qChildren love art and design and the opportunity to be creative.  Sadly the educational system knocks this out of them, and fails to recognise that these children may well be the future designers of tomorrow, potentially creating – like James Dyson – multi-million pound businesses.  Why do other countries like Korea and China appear to do this so much better, and why has James Dyson had to set up his own university?

Tucked away in the Victoria & Albert Museum in Door to Design are the results of three designers and artists working with three local schools as part of a three year initiative.  Ursula Kelly, Daniel Curtis  and Tom Gaylor engaged the children in Bevington Primary School, St Cuthbert with St Matthias CE Primary School and St Francis of Assisi Catholic Primary School, exploring the V&A Collections and creating a dinner party installation from couscous and mashed potato, theatrical peep shows and fabric designs derived from body collages representing their feelings in responding to the architecture and the collections of the V&A.

A great initiative – but it needs to be extended.  Only three schools had this unique opportunity – it would be good to take this initiative into some of the most deprived, and potentially creatively-fertile schools, in London with the support of the Mayor and other designers.