Academy of Ideas

Selected students will engage in a program that allows them to work with leading academics in the fields of Science, Humanities​, STEM, Archaeology and Inquiry Learning.

The aims of the program include;

• To develop a collaborative, cooperative thinking culture within our school and local area that embraces innovation and creativity.    
• To enhance our current provision for all of our students by providing them with unique opportunities to engage in a variety of intellectually challenging academic subjects.
• To provide our students with an additional systematic learning pathway that compliments their education.
• To respond to the changing needs of our school community and to intellectually challenge our students.
  
  Incorporated within the Academy of Ideas is a program of extra-curricular opportunities.  This program is designed to extend and challenge our more inquisitive and high performing learners. It is open to all students in Year 7 and 8 who can engage with the extra rigour and demands of the various activities. This program provides the opportunity to offer hands-on, fun and authentic activities that, for practical reasons, are difficult to offer in the day-to-day program. The purpose of the program is to explicitly teach the 21st century skills with the expectation of enhanced general capabilities such as:

• Improved ability to think critically
• Enhanced creative thinking skills
• Better communication skills
• Effective and proficient collaboration strategies
• Enriched personal and social development
• Increased proficiency in the use of ICTs
  
  Eligibility Criteria in order of consideration

1. Comparative academic merit with all other out of catchment enrolment applicants (applicable to out-of-catchment students only).
2. High standards of academic achievement as demonstrated on the most recent primary school report card and the Year 5 NAPLAN test.
3. Creativity of student responses on the Academy of Ideas Application (PDF 179kB) ​