Funded and produced by a consortium of partners, including the Heritage Lottery Fund, the Royal Institute of British Architects, and the Clore Duffield Foundation, the publication provides guidance on all aspects of designing cultural learning spaces, including practical elements such as furniture storage, technology, lighting, and working with architects. Eleven years after the publication of the first Space for Learning, the new handbook has been extensively updated with new content crowd-sourced from a wide range of cultural and heritage educators and learning space funders.

Learning spaces within cultural and heritage organisations are important: 69%* of children visit a museum, gallery or heritage site every year and most will use learning spaces during their visits. Such spaces form a critical part of the rich ecology of creative and cultural provision that is on offer for learners of all ages – young people, adults and families – in urban and rural communities across the UK.

A print version is available, together with expanded online guidance which includes practical case studies, ranging from the Hepworth Wakefield to the National Museum Cardiff, and RHS Wisley to Ditchling Museum of Art+Craft.

The website includes films made by educators and young people about their views on the learning spaces, and will continue to grow as new case studies and films are added.

The 14 consortium partners are: Arts Council England; Arts Council Northern Ireland; the BFI; the Clore Duffield Foundation; the Crafts Council; the Creative Industries Federation; engage; the Group for Education in Museums; the Foyle Foundation; the Garfield Weston Foundation; the Heritage Lottery Fund; the Royal Horticultural Society; the Royal Institute of British Architects; and the Sackler Trust.

Carole Souter CBE, Chief Executive of the Heritage Lottery Fund, said: “Even the most beautifully designed and equipped learning spaces need properly trained staff to make them really effective. At the last count, we have funded 800 spaces for learning and more than 1,300 learning officers, three times the number quoted in the original edition of Space for Learning.  None of this would have been possible without National Lottery players continuing to buy tickets so we owe them a big ‘Thank You’.”

Dame Vivien Duffield, Chairman of the Clore Duffield Foundation, said: “We have funded more than 50 Clore Learning Spaces in museums, galleries, heritage sites and cultural organisations, and we know from long experience how hard they are to get right, and how easy it is to make mistakes with practical details such as sinks, storage and flooring. This new resource is an invaluable ‘how to’ guide, and we are so grateful to all those who have shared their expertise, wisdom and experiences – good and bad – for the benefit of others.”

Notes to editors

The Space for Learning handbook is available to download from the Space for Learning website.

* Department for Culture Media and Sport Taking Part data reports that 69% of 5-15 year-olds visited a heritage site in 2014/2015, and 62% visited a museum in the year to March 2015.

Further information

Bolton & Quinn: Jane Quinn/Dennis Chang on 020 7221 5000, email: dennis@boltonquinn.com.