Spatial Installations
The Challenge: School estates can sometimes look old and uninspiring, affecting the students, staff, and carers that step foot there. When trying to change student outcomes, school culture plays a huge part. I needed to create a design that inspires and uplifts busy areas. Space can be narrow and dark, budgets are minimal, so design must factor aging well.
The Solution: Working with school leadership, I chose to highlight thoughtful quotes from their reading cannons into the design. Using clean, bright and simple shapes to invite the reader’s curiosity, and blow up text as the hero not to miss, design contributes to a stronger renewed culture of learning and an environment where people feel proud and happy to come to.
In 2024, Ofsted made the key judgements to improved grade ‘Good’ in all areas following a school inspection, which the school had never been in previous inspections (‘Inadequate’ and ‘Requires Improvement’ since 2014).
In 2025, the school was named 'Secondary School of the Year' at the Milton Keynes Education Awards, recognised for its rapid improvement, exceptional performance, and positive culture.
“While corridors are still busy, pupils’ behaviour is noticeably calmer. The atmosphere as pupils move around the school is much more positive than it was. Pupils like the new, colourful friezes on the walls. One said it makes the school appear less clinical and more like a place for learning.“
— Ofsted monitoring inspection 2023
