When a Multi-Academy Trust grows, one of the biggest challenges is making sure every school still feels like part of the same family, while keeping its own identity. For Brigshaw Learning Partnership, that balance has been at the heart of a wider signage strategy that has now expanded across six of their primary schools.
This latest phase builds on the success of the original signage project Cleverbox were involved in with Brigshaw High School, which set the tone for a more considered approach to wayfinding, branding, and internal communication.
This initial signage project helped establish a clear visual language for the Trust. It wasn’t just about updating signs, it was about setting a standard.
The success of this work quickly became clear. Staff and students benefited from improved navigation, visitors found the site easier to understand, and the overall identity of the school felt more cohesive and professional. Most importantly, it gave the BLP a scalable model they could confidently extend across their wider family of schools.
Logistics of a multi-site signage project
Rather than taking a one-size-fits-all approach, each site was carefully surveyed and assessed individually. This ensured that while the design remained consistent, the implementation was always tailored to the specific layout, architecture, and daily flow of each school.
Site surveys played a key role in the process. These allowed us to:
- Map key movement routes through each building
- Identify decision points where signage would be most effective
- Understand existing visual clutter or inconsistencies
- Plan positioning for maximum visibility and impact
This approach ensures that when you move between schools within the Trust, there is a clear sense of belonging and connection, while still allowing each individual school to maintain its own personality.
Brigshaw Learning Partnership is actively working towards a more unified visual identity across all its schools, and signage plays a central role in that.
By standardising key elements such as:
- Entrance identity signage
- Directional wayfinding
- Welcoming School Values displays
Project lead Dan Meeks highlighted the importance of taking a joined-up approach:
“Having a coherent signage plan across a Multi-Academy Trust makes a huge difference, not just visually but operationally. It helps reinforce a shared identity, while still allowing each school to retain its own character. What Cleverbox have delivered for BLP gives the trust a strong foundation that they can confidently roll out across more sites, as and when the trust grows.”
What this project shows is the value of thinking beyond individual school sites and instead designing for a whole Trust experience. Brigshaw Learning Partnership now has something that genuinely works at scale. It brings clarity for pupils moving through their day, makes life easier for staff and visitors, and strengthens the sense of connection between schools without taking away their individuality.
We are so happy with the outstanding signage designed by Cleverbox for our schools. From the initial consultation to the final installation, their professionalism and creativity were evident every step of the way. The team at Cleverbox took the time to understand our needs and vision, resulting in signage that has really helped establish our school’s aesthetic and vision.
-Nick Chinnock, Director of Development, Brigshaw Learning Partnership
Want to achieve the same across your Trust?
If you are a Multi-Academy Trust looking to bring greater consistency, clarity, and identity to your schools, we would love to help you explore what a joined-up signage approach could look like across your school sites.
Get in touch with us to start the conversation and see how we can support your next phase of development.