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Democratic learning in schools does not only take place through formal curricula or participatory structures, but emerges through everyday practices in which power, voice and responsibility are negotiated. This paper examines how democratic competencies and participatory cultures can emerge when children are not only consulted but actively involved in decision-making processes concerning their school environment. It presents an exploratory practice-based study conducted in a primary school in Düsseldorf located in a socially and structurally challenging context, where questions of voice, recognition and shared responsibility are particularly significant. Over a period of 32 weeks, a mixed-age group of 14 pupils (Grades 1 to 4) participated a non-instructional project format in which every Friday three hours were reserved for self-chosen, collaborative inquiry (Rasfeld, 2019). Within this framework, children investigated their school as a shared democratic space. Democracy was not addressed as a curricular topic, but as a lived practice enacted through observation, discussion, negotiation and collective decision-making. The pupils analysed everyday spatial experiences of wellbeing, exclusion and belonging and developed proposals for change. Participation deliberately extended beyond the project group. Based on questionnaires and spatial analyses developed with the children, the entire school community of approximately 320 pupils was involved in reflecting on school spaces, preferred atmospheres and needs. The project group acted as representatives and mediators, collecting, analysing and communicating the perspectives of their peers. Central democratic decisions were made collaboratively, including the selection of colours, furniture and spatial arrangements for shared school spaces. A key moment in the process was the participation of the pupils in a study visit to the Didacta fair, one of the largest educational trade fairs in Europe. There, the children discussed spatial concepts directly with architects and furniture manufacturers and compared professional design approaches with their own analyses. Drawing on the results of the school-wide survey, they took part in collective decision-making about which furniture and design elements would ultimately be purchased and implemented. This step marked a shift from consultation to shared responsibility for concrete outcomes. Methodologically, the study combines participatory spatial inquiry, pedagogical interior architecture and Post-Occupancy Evaluation with child-centred questionnaires, spatial mapping, photographic documentation, reflective diaries, focus groups and interviews. The participatory design of the process was informed by insights from the Erasmus+ project CLEAR on learning environments. The analytical framework further draws on theories of democratic education and participation (Biesta, 2022), spatial justice (Soja, 2010) and socio-spatial agency (Dovey & Fisher, 2014), as well as research on participatory school environments (Woolner, 2015; Sigurðardóttir, 2020). The findings show that being listened to, taken seriously and entrusted with real decisions strengthened pupils’ sense of self-efficacy and transformed patterns of acceptance within the school community. The paper argues that participatory engagement with school space can function as a powerful form of democratic education, demonstrating that even young children are capable of informed, collective decision-making. It contributes to Scuola Democratica debates by illustrating how democracy can be learned and practised through the shared shaping of everyday environments, fostering a future-oriented school culture grounded in participation, spatial justice and collective care.
