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The story of IRIS

IRIS is not an overnight concept, nor is it a reaction to the increasing demand for STEM+ education in Zurich. It is a concept that has been in development for many years, born from the shared vision of its two founders.

Sonya Maechler

Educational visonary

Sonya is the founder of the Tandem group of schools, including a new Gymnasium with the focus on Design and Humanitarian studies. 

Paul Woodward

Design visionary

Paul is a designer, educator and consultant with considerable experience of teaching creative subjects, including Design and Technology, in a range of schools in the UK and overseas. Disappointed with the provision for design education in the UK, he left the classroom to work as a Curriculum Consultant for the Design and Technology Association to try and improve the quality of design education, but he remained frustrated at the restrictions holding schools back from delivering a design education fit for the 21st century. By chance he met Sonya online, and their ideas produced creative sparks which ignited the flames that led to him moving to Zurich to develop a bespoke curriculum and deliver it in Tandem's new Gymnasium.

It soon became clear that the subject was popular with students and improved their creativity, problem solving, critical thinking and more. It felt like the right time to take this concept beyond the school and into the larger educational system of Zurich. From this idea, IRIS was created.

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Sonya Maechler

A visionary founder of the Tandem group of schools and the driving force behind the IRIS project. Sonya has a passion for learning, languages and design thinking which she brings to the schools she has established and now to the IRIS initiative.

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Paul Woodward

I have been teaching Design and Technology for more than 30 years in the UK and overseas, and am delighted to be part of this initiative. A big, bold step! It's exciting that the IRIS Education Association wants to provide key skills for the future workforce through a design thinking approach in schools

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