners. They were also involved in projects for the Design Museum in London, the Zero Carbon Taskforce and the RIBA Sorrell Foundation Schools Awards judging panel. The 2009–2010 Pupil Advisory Board will collaborate with Partnerships for Schools and will have the opportunity to feed their ideas directly into the government’s capital investment programme for schools.

Joinedupdesign for Building Schools for the Future and Primary Capital programmes

More than 150 schools take part in the Joinedupdesign for Building Schools for the Future and Primary Capital programmes each year. The programmes are based on the joinedupdesignforschools model, which can also be used when planning a smaller intervention, such as a refurbishment, a new school uniform, better school signage or a new identity, or simply to develop life skills in a classroom learning project. Pupils taking part in the Joinedupdesign for Building Schools for the Future and Primary Capital programmes visit the Sorrell Foundation Young Design Centre to take part in discussions and creative workshops and create a Pupils’ Brief for the architects, designers and project managers who will be working on their school development project.

Young Design Programme

The Young Design Programme has developed out of joinedupdesignforschools. It joins up pupils in primary and secondary schools with students at universities and colleges, and designers in industry. As with joinedupdesignforschools, the pupils are the clients, but this time their consultants are students of design at universities and colleges, who in turn are mentored by professional designers. Over the last four years, the Sorrell Foundation has developed the programme further, to create a model that can be offered to any university or design college in the country. A total of 9 universities, 7 higher education colleges, and 15 schools with over 400 pupil clients, took part in the 2008–2009 programme.

Joinedupdesign for Academies

The Joinedupdesign for Academies 2008–2009 programme was set up in collaboration with the University of the Arts London and with support from Partnerships for Schools. In this, its pilot year, the programme worked with five new academies being developed in collaboration with sponsors and local authorities. Pupil client teams for each academy worked closely with a group of design students from universities, who helped them to produce a brief for their new school. The students created concepts to visualise what the pupils had asked for, and were mentored by designers in industry throughout the process. The programme created a unique link between primary, secondary and higher education, and professional practice.

Joinedupdesign for myplace

The Joinedupdesign for myplace programme launched in 2008 to support the government’s myplace initiative. During spring and summer 2009, the Foundation worked with young people in 15 locations around the country, linking them with creative teams of design professionals to work on the content, design and branding of proposed youth centres that will be built with funding from the myplace programme. This will be administered by the Big Lottery Fund and the centres will be built between 2010 and 2012.

Further activities

As well as the Foundation’s main programmes, it has created discrete initiatives in the health sector, in personalised learning and with Mencap.