Context
The Natural History Museum wanted to understand the real impact of its Build The Change schools learning programme - a flagship part of its offer that reaches thousands of young people each year. Working with LEGO as long-term funding partners, the team wanted to know how well the programme was meeting its learning and sustainability goals, what teachers and pupils were getting out of it, and how it could grow in the future.
Emma and Steve took a mixture of methods to get a rounded view of the programme in action. We combined large-scale surveys with live observation, quick on-the-spot contextual conversations, and in-depth interviews with teachers before and after their visits. This helped us capture both the immediate buzz of the experience and the longer-term impact back in the classroom.
Our approach was designed to make sense of a big, complex programme - gathering enough responses to represent the range of schools involved, while still understanding each experience in depth.
The findings showed just how much the programme is achieving - from sparking curiosity to deepening learning. They also highlighted opportunities to make it even stronger, helping the museum refine its approach, reach new audiences, and shape future funding bids.
The research gave the team the confidence that their work is making a real difference - and a clear direction for where to go next. We’ve continued to work with the Natural History Museum as the programme grows, including pilots of its national programme, and the development of on-going projects with schools.
