Springing into action: updates from this term’s CCAC co-design programmes

Climate Change All Change reflects on the 2025 spring term, which has seen co-design programmes blossom in four primary schools across the country.

It has been a busy spring term at Climate Change All Change with four primary school co-design programmes underway. These projects have ranged from regenerative fashion to flooding resilience, reaching over 200 children across Derby, Cornwall and two London boroughs.

In Derby, year 5 children at The Bemrose Primary School have participated in a regenerative farming co-design project. Polly North, of LANDE Design Studio, is an architect who uses low energy intensive construction methods and natural, sustainable materials. She has introduced these ideas to 9 and 10-year-olds at The Bemrose. This has included learning about the applications of mycelium (the root networks of fungi) for such things as insulation or bricks.  Their co-design project, The Farm of the Future, involves re-designing a local farm, introducing resilience and exploiting opportunities presented by future climate change.

Children with their designs for farm buildings of the future at The Bemrose Primary School in Derby.

At the start of April, the children presented their designs to CCAC’s expert panel who were enormously impressed by their regenerative farm concepts and enthusiasm for the project. Speaking about the co-design project, the lead year 5 Bemrose teacher said, It has been fantastic; the children have gained so much and have been so inquisitive and involved in a real-life scenario that has served to inspire them, adding that, it has been nothing short of amazing to work with Polly. The children’s farm designs will be developed by Polly at LANDE Design Studio and displayed at their reveal event on the 8 May 2025.

“…this is what it is absolutely all about – developing social and cultural capital in those who really need it…”

Dr Deborah Outhwaite, CCAC Special Advisor and member of the expert panel at The Bemrose Primary School

Meanwhile in South London, children at St John’s and St Clement’s CofE Primary School in Peckham have been working on Climate Ready Peckham!  Michael Pecirno, of architecture studio Hassell, asked year 5 children to redesign the car park in Peckham Rye Park to be extreme weather resilient while also providing a suitable habitat to increase biodiversity and offer the local community an enjoyable urban space.

Michael Pecirno, Sustainable Futures lead at Hassell, in front of one group’s design which features a wind turbine, solar panels and even a roller-skating rink.

Children at St John’s and St Clement’s embraced the concept and incorporated recycled, sustainable materials and zero carbon energy sources in their designs. In their presentations, they also demonstrated ingenuity and creativity, with concepts that included everything from floors made from recycled shoes to a café for birds. This freedom was echoed in the year 5 focus groups with one child stating, What I liked about it [theproject] is that you don’t have to stick to the rules. Your imagination can run free. Your design can be as wild as you want it to be.

The project was also praised by St John’s and St Clement’s year 5 class teacher: Climate change is something that we had not talked about. Now it’s come into our classroom and made us realise how important it is, that they [the children] understand what it is. Because it’s their future, about the choices they will make in their lives.  It’s been positive to have that conversation. I feel much more equipped with knowledge now. And they too can have a conversation with adults about it – they understand the vocabulary. That’s power.

St John’s and St Clement’s children demonstrating teamwork, producing designs for Peckham Rye Park in their co-design project Climate Ready Peckham!

Across the River Thames, children at William Tyndale Primary School in Islington have embarked on co-design project Water Woes: Islington 2050, alongside Angela Curci from Zaha Hadid Architects. Together they are re-designing their school to be resilient against future flooding. In the focus group, it was evident that the children enjoyed the creative freedom of the project, and it helped them to understand ways to, and the importance of, protecting the planet against climate change. One child stated, I loved the creativity. I have learned to share ideas and enjoyed the creative experience, while another said, I used to think climate change would be solved [by the time I’m an adult]. I thought scientists would come up with ideas to save the planet and stop climate change but now I know that we have to do more. Angela will develop their school designs into digital renders for their Reveal event on 7 May 2025.

“I thought scientists would come up with ideas to save the planet and stop climate change but now I know that we have to do more”

Year 5 pupil at William Tyndale Primary School

Last, but not least, children at Gorran Primary School in Cornwall have been taking part in a regenerative fashion co-design project with fashion and textile innovator Aurelie Fontan. Under the title Fashioning a Better Future, the children have learned about the environmental impact of the fashion industry and innovative ways to reduce it. This has included learning about organic textiles such as kombucha leather, natural algal pigments and even a hands-on screen-printing workshop using plant-based dyes!  The children have designed sustainable outfits for climate extremes which Aurelie will develop and present at the Reveal event on 16 May 2025.

Fashion and textile innovator Aurelie Fontan explaining the use of bio-regenerative organic material for replacing petroleum-based textiles and dyes.

An enormous thank you from CCAC to the designers, teachers, children and everyone behind the scenes who enabled these co-design projects. We wish everyone a restful Easter break and can’t wait for the Big Reveals in May.