The Inchbald School of Design was founded by Jacqueline Duncan in 1960. Interior design, which combines the spatial awareness and practicality of the architect with the artistry of the sophisticated decorator, had only just emerged as a recognised profession in Britain, led by Michael Inchbald (Jacqueline Duncans husband and
business partner at the time), Jon Bannenberg, David Hicks and John Siddeley.
The School was the first outside the USA to offer interior design training and Jacqueline Duncan pioneered the intensive, highly structured ten-week and one-year design courses, for which the School is famous, and which have been much copied.
The Garden Design Faculty, the first school in the world to teach garden (rather than large-scale landscape design), was added in 1972 and, like the Interior Design Faculty, bridged the gap between landscape architect and gardener. We have continued to lead in our field, maintaining the highest educational standards, and, in 1998, we added fully accredited MA and Post-Graduate Diploma courses to the portfolios of both our garden and interior design faculties.
The School prepares students to work in the real world and to excel in their professions. Programmes are comprehensive covering all aspects of work as a designer, from colour theory to business management. The majority of tutors and lecturers are experienced, practising designers and projects and course work are generally based on real situations with the kind of real practical constraints that clients engage designers to deal with.
We recognise that the opportunity cost of leaving employment is high so we make all our courses, whether long or short, extremely intensive. The workload is much heavier than at the majority of design schools but, with a tutor/student ratio of 1 to 8, support is greater. The results are generally rapid, and often outstanding.
We regard the exceptional quality of our student body as our unique advantage as a design school and one that we constantly strive to maintain. We believe that sophisticated environmental design is one of the most complex of activities, requiring intellect and eclectic experience. Our reputation ensures that we attract the highest caliber of student and we can boast a body of students as mature, diverse, academically capable and experienced as most leading business schools.
The average age of the 2002/3 one year students was 30, 75% were graduates, 10% with masters degrees, 25% came from overseas to study, and 25% of British students were graduates of Oxford or Cambridge. Students range from decorators, designers and architects deepening or broadening their skills to bankers and doctors seeking an entirely new career in a field that inspires them. This combines to create an exceptionally dedicated and stimulating learning environment, and a very powerful alumni network.
