Ignite Program
What is the Ignite Program?
The Ignite Program is designed specifically for students who want to get a head start on their entrance exam preparation but are too early to undertake our traditional workshop programs. The Ignite Program is available for English and Maths subjects, with three different topics (scroll down to learn more). Through the workshops, students will build essential knowledge and skills in an engaging and interactive format, supported by an experienced and passionate teacher.
Who is the Ignite Program for?
​There are two different levels of the Ignite Program:
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Student aiming for Year 9 Entry: for students currently at the end of Year 6 or start of Year 7 who will be sitting a Year 9 entry exam in Year 8.
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Students aiming for Year 7 Entry: for students currently at the end of Year 4 or in Year 5 who will be sitting a Year 7 entry exam in Year 5 or 6.
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Does the Ignite Program replace other Hendersons' Programs?
No, the Ignite Program is different from Hendersons' traditional workshops. While both still focus on exam preparation, the Ignite Program is designed to allow teachers and students to focus on unpacking topics and learning core skills before moving on. After a student completes the Ignite Program, we still recommend they complete the relevant Hendersons' Program to consolidate their exam preparations.
What if my child doesn't complete all of the Ignite Program? How will completing part of Ignite help my child?
Even completing a single topic in the Ignite Program can benefit your child. The Ignite Program is a launching pad that familiarises students with Hendersons' programs, helps them get into the mindset needed to study and prepare for exams, and introduces key skills beyond mere content knowledge. For instance, in Year 7 Number & Algebra, we teach strategies for quick mental calculations, these can help across topics. Whether your child can complete one topic of the Ignite Program, or three, your child will start the exam preparation workshops more confident, prepared, and ready to challenge themselves.
Subjects & topics
Each topic of the Ignite Program has its own focus and theme, you can read more about each topic and what they cover below:
English
Year 6/7 for Year 9 Entry
Topic 1
Year 6/7 for Year 9 Entry
Focus: Creative Writing
With a focus on diversity, students will learn how they can use their creative writing to explore issues of diversity and offer different perspectives - building skills that will show examiners nuance and depth in their writing.
Topic 2
Year 6/7 for Year 9 Entry
Focus: Persuasive Writing
Students will explore issues around technology and learn how to present a coherent point of view and persuade their audience to agree with their perspective on a given issue.
Topic 3
Year 6/7 for Year 9 Entry
Focus: Reading
With a focus on developing important reading comprehension skills such as inference and prediction, students in this workshop will learn how to approach different text types they may encounter in exams (including poetry and cartoons). This workshop will not only help build skills in reading comprehension but also assist with developing vocabulary and knowledge of different written forms - these skills will help students to also excel in the verbal reasoning and writing sections of their exams.
Year 4/5 for Year 7 Entry
Topic 1
Year 4/5 for Year 7 Entry
Focus: Creative Writing
With a focus on mystery writing, students will explore the key features of quality narratives, learn how to craft characters and settings, and entice readers into their stories.
Topic 2
Year 4/5 for Year 7 Entry
Focus: Persuasive Writing
Understanding the art of persuasion is an important skill, not just in exams, but in life too! In this workshop, students will have plenty of opportunities to sharpen their persuasive skills which will set them up to succeed in any opinion/persuasive writing tasks they may encounter in future exams.
Topic 3
Year 4/5 for Year 7 Entry
Focus: Reading
This workshop is designed to help young readers develop essential skills for reading comprehension. Through a hands-on, engaging approach, students will focus on key strategies like visualising, making predictions, and drawing inferences—all crucial for deep understanding and success in reading. Students will explore a variety of texts across genres and learn to break down and analyse these texts, building their confidence as readers while expanding their skills. By the end of the workshop, your child will not only be a stronger reader but will see reading as something fun and rewarding.
Maths
Year 6/7 for Year 9 Entry
Topic 1
Year 6/7 for Year 9 Entry
Focus: Number & Algebra
Students will explore the fundamentals of the strands Number and Algebra using a cake stall venture as context. From pricing to managing inventory and calculating profits, students will work through real-world and worded problems to help them practise applying mathematical concepts. For students preparing for SEHS exams, exposure and practise with worded problems is particularly important.
Topic 2
Year 6/7 for Year 9 Entry
Focus: Space & Measurement
This workshop has been developed to address Level 7 Mathematics skills outlined in the Victorian Curriculum. This workshop will consolidate core concepts in Space & Measurement including geometry, trigonometry, calculating volume, surface area and more. These key concepts will be connected throughout the workshop under the theme of 'design', helping students to understand the real-world application of these concepts.
Topic 3
Year 6/7 for Year 9 Entry
Focus: Statistics & Probability
Theme and topics TBC.
Year 4/5 for Year 7 Entry
Topic 1
Year 4/5 for Year 7 Entry
Focus: Number & Algebra
Core concepts and skills of the strands Number & Algebra will be explored through the theme of using money whilst shopping. Students will see real-world applications of mathematical concepts, helping them to see and practise their use in everyday life.
Topic 2
Year 4/5 for Year 7 Entry
Focus: Space & Measurement
This workshop has been developed to address Level 5 Mathematics skills outlined in the Victorian Curriculum. Through the theme 'In the kitchen', students will be introduced to core concepts in Space and Measurement. They will have frequent opportunities to understand how to apply these concepts to practical tasks like finding the best deal at the supermarket, calculating measurements for recipes and planning a dinner party.
Topic 3
Year 4/5 for Year 7 Entry
Focus: Statistics & Probability
Theme and topics TBC.