How can schools better prepare young people for a rapidly changing world?

According to Claire Patey, Head of Marketing at Pinnacle, these findings raise an important question: are schools designed for the future young people are heading into? 

Question: are schools designed for the future young people are heading into?

“Education is no longer about delivering knowledge,” she says. “Schools are preparing children for a world that is changing fast. That means we need learning environments that support collaboration, creativity, confidence, communication and problem solving, not just spaces designed around compliance and passive learning.”

While offices have evolved dramatically over the last 20 years, embracing flexibility, well-being, collaboration zones and hybrid ways of working, many classrooms still follow a traditional model designed for a different era.

Claire believes there’s a growing disconnect between the environments students will eventually work in and those they learn in today.

“We’ve seen workplace design completely transform,” she says. “Businesses now understand that the environment affects productivity, well-being, innovation and culture. Education is starting to move in the same direction, but there’s still a tendency to focus heavily on curriculum while underestimating the impact physical space has on learning behaviours and skills development.”

At Pinnacle, this thinking shapes our SPACE model, which focuses on designing environments that support not only academic attainment, but agency, belonging, collaboration and adaptability.

A clear example of forward-thinking design can be seen at East Calder Primary School in West Lothian, where flexible learning environments encourage pupils to move between collaborative working, quiet focus and independent learning throughout the day.

Headteacher Fiona Stewart says the design fundamentally changes how children engage with learning.

“The environment gives children a sense of ownership,” she says. “They have more autonomy over how they learn and where they learn, and that helps build confidence, communication skills and independence naturally throughout the school day.”

Importantly, designing future-ready schools also means involving students in the process. The Pearson report states that 82% of primary and 70% of secondary pupils say that having their voice heard is important to them.

“When students feel heard, they feel ownership over their environment. We know this as we ask students about what they want at the start of every project,” Claire says. “That sense of belonging can influence well-being, confidence and even attendance. Designing with students, rather than simply for students, creates spaces that genuinely reflect how young people learn and interact.”

Putting this thinking into action, Pinnacle conducted a co-creation workshop with students at Merchant Taylor’s School, Northwood this year, getting the views of the current and future sixth formers and building their feedback into the design of the new sixth form centre. We talked about how they used the space, and any issues with what they already had - they spoke about a lack of storage for bags, no areas for quiet study and the need for a designated food preparation area. We also explored the effects of colour and lighting on mood and concentration, to build a space that will be both functional, adaptable and welcoming. 

For Claire, future-ready school design cannot be separated from the conversation about SEND which also featured heavily in the Pearson report as a major pressure schools face.  She says: “There’s sometimes a misconception that SEND design only benefits a small number of pupils when in reality, the environments that help neurodivergent learners often improve the experience for everyone. Better acoustics, calmer spaces, improved lighting, flexible seating, and opportunities for self-regulation create learning environments where more children can thrive.”

This aligns with growing recognition across the education sector that inclusive design should not be viewed as a specialist add-on, but as a core principle of effective school environments.

“It’s not about making schools chaotic or removing traditional teaching altogether,” she says. “Good design creates choice and balance. Students need spaces for quiet concentration as much as they need opportunities to collaborate and communicate.”

Claire believes inclusive design is becoming increasingly important as schools prepare students for workplaces that themselves are evolving.

“The future workplace will demand adaptability, communication and collaboration, but also a greater understanding of different needs and ways of thinking,” she says. “Schools have an opportunity to model that inclusivity from an early age through the environments they create.”

Andrew Ball, Project Director at Pinnacle, says adaptability is becoming one of the most important principles in education design.

“Schools are supporting a far wider range of needs than ever before, academically, socially and emotionally,” he says. “That means creating spaces that are flexible, inclusive and able to evolve rather than environments designed around a one-size-fits-all approach.”

As the future of work continues to evolve, Pinnacle believes schools face a growing challenge not simply to deliver knowledge, but to help prepare young people for an unpredictable world. The future demands more than curriculum reform - we must rethink the spaces where learning happens.