Design

Design

Most of what we see in the world which is man-made is there by design, whether that be good or bad is a matter of opinion, but it is a crucial aspect of this subject that both the creative and logistical sides of the topic are discussed in full. Undertaking trips is a great way to generate debate, inspire students creatively and also make them think about implications of things such as location, weather, longevity, colour, shape, materials, texture interaction with the surrounding environment, design history, fashion and fads.

Trips for design are very often either practical workshops or visits to museums, buildings or venues which have exhibits or themselves designed to inspire students to think creatively or logistically. Great examples include a trip to the Victoria and Albert museum in London, to view the Eden Project in Cornwall or the Sage arena in Gateshead from a design perspective.

Often trips will lead to major follow-up projects in the classroom which will include both practical and theoretical session, and other topics such as Physics or Technology can be involved. 

Due to the nature of the practical sessions which often take place on design-based trips, the implications for safety are very important and increased attention should be paid to the suitability fo the activities, the tools being used and also ensuring the students are well-briefed, wear any protective equipment or clothing at all times and behave themselves.

Or you could be inspired by visiting design icons such as the Tate Modern, the Saatchi Gallery or even the studios of Aardman Animations.

Main organisations:

Design and Technology Association (DATA)

National Society for Education in Art and Design

Design Council

British Institute of Interior Design

Inclusion: NASEN

Venues for this Curriculum

Striking 13th-century ruined castle

This striking 13th-century castle is perched overlooking the spectacular Teifi Gorge and has inspired many artists, including Turner.

Notre-Dame de Paris, also known as Notre-Dame Cathedral or simply Notre-Dame, is a historic Catholic cathedral on the eastern half of the Île de la Cité in the fourth arrondissement of Paris, France.

Discover over 750 years of history, including Britain's tallest spire, the world's best preserved original Magna Carta (1215) and Europe's oldest working clock, on a tour with one of our volunteer guides. Built between 1220 and 1258, in one architectural style, Salisbury is Britain's finest 13th century Gothic Cathedral.

The earthwork remains of one of the largest Roman amphitheatres in Britain, built in the early 2nd century.

It served the Roman city of Corinium (now Cirencester), then second only in size and importance to London, and had a capacity of around 8,000 spectators. Later fortified against Saxon invaders. 

The Whereat Trail

Europe's Largest Naval Aviation Collection

The Museum comprises four large halls. Each hall has ground floor and upper levels telling the stories of naval aviation from the first manned kites towed behind naval vessels, to helium filled airships, seaplanes, bi-planes and the carrier borne aircraft of WW2 and modern Sea Harriers and helicopters. We also have an original Concorde 002.

Visit the Birthplace of the Titanic

Titanic Belfast is a visitor attraction and a monument to Belfast's maritime heritage on the site of the former Harland & Wolff shipyard. It tells the stories of the ill-fated RMS Titanic, which sank on her maiden voyage in 1912, and her sister ships RMS Olympic and HMHS Britannic.

It is popularly thought that Thomas Crapper invented the W.C., and that the vulgar word for faeces is a derivative of his name, but neither belief is true. However, etymologists attest that the Amercian word, "crapper", meaning the W.C. is directly from his name.

13th-century monastic barn

One of Europe's oldest timber-framed buildings, it has a cathedral-like interior and is linked to a local Cistercian abbey.

Inside the barn hosts an exhibition of local woodcarving, tools and a collection of agricultural carts.

Step back to the 1770s at poet William Wordsworth’s childhood home

Wordsworth House and Garden, in the Cumbrian town of Cockermouth, is the birthplace and childhood home of romantic poet William and his sister Dorothy.

It is presented as it would have been when they lived here with their parents, three brothers and servants in the 1770s.

Set a mere four miles from Stonehenge, Netheravon Dovecote is a charming yet practical building - and an excellent example of an early 18th century dovecote. It still retains most of its original 700 chalk nesting boxes.

Located on the site of a 17th century fort, Malone House was built in the 1820s for William Wallace Legge, a rich Belfast merchant who had inherited the surrounding land. A keen landscaper, he designed and planted most of the estate's grounds, which remain relatively unchanged today. 

Houghton House today is the shell of a 17th century mansion commanding magnificent views, reputedly the inspiration for the ‘House Beautiful’ in John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress.

Honey-coloured stone house with exquisite plasterwork and fine landscaped garden

Nestled in the heart of rural Warwickshire, surrounded by elegant lakes and fine landscape gardens sits Farnborough Hall. Made from the locally quarryed Horton honey-coloured stone, this country house shimmers in the sunlight.

We welcome thousands of children from schools across the world to the Cathedral every year. Many hundreds visit during our annual schools’ festivals: Church Schools Festival, Infant Schools Festival, Secondary Schools Festival and Special Schools Festival and we offer schools’ tours and trails throughout the academic year.

Heather-clad moors of Kinder to the gritstone tors of Derwent Edge

The wild Pennine moorlands are of international importance for their populations of breeding birds and mosaic of habitats.

The extensive remains of an Augustinian abbey, including its abbots' quarters, refectory and cloister.

The substantially surviving chapter house has a frontage richly bedecked with 12th and 14th century carving and statuary, and a fine timber roof of around 1500.

Pictorial interpretation boards guide the visitor, and an introductory exhibition displays archaeological finds.

Home of a Community of Roman Catholic Benedictine monks

The monks are pleased to welcome school groups to their Abbey.

We have a long established Education Department (over 25 years!) with full-time education staff. This means that we can provide facilities and resources for all ages and ability levels covering a wide range of subject areas.

Muchelney Abbey, which lies two miles south of Langport, was once a landmark in the Somerset Levels and still has much to offer its visitors – history lovers in particular will enjoy this fascinating site but there is also plenty for families to do.

The Cistercian abbey of Hailes was founded in 1246 in Gloucestershire by the Earl of Cornwall in thanks for surviving a shipwreck. 

Well-preserved 15th-century gatehouse, the sole survivor of a small Benedictine priory. A miniature 'pele-tower' containing two storeys of comfortable rooms, it later became a fortified vicarage, a defence against border raiders.

This 19th-century cross of Saxon design marks what is traditionally thought to have been the site of St Augustine's landing on the shores of England in AD 597. Accompanied by 30 followers, Augustine is said to have held a mass here before moving on.

Remains of a grammar school for church choristers, founded in the mid-15th century by Ralph, Lord Cromwell, the builder of nearby Tattershall Castle (National Trust).

Tattershall College was built in 1460, four years after the death of its patron, Lord Cromwell, and was completed by William of Wainfleet, Bishop of Winchester.

Wymondham Priory - it was raised to the status of an Abbey a mere ninety years before its suppression - was founded in 1107 as a community of Benedictine monks. The founder was William D'Aubigny, sometimes referred to as d'Albini, Chief Butler to King Henry I whose widow, Alice of Louvrain, was later to marry William's son.

Wolvesey has been an important residence of the wealthy and powerful Bishops of Winchester since Anglo-Saxon times. Standing next to Winchester Cathedral, the extensive surviving ruins of the palace date largely from the 12th-century work of Bishop Henry of Blois.

The guest house and other remains of a Benedictine priory: much of the fine 12th to 14th century monastic church survives as the parish church.

The Benedictine priory of St Mary the Virgin and St Blaise was founded in about 1117 by Robert de la Haye, Lord of Halnaker. It was a cell of the abbey at Lessay in Normandy in France and, when founded, had a community of only three monks.

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