IPO Education

Directions Website

Official Facebook account for the UK Intellectual Property Office Education hub

We've developed some cracking downloadable lesson plans for KS1-KS4 that can be found on Tes under http://crackingideas.com. Our website is packed with full and free activities to help children understand IP better. You can learn more about IP with Wallace and Gromit as well as our very own radio stars Nancy and her band the Meerkats.

Click the following link to head over to our other social media channels - https://flow.page/crackingideas

Sign up to our newsletter to receive all the latest news and announcements from Cracking Ideas or follow us on Twitter under

https://confirmsubscription.com/h/r/059BBEE8CCB7071B

14/10/2026

Need a quick tutor-time activity for tomorrow?

IPO Creative Challenge: Improve It!

⏱️ Just 10 minutes

Choose an everyday object:
🎒 Backpack
☂️ Umbrella
💧 Water bottle

Your students' challenge: improve it.

What problem does it solve? What could work better? Who would benefit?

✅ No preparation
✅ No worksheets
✅ Encourages creativity and problem-solving

Sometimes the best inventions start with a simple improvement.

10/10/2026

Happy National Album Day!

Albums are more than collections of songs. They’re creative journeys shaped by songwriters, musicians, producers, designers, artists, photographers and many more talented people working behind the scenes.

Copyright helps make sure creators are recognised and rewarded for their work, so they can keep making the music, artwork and ideas that soundtrack our lives.

08/10/2026

Some of the most valuable ideas aren't products, they're identities.

The Paul Smith brand is recognised around the world for distinctive features such as the Paul Smith name, signature-style logo and the famous Signature Stripe. These elements help customers recognise the brand and demonstrate how creativity can become a valuable business asset 🦓

Classroom discussion question:

Why might a business want to protect its name, logo, colours, patterns or other recognisable features?

Can you think of a brand that you would recognise even if its name wasn't shown?

06/10/2026

Teach it tomorrow: Protecting inventions and ideas

Teaching Design & Technology this week?

Before students start designing solutions, spend 10 minutes exploring how inventors protect their ideas. Our free student guide introduces patents through the inspiring story of Ruth Amos, who turned a GCSE project into a patented invention and successful business.

Classroom discussion:
What makes an invention different from an idea?
Why might inventors want to protect their work?
What could happen if they shared their invention too early?

✅ Curriculum-relevant
✅ Real-world case study
✅ Suitable for ages 11+
✅ No prior patents knowledge needed

Access the free guide via www.ipo.gov.uk/ip-support/welcome

The guide introduces patents, copyright, trade marks, designs and trade secrets using student-friendly language.

05/10/2026

Happy World Teachers’ Day!

Today we’re celebrating the teachers who do so much more than share knowledge. They encourage questions, champion creativity, build confidence and help young people see what’s possible.

Thank you to teachers for inspiring minds, opening doors and helping creativity grow.

03/10/2026

Happy National Bookshop Day! Today we’re celebrating the brilliant bookshops that bring stories, ideas and imagination to life in our communities.

Every book on the shelf begins with creativity — and is protected by intellectual property. Copyright helps authors, illustrators, publishers and creators earn recognition for their work, while giving readers the chance to discover new worlds, voices and ideas.

So, whether you’re browsing for your next page-turner, buying a gift or asking your local bookseller for a recommendation, you’re supporting creativity from first draft to final cover.
Choose bookshops. Champion creativity. Respect intellectual property.

01/10/2026

Today we are marking National Poetry Day — an opportunity to celebrate the creativity, imagination and innovation that poetry inspires.

As we celebrate poetry, it is important to recognise and respect the rights of creators. Poems, performances, images and recordings are protected creative works, and anyone sharing them should ensure they have permission where required, credit the creator clearly and use trusted sources.

This National Poetry Day, we invite you to take a moment to read, write or share poetry responsibly — and to reflect on how words can inspire new ways of thinking.

30/09/2026

Happy National Podcast Day! Podcasts are powerful platforms for sharing stories, knowledge and creativity—but every great episode starts with valuable ideas.

Intellectual property helps protect the content behind a podcast, from scripts, recordings and music to artwork, branding and show names. Whether you create or share content, it’s important to protect your work, credit others and use third-party material responsibly.

26/09/2026

It’s National Doodle Day — the perfect excuse to pick up a pen, pencil or stylus and see where your imagination takes you.

Doodles are often the first step towards something bigger: a story, a design, an invention, a campaign or a creative breakthrough.

Today is also a great moment to think about copyright. When someone creates an original doodle, drawing or digital artwork, that creative work belongs to them. So if you’re inspired by another artist, give credit, ask permission where needed, and keep your own work original.
We’d love to see what you create.

Share your doodle and celebrate the joy of original ideas.

23/09/2026

On International Day of Sign Languages, we celebrate the importance of sign languages in supporting communication, culture, education and equal rights for Deaf people and other sign language users.

Sign languages are fully fledged natural languages, each with its own grammar and identity. Recognising them means recognising the right of Deaf communities to access information, services, learning and public life in the language that works for them.

This also connects to intellectual property. Creative and educational content should be accessible, while the work of Deaf creators, performers, educators and sign language interpreters should be valued and properly credited. Inclusive copyright practice, clear permissions and accessible formats can help ensure that creativity is shared more fairly.

Today, let’s champion sign language rights, accessibility and the creative contributions of Deaf communities.

Image Description - Woman in black shirt demonstrating a sign language gesture with focused hand movements against a plain white background.

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Website

https://www.ipo.gov.uk/ip-support/welcome, https://flow.page/ipo.education, https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/UKIP

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