The ‘No Limits’ Curriculum aims to give all students the opportunity to thrive, to become complex problem solvers and to be highly effective communicators.
The intention behind our Creator Space is for students to work collaboratively using creative solutions to explore areas across the curriculum from science, technology, engineering, the arts and maths (STEAM) – to instil the creator mindset in students through creative experiences while simultaneously building power skills.
Our students will experience their Creator Space projects/challenges during their Design Technology lesson rotation.
Year 7 Projects/Challenges:
- Make More, Create Smarter: The Inlay Box Challenge: Students will become creative problem-solvers and collaborative makers by exploring how products move from concept to creation. Through hands-on experimentation with timbers, students will learn to combine design thinking, technical drawing (isometric and orthographic), and production techniques (using jigs and templates) to design and manufacture both prototype and batch-produced inlay boxes for a chosen user. This project develops both creative and practical power skills – from innovation and teamwork to precision, planning, and reflection on sustainable material life cycles.
- Raising the Bar: The Crane Challenge: Students will collaborate as creative engineers to design, model, and test a crane structure that can perform under real-world forces and stresses. By applying resistant materials techniques and design thinking principles, they will explore how creativity and engineering intersect to solve structural challenges. This project encourages teamwork, experimentation, and iterative problem-solving while developing practical making skills and an understanding of how design evolves from concept to functional prototype.
- Stitched by Nature: The Creative Textiles Challenge: Students will explore how creativity, design, and craftsmanship intersect by designing and producing a nature-inspired textiles product, such as a chicken pin cushion or coin purse. Through hands-on sewing and printing techniques, they will transform ideas from concept to creation, applying design thinking to develop patterns, textures, and sustainable material choices. This project fosters fine motor skills, creative problem-solving, and an appreciation for how natural forms can inspire functional and beautiful designs.
- From Click to Create: The Key Fob Design Challenge: Students will explore how creativity and technology combine to shape the products of the future by designing and manufacturing a personalised key fob using CAD and CAM tools such as Onshape and TinkerCAD. They will investigate how designers, engineers, and technologists use digital systems, mathematical modelling, and computer-based tools to turn ideas into precision-made products. This project develops critical thinking, digital fluency, and the power skills of innovation, problem-solving, and collaboration within a real-world design context.
Year 8 Projects/Challenges:
- The Power of Design: Amplifying Ideas into Reality: Students will explore how precision, creativity, and design standards come together to shape real-world products. Building on their knowledge of natural timbers, they will investigate manufactured boards and use them to design and make a passive amplifier. By applying BS 8888 drawing conventions, students will create accurate orthographic and exploded diagrams to guide their making process. This project develops technical drawing literacy, material understanding, and the power skills of problem-solving, attention to detail, and design communication – empowering students to turn ideas into functional creations.
- Game Changers: Designing for Play and Purpose: Students will step into the role of creative designers and sustainable makers by developing their own original board game from concept to completion. Through investigating industrial printing methods, the origins and life cycles of materials such as card, paper, and plastics, and exploring where waste goes, students will make informed design choices that balance creativity with environmental responsibility. This project nurtures innovation, systems thinking, and teamwork as students prototype, test, and refine a game that is both fun and thoughtfully made.
- From Code to Creation: The 3D Maker Project: Students will become digital creators by exploring how emerging technologies such as 3D printing and additive manufacturing are transforming the way we design and make products. Using 2D and 3D CAD software, they will apply their understanding of mechanical and electronic systems, the XYZ axis, and user-centred design to independently create either a maze puzzle or a range of jewellery pieces. This project encourages innovation, digital fluency, and creative independence – helping students connect technology with imagination to design products that are both purposeful and original.
Year 9 Projects/Challenges:
- Light Inspired: The Designer Influence Project: Students will explore how design movements and influential designers shape the products we use and the world around us. By investigating how ideas evolve through creativity, culture, and materials, students will analyse design features such as shape, colour, style, and material use before developing their own lamp design that reflects the influence of a chosen designer or movement. Through sketching, modelling, and prototyping, they will bring their concept to life and evaluate it against their design specification – demonstrating creativity, critical thinking, and craftsmanship.
- Everyday Innovation: The £10 Design Brief: Students will take on the role of real-world designers and innovators by responding to the Design Ventura brief – to design a product worth £10 that improves everyday life and could be sold in the Design Museum shop. Working in collaborative teams, they will research customer needs and wants, analyse past winning entries, and develop their own creative solution through iterative design thinking, prototyping, and feedback. This project develops enterprise, communication, and creative problem-solving skills, empowering students to see how design can make a genuine difference in the world.
- Design in Repeat: The Textile Print Challenge: Students will become creative textile designers by exploring how design movements such as Pop Art, Art Deco, and Bauhaus have shaped visual culture. Drawing inspiration from their chosen movement, they will develop their own repeat pattern through research, sketching, and stencil-based printing techniques. By transferring their design onto fabric to create a custom mug wrap, students will apply practical textile and surface decoration skills while gaining an understanding of how artistic ideas evolve into commercial design products. This project nurtures creativity, design literacy, and attention to detail through expressive, hands-on making.
