At Stratford Hall, design is a way of thinking 

From the Junior School onwards, students learn to approach problems with curiosity, creativity, and purpose. They explore ideas, test possibilities, collaborate, and learn how to bring their thinking to life.

Where ideas take shape

Across the Primary Years Programme (PYP) and Middle Years Programme (MYP), students:

  • Use feedback to improve 
  • Make to learn 
  • Prototype, test, refine, and share 
  • Work together and build on each other's ideas 
  • Stay curious and keep asking questions

They learn that most great ideas develop over time through trial, collaborative feedback, and iteration.

Design at Stratford Hall is grounded in a simple belief: anything designed can be redesigned.​​​​​

Learning through design 

From Kindergarten through Grade 5, the Design program builds creative confidence, curiosity, and problem-solving through hands-on learning. The program helps students explore how ideas develop, how things work, and how design can make a difference in the world around them.

Students explore, build, and test ideas through real-world challenges, developing empathy, resilience, and the ability to work with others. Each unit is intentionally designed to build core design skills over time, helping students think critically and act creatively.

Our faculty teach both about design and through design, connecting closely with units of inquiry and using design to explore big ideas.

How Junior School students build design skills

Through the PYP Design program, students develop a set of core skills that are revisited and strengthened over time. Each one is introduced early and applied across projects, so students build confidence through practice, feedback, and iteration.

1. Brainstorming and Ideation
Students learn to generate and explore ideas, empowering them to take risks and think creatively. They begin to see that exploring different possibilities is a valuable part of the design process.
2. Prototyping and Making
Students turn ideas into something they can see and test. Through hands-on making, they work with materials, try different concepts, and learn by doing, developing spatial awareness and technical fluency.
3. Feedback and Iteration
Students learn that feedback is essential for growth, and good work develops over time. They give, receive, and apply feedback, revise their ideas, and improve their work through multiple iterations. This iterative process also helps make connections across projects and grade levels.
4. Collaboration and Communication

Students work with others to develop and refine ideas. They share their thinking, listen to different perspectives, and build on each other’s ideas. By co-creating and collaborating, they develop empathy and teamwork skills, essential for navigating real-world problems. 

5. Troubleshooting and Problem Solving
Students learn how to work through challenges. They identify what isn’t working, adjust their approach, and keep going until they find a solution. Troubleshooting builds persistence and sharpens analytical reasoning.
6. User-Centred Design and Perspective Taking
Students think about who they are designing for. They learn to consider different perspectives and create solutions that respond to real-world problems.

Design in practice

In Grades 6 to 10, students take their design work further, engaging more deeply with problems and developing solutions to complex challenges. Students use the design process to work through real problems. They learn how to investigate a challenge, develop possible solutions, build and test their ideas, and evaluate what works and what doesn’t.

Projects may take different forms. Students might create a product, a prototype, a digital solution, or a system. 

From concept to completion

Over time, students learn how to take an idea from concept to completion, building the confidence and commitment needed to follow through on complex work.

As they move through the program, students are expected to:

  • define problems clearly and think through possible approaches
  • develop and create workable solutions
  • test, evaluate, and improve their work
  • work more independently and manage longer projects

The IDEA Lab: Where students create, invent, tinker, explore, and discover

Beyond the design program, all courses have access to the tools and equipment in our IDEA Lab to enhance their programming and bring ideas to life. The IDEA Lab is both a space and an approach to learning. Students from K to Grade 12 use the space to experiment, prototype, and explore ideas across disciplines. 

While students have access to a wide range of tools, materials, and technologies, from sewing machines to laser cutters, the focus is not simply on learning how to use different equipment. It is on developing ideas, testing possibilities, and designing thoughtful solutions to real-world problems. 

The IDEA Lab encourages curiosity, creativity, and thoughtful risk-taking. Students are given the opportunity, time, and support to try, fail, revise, and try again. They learn to approach challenges with initiative, resourcefulness, and persistence, while developing the confidence and skills to bring their ideas to life.