At St John’s Grammar School, innovation and enterprise are at the core of student’s educational journey. We are committed to nurturing the entrepreneurial and innovative skills of our students.
Our outstanding ELC to Year 12 Innovative Agency Framework provides a unique opportunity for students to go beyond the boundaries of the Australian Curriculum and ATAR, fostering agency and empowering them to become creative thinkers and change makers.
Developed in collaboration with the University of East London and AISSA, our highly acclaimed Innovative Agency Framework is guided by three key concepts: Discover, Generate & Innovate.
This framework is designed to bring learning to life and empower students to be creative, innovative, entrepreneurial, critical, and divergent thinkers. It is through this framework that students connect their passions and skills to purposeful learning, linked to their future pathways.
At each year level, students engage in a ‘Signature Experience’ that allows them to delve into a specific area of interest and apply their knowledge and skills in a meaningful way. These experiences serve as catalysts for innovation and provide students with the opportunity to showcase their talents and ideas. Moreover, our whole school ‘Festival of Ideas’ celebrates the culmination of these experiences, where students come together to share their innovative projects, fostering a culture of creativity and collaboration.
Research has shown that learning extends beyond the classroom, and we believe in providing our students with real-world experiences that empower them to be creators, collaborators, constructors, carers, and change makers. As a result of their participation in our Innovative Agency Frameworks, some students develop business ideas and products.
To support their entrepreneurial endeavours, we have established the Innovation Flight Fund, which provides students with access to start-up funds, encouraging them to turn their innovative ideas into reality.
Innovative Agency Signature Experiences
Early Learning to Year 2 – Guided Inquiry
Guided Inquiry provides the framework for students to become early investigators, shaping their ideas and innovations while discovering the world around them. Learning through play is critical at this age and the Guided Inquiry program nurtures these formative and very important skills. Recognised as an important focus of the Early Years Learning Framework, there are four dedicated double lessons per week for Guided Inquiry. These sessions see numerous learning/inquiry zones set up within each classroom to focus on different learning areas, allowing students to shine at what interests them, while developing relationships and providing early enterprise experience.
Year 3 Future Food
Commencing a sequential learning program, the Year 3s look at the future scarcity of food and the epidemic of food waste to create and develop innovative solutions to address these issues.
Year 4 Future Waste
Building on their learning in the previous year, the focus switches to Future Waste, where students examine the roles of plastics in the degradation of our environment. Using their innovative ideas and creative thinking, students propose and develop a number of solutions and inventions to tackle this problem.
Year 5 Future Cities & Triple E
In the third year of their future-focus sequential innovation program, Year 5s explore the concept of urban planning and design, imagining and creating sustainable cities of the future. They develop critical thinking, problem-solving, and collaborative skills as they tackle real-world challenges and envision innovative solutions.
Triple E is an elective program offered in the final term that allows students to select from a range of special interest activities. The program is broad and opens students up to a wealth of ideas, learning and interests to expand their horizons as they move towards secondary schooling.
Year 6 MiSpace, Triple E & Clinics
Year 6 offers a program of student agency and innovation learning. In MiSpace, students delve into the fascinating world of robotics, coding, and design. They work collaboratively to develop their own interactive technology, fostering creativity, computational thinking, and a deep understanding of digital innovation.
Triple E offers an exciting elective program to broaden students’ horizons and expand into new areas of learning, while Clinics offers students the chance to be teachers as they organise and teach a lesson in an area of personal interest.
Year 7 BEST program
The Business Enterprise Solutions Team (BEST) Program is a cornerstone of the Year 7 experience. Year 7 students delve into the other side of enterprise by working alongside a local business to develop and create enterprising and creative solutions to business problems. This program gives students the opportunity to extend their creativity to an actual business scenario and provides opportunity to champion their enterprising ideas and solutions. They learn about market research, product development, and marketing strategies, developing essential business acumen and critical thinking skills. Making connections with local businesses and understanding the unique challenges of the local demographic provides a new way to make enterprising contributions to the community around them.
Year 8 Innov8
Innov8 empowers students to embrace design thinking and innovation across a range of disciplines. From developing sustainable solutions to creating innovative products and services, students gain hands-on experience in problem-solving, critical thinking, and collaboration. Students present their design, the often non-linear, messy journey along the way and their learning to a panel of industry experts.
Students who are finalists in this competition have the opportunity to be paired with an expert in the industry to further their invention and bring their concepts to fruition.
Year 9 Humanities Innovation Expo
The Year 9 Humanities Innovation Expo challenges students to think creatively and critically about social issues and develop innovative solutions. They explore topics such as sustainability, social justice, and cultural diversity, applying their knowledge and skills to make a positive impact on society. They present their learning and journey to their solutions at the Expo in collaboration with their peers.
Year 10 -12
Students have the opportunity to consolidate their Innovative Agency skills through studying Business Innovation. This subject offering enables students to delve into areas of interest and formalise their skills to step forward into their lives and careers with solid skills in innovation, creativity and problem solving.
By immersing students in these Signature Experiences, we foster a culture of innovation and enterprise that extends far beyond the classroom. Our students become agents of their own learning, discovering their place in the world and contributing to a successful future.
