School pupils design the high streets of the future at V&A Dundee
Scottish school pupils got creative with the support of designer and TV presenter Anna Campbell-Jones at V&A Dundee today as part of this year’s Streets Ahead Design Challenge, supported by NCR Alteos Foundation.
V&A Dundee Streets Ahead challenges S1 and S2 pupils across Scotland to look at their local high street or shopping centre and redesign it to create a more sustainable, inclusive and accessible shopping experience. The project aims to inspire the next generation of designers by introducing secondary pupils to the tools and techniques designers use to solve real-world problems.
The one-day session saw nine winning schools develop their ideas with an expert panel of designers before presenting their projects to the professional judges: Anna Campbell-Jones, Leigh Duncan (NCR Atleos), Lara Dougan (Sky), Sara Guerrero-Mostafa (V&A Dundee), Alan Gunn (Dundee City Council) and Michelle Quadrelli (Scott & Fyfe).
63 schools from across Scotland registered for this year’s challenge, with nine winning teams taking part in the design jam.
The schools taking part from across Scotland are Portlethen Academy (Aberdeenshire), Carnoustie High School (Angus), Arbroath High School (Angus), Forfar Academy (Angus), St Paul's RC Academy (Dundee), Harris Academy (Dundee), Tarbert Academy (Argyll & Bute), Williamwood High School (Ayrshire) and Wallace High School (Stirlingshire).
The nine winning designs go on display at V&A Dundee later this year.
By popular demand, V&A Dundee recently adapted the project to ensure Primary Schools could also take part this year. 24 primary schools across 6 local authorities participated and their work was showcased at V&A Dundee earlier this month.
Anna Campbell-Jones, Interior Designer and Broadcaster, said: "At V&A Dundee, design is shown not as a subject, but as a way of thinking - one that shapes how we understand the world around us.
“When I launched Reimagining Spaces in a Scottish school setting, I saw first-hand how learning through design builds truly transferable skills: problem-solving, collaboration, communication and confidence. These are skills young people carry into every part of life, whatever path they choose. Initiatives like Streets Ahead give students the opportunity to apply creative thinking to real challenges, helping to future-proof Scotland’s next generation with the mindset, adaptability and optimism needed for what comes next.”
Leigh Duncan, Marketing Manager at NCR Atleos Foundation, said: "Partnering with V&A Dundee on this project since its inception has been incredible and this year’s submissions have been outstanding. It's inspiring to see this level of enthusiasm and talent from our future designers.
“With more than 600 employees working in research and development, STEM is central to how NCR Atleos innovates and grows. We are passionate about helping young people understand the value of STEM in education and empowering them to find their own path. Supporting students today means creating opportunities, skills, and innovators for tomorrow."
Gary Jamieson, Schools Development Officer at V&A Dundee, said: "As Scotland’s national design museum, V&A Dundee is uniquely positioned to support young people and educators to explore the design process as a powerful way of thinking, creating and solving problems. In a world where future jobs and skill demands are rapidly changing—and in many cases don’t yet exist—design offers a universal toolkit: curiosity, experimentation, resilience, collaboration, and the confidence to turn ideas into action.
“Real-world design challenges open up learning that feels relevant and exciting. They help young people recognise their own creative potential, develop transferable skills, and imagine new career pathways shaped by innovation, technology and culture.
“Interdisciplinary Learning (IDL) is the ideal environment for this. When learners connect art with science, storytelling with engineering, or fashion with sustainability, they build the adaptable, future-ready mindset needed for careers we cannot yet predict".
Research by the British Council identified that 65% of today’s school pupils will be employed into jobs that don’t yet exist. Skills in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, as well as Design and Art, are increasingly in demand.
Working through the design process as part of Streets Ahead will encourage students to become adaptable, confident, creative problem solvers. To find out more, please visit https://www.vam.ac.uk/dundee/info/streets-ahead
