Shape My School with The Cardiff Commitment

In November, we spent a morning with Year 3 pupils from Herbert Thompson Primary School in Ely as part of the Shape My School / Shape My Street programme in connection with The Cardiff Commitment and the Welsh School of Architecture.

We conducted a workshop exploring the fundamentals of architecture and school design. Together, we examined what makes a good school building. Using the Welsh School of Architecture’s framework, we helped pupils explore six design themes: learning, inspiration, nature, play, sharing and senses.

The workshop guided the pupils to think about their classrooms, the school building and outdoor spaces, preparing them to design a repurposed disused building in their school. Using activities like drawing, guided walks, and model making, we helped pupils understand concepts related to school design, place, and community.

The programme, developed by the Welsh School of Architecture, Cardiff Curriculum Team, teachers, and construction industry professionals, aims to teach children how to design spaces that serve their community through developing a small project build at their school. Through the programme, we have also supported the new curriculum for Wales’s inquiry based approach to learning and teaching.

We are proud to support the work of The Cardiff Commitment, the Cardiff Curriculum Team and the Welsh School of Architecture through our engagement with several education initiatives across the region and through our work to design an old disused building in the school for the benefit of the community, teachers and pupils.