Creative Hut partnered with Newcastle United Foundation to design and deliver a dedicated STEM learning space that inspires young people across the North East to explore coding, robotics and esports through hands-on experiences.
Free for Year 5+ Pupils
Years Supporting the North East
Esports, Coding & Robotics
The Background: Creating a community hub for STEM learning
The Newcastle United Foundation is an independent registered charity, supported by Newcastle United Football Club. For over a decade, it has been working across the North East to create opportunities for children, young people and adults through programmes focused on education, sport and community engagement.
As part of its ambition to help young people prepare for the future world of work, the Foundation launched NU Futures, a programme designed to support the move from education into employment. At the centre of this is NUCASTLE, a purpose-built community space that brings together sport, learning and digital innovation under one roof.
To support this ambition, the Foundation needed a partner to design and deliver a specialist STEM space that could inspire young people while supporting practical teaching and digital skills. Creative Hut was selected for its experience in creating hands-on learning environments that connect education with real-world skills.
The Challenge: Transforming ambition into a practical learning environment
The Foundation needed to create a space that would capture young people’s attention while making digital learning feel relevant and accessible from the outset.
This meant designing a fully functional learning environment capable of supporting structured STEM sessions for schools and community groups, while introducing technologies and equipment that students would not typically encounter in a classroom setting, giving them the opportunity to explore coding, robotics and digital tools in a more hands-on, applied way.
The STEM room at NUCASTLE provides a unique learning environment for children and young people in our region to engage in STEM and digital technology-related activities, with the aim of increasing knowledge and interest to succeed in careers in the STEM, digital and esports sectors.
— Craig WilsonSTEM Learning Coordinator | Newcastle United Foundation
The Solution: Designing a learning space built to inspire
Creative Hut set out to create a STEM space that went beyond simply housing technology. The aim was to design an environment that felt engaging from the outset, where digital learning was accessible and students were encouraged to explore through doing.
The team developed a series of design concepts that combined bold visual elements with practical learning tools. Custom wall graphics helped transform the room, giving it a clear identity and creating a setting that feels both purposeful and distinct from a traditional classroom.
The space was designed to support interactive, team-based sessions, where students take part in coding and robotics challenges, working together to test ideas, solve problems and build confidence through hands-on activity.
Alongside the design, Creative Hut worked closely on-site with architects and contractors to ensure the space was delivered on time and ready for launch. Staff training and ongoing support were also provided, enabling the Foundation team to deliver consistent, high-quality STEM sessions.
The facility also includes dedicated areas for podcasting, video editing, green screen production and esports, giving students exposure to a broader range of digital and creative technologies.
The Impact: A dedicated space for hands-on STEM learning
The NUCASTLE STEM room now provides a dedicated space where young people across the North East can engage with coding, robotics and esports in a practical, hands-on way.
By giving students access to equipment and experiences they would not typically encounter in school, the space helps make digital learning more tangible and relevant, while building confidence through active participation.
As part of the wider NU Futures programme, the facility is supporting young people to explore future career pathways, while contributing to efforts to address regional skills gaps and increase interest in digital and technology roles.
Spaces like this show what’s possible when you give young people the chance to learn by doing. It’s not just about the technology. We want to create an environment where they feel confident to explore it. Working with Newcastle United Foundation has been about building something that feels relevant, engaging and genuinely useful for the young people who use it every day.
— Gareth BoldsworthCEO & Founder | Creative Hut