In early December 2025, the School of Education at the University of Leeds hosted the first information session for the Imaginative Curriculum Research and Scholarship Centre (ICRSC) in collaboration with the School of Earth, Environment and Sustainability, the School of Design and the School of Politics and International Studies at the Coach House, Hillary Place.
The Centre aims to bring together educators, researchers, and students to explore imaginative, creative, and sustainable curriculum practices, scholarship, and research. This event marked an exciting step toward creating a vibrant hub for collaboration and innovation.
Image: Dr Vasiliki Kioupi and Dr Delyth Edwards from the ICRSC steering group
A highlight of the session was the playful yet meaningful openly licensed e(ducation)-pizza game (Nerantzi et al., 2023a; Nerantzi et al. 2023b). Participants were asked to imagine the Centre as a pizza and choose toppings to represent its values and priorities.
This creative metaphor sparked lively conversations and inventive ideas. Heart-shaped pizzas symbolised openness and collaboration, while spicy ingredients represented risk-taking and pedagogic experimentation. Some pizzas included blank slices, signifying space for imagination and unplanned possibilities to emerge organically.
Image: Creating the ICRSC as a pizza
The activity revealed a strong desire for shared ownership and community-led development. Participants envisioned the Centre as a freedom space for creativity, where human connections are at the heart of its work. The diversity of toppings reflected hopes for inclusivity, innovation, and flexibility. This exercise not only generated ideas for future activities but also reinforced the Centre’s vision as a hub for imaginative thinking and collaborative practice.
Our collaboration with the Knowledge Equity Network (KEN) strengthens the Imaginative Curriculum Research and Scholarship Centre’s commitment to imagination, creativity, and knowledge equity as foundations for socially just and democratic education. It also helps ensure that diverse voices, perspectives, and ways of knowing actively shape our educational practices, resources, and research, contributing to more equitable, imaginative and empowering learning experiences.
We invite educators, researchers, and students from all educational contexts to join us in building this community-led hub. If you are passionate about imaginative curriculum design and experiences, your voice and creativity are essential to shaping the Centre’s future.
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The Imaginative Creative Research and Scholarship Centre steering group