Nothing brings classroom learning to life quite like stepping out into the real world. These inspiring field trips have given High School students a chance to see design through new perspectives and deepen their understanding.
Our Year 8 students look at how thoughtful design can completely transform a space. Venturing into a uniquely designed café precinct in Bangkok, they were welcomed by the architect behind the project, who walked them through how materials, shapes, and landscaping were used to turn ideas into a functional, beautiful environment. It was a perfect opportunity to connect their classroom work, creativity, problem-solving, and practical design thinking to an example of design in action.
Meanwhile, our Year 12 IB Diploma students visit renowned designer Patrick Keane’s studio in Bangkok, known for its innovative, sustainable designs that fuse cutting-edge technology with traditional Thai craftsmanship, particularly through the use of natural materials like rattan. Students learned about how traditional arts and crafts can be reimagined for modern spaces. Discussions with Patrick and his team offered valuable insight into balancing innovation with cultural heritage.
The senior students also visited the Thailand Creative and Design Center (TCDC), where they explored a wide array of materials, old, new, and smart, used in contemporary design. These experiences opened up fresh thinking around sustainability, cultural relevance, and how materials impact the function and feel of a space.
At STA, we believe field trips are an essential part of enriching learning experiences beyond the classroom, which offer students many benefits:
Connects classroom concepts with practical applications
Encourages critical thinking and creative problem-solving
Provides exposure to industry professionals and career pathways
Deepens understanding of materials, form, and function
Inspires new ideas through hands-on, immersive learning
Builds awareness around sustainability and cultural relevance in design
Fosters collaboration, reflection, and independent interpretation
Field trips spark curiosity, build connections, and inspire students to think creatively and critically about the world around them. At every age, stepping outside the classroom brings learning to life in new and exciting ways.
Summer camps are a valuable opportunity for students to continue learning and growing in new ways outside school. Children build confidence, develop new skills and interests, make new friends, and stay mentally engaged in a relaxed, supportive environment. Through hands-on activities in sports, arts, music, robotics, and more, students are encouraged to try new things, solve problems, and work together with students from different schools and communities come together.
Four senior students from St Andrews Bangkok proudly represented our school at the NAE Student Summit 2025, held at The Village School in Houston, Texas. Joined by peers from 52 Nord Anglia schools worldwide, they spent a week developing their leadership skills through workshops, hands-on activities, and expert-led sessions focused on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Highlights included working with UNICEF and the World’s Largest Lesson, volunteering at the Houston Food Bank to help provide over 12,000 meals, and presenting a capstone project on improving access to healthcare in Bangkok.
The Marble Run Expo at St Andrews Bangkok is a powerful example of how inter-year group collaboration enriches learning across age levels. Year 7 students, working as designers and project leaders, created personalised marble runs for their Foundation Stage ‘clients’ - an engaging challenge that fostered empathy, active listening, and creative problem-solving. Through this event, older students gained confidence, leadership skills, and the ability to adapt communication for younger audiences, while our youngest learners were empowered by seeing their ideas brought to life and felt inspired to incorporate some design elements in their own marble runs.
