Ignite: What Happens When Students Lead Their Own Learning ?

“It keeps going on and on. But that’s what I love about it. It goes on and on and the excitement never stops.”

Year 6 student Tex James-Evans is talking about his coding game - a project he built, tested, rebuilt and refined over an entire term as part of St Andrew’s Ignite program.

His enthusiasm captures exactly what Ignite is designed to create: students who are genuinely engaged in learning because they are exploring something that matters to them.

Ignite is St Andrew’s long-running student-led inquiry program for Year 5 and 6 students.

Each semester, students choose an area of interest, form groups, develop a project plan and drive their own learning toward a completed project. Teachers guide and support the process, but students take ownership of the questions they investigate and the solutions they create.

The program combines strong academic foundations with opportunities for creativity, real-world problem-solving and independent thinking, helping students develop the Personal Capacity to pursue ideas with confidence and purpose.

This semester’s Ignite Showcase brought student projects to life in front of a very special audience: grandparents attending celebrations as part of our annual and much-loved Grandparents Week.

Across the Hub Piazza, students presented projects spanning technology, science, the arts, social issues and entrepreneurial ideas. Every project reflected months of research, experimentation and decision-making.

Tex’s coding game was one of many projects on display.

Built through what he cheerfully describes as “a lot of trials and errors”, the game exists because he kept going when things became difficult, listened to feedback from others and tried again when something didn’t work the first time.

When asked whether coding might play a role in his future, his answer came quickly.

"Maybe a famous game — you know, maybe Roblox," he said. "But yeah, I'd love to be a coder."

At just eleven years old, Tex already sees himself as someone who can create, build and innovate.

Experiences like Ignite help make that possible.

One of the strengths of Ignite is that students can pursue projects aligned with their own interests and strengths.

Some are drawn to coding and technology. Others explore science, design, storytelling, entrepreneurship or the arts. The result is a learning experience that celebrates individual passions while developing skills that benefit every learner.

Through Ignite, students develop:

- Initiative and self-direction

- Resilience when challenges arise

- Problem-solving and critical thinking

- Collaboration and communication skills

- The confidence to present their ideas to others

Alongside explicit teaching and strong academic foundations, students also need opportunities to apply their learning in meaningful ways. Ignite provides that opportunity, challenging students to explore ideas, solve problems and create something uniquely their own.

Presenting to grandparents adds an important element to the program, allowing students to take ownership and pride in their work and the opportunity to explain their thinking, answering questions and celebrating their achievement.

Experiences like this help students develop the confidence that comes from knowing their ideas have value beyond the classroom.

For families exploring primary school options on the Sunshine Coast, the Ignite program provides a glimpse into what makes learning at St Andrew's distinctive.

In additional to developing academic confidence through strong literacy and numeracy foundations, students also have opportunities to investigate real questions, pursue personal interests and create work that reflects their own thinking.

It is where future learners, creators, innovators and problem-solvers begin to discover what they are capable of becoming.