How Ignite Spent the 2025/26 School Year
- 7 hours ago
- 4 min read
Another incredible academic year has flown by—and what a busy year it has been for Ignite! We kicked off with our sensational Founder, Rick Hall, winning a Nottingham award! Rick’s creative vision lit a beacon for young people, bringing together science, arts and culture in an inclusive way. With such a hopeful beginning, we knew that this year would be one to remember.
We are very excited to be able to look back and celebrate all of the moments that made us proud. None of it would have been possible without our brilliant team and, most importantly, the children and young people who showed up with energy, ideas, and curiosity supported by their wonderful school staff. They’re at the heart of our mission: to nurture creativity and curiosity by making sure young people’s voices are heard. Here's how we've spent the 2025/26 school term:
Festival of Science and Curiosity (FOSAC)
This FOSAC we all came together to power curiosity, with 98% of attendees saying that they learnt something new! To make the magic happen, FOSAC collaborates with the most brilliant academics, researchers, artists and industry experts to bring STEM to life. In February 2026, 3818 school pupils from 76 schools were part of the festival.
FOSAC aims to bridge the gap between class-room theory and real-world wonder by inspiring an inclusive outlook on science by weaving together practical experiments, artistic expression and bold industry insights. But, the most important factor in this process is making sure that FOSAC works for everyone. We are so pleased that this year, we were able to introduce our first easy to read festival magazine which was developed with consultation from Oak Field School. We also had new visits to venues such as the British Geological Survey and the Clinical Skills Zone at Queens Medical Centre which were wonderfully received by secondary and college students.
Every year we are super excited to fuel a flexible and educational experience to unlock the creativity of young people and families across Nottinghamshire so FOSAC 2027 will return from 8-19 February and you can register your school to be part of it here: https://bit.ly/FOSAC-2027-Schools-Interest
Primary Parliament
What would our communities look like if we truly listened to children? Primary Parliament puts young people’s voices front and centre, amplifying their ideas, experiences, and calls for change. We champion the voices of children across Nottinghamshire, including mainstream primary school pupils and children attending special schools. By creating a platform for their visions of a safer, healthier Nottingham, we help them build confidence, sharpen their communication, and see that their perspectives can shape the world around them.
This year established a major milestone: the launch of our first Primary Parliament - Spotlight on Nottingham. Ignite! brought together six schools to represent Primary Parliament where children stepped forward with powerful proposals for making Nottingham safer and delivered them directly to high-level decision makers, including council members, MPs, the Sheriff of Nottingham, and the Lord Mayor. Watching young people speak with conviction to those in positions of influence was a vivid reminder of what becomes possible when children are given the platforms and are empowered to lead.
A huge thank you to the following schools for being such thoughtful, creative and positive: Ambleside, Blue Bell Hill, Bluecoat Primary, Bulwell St Mary’s, Carrington, Crabtree Farm, Djanogly Northgate, Djanogly Sherwood, Dovecote, Edna G Olds, Firbeck, Forest Fields, Glade Hill, Haydn, Heathfield, Henry Whipple, Jubilee LEAD, Melbury, Mellers, Middleton, Milford, Nottingham Primary, Oak Field, Our Lady of Perpetual Succour, Radford, Rise Park, Robin Hood, Rosehill, Rufford, Snape Wood, Sneinton CofE, Southwold, St Augustine’s, St Patrick’s, Warren, Welbeck, Westbury, Whitemoor and Woodlands.
Curious Tots
Curious Tots is embedded in a school setting with early-years children, where we believe child-led learning matters because it helps young learners build confidence in their own ideas and a sense of agency from the very start. Our sessions are carefully designed to nurture curiosity, initiative, and creative thinking by valuing the process of exploring, making, and discovering over a “perfect” final outcome.
This year, our incredible creative practitioners worked alongside Crabtree Farm, Blue Bell Hill, Whitemoor, Firbeck and Hempshill Hall to support the EYFS curriculum in an open way, setting up multiple stations that are rooted in children’s real interests and inviting them to choose. We take themes like ‘people who help us’ and bring them to life through open-ended creative materials such as clay, giving children the freedom to test, talk, and imagine as they learn.
The programme also includes CPD sessions for school staff, skill-sharing for creative practitioners and termly coming-together sessions for all partners and practitioners to observe, reflect, problem-solve and develop the programme together.
Ada Lovelace Day
Ada Lovelace Day continues to inspire the next generation of women in STEM by breaking down patriarchal barriers to remind young people that science is for them too.
Over two days in October, we partnered with Pioneer Group to deliver our 8th annual Ada Lovelace Day across two brilliant venues: BioCity Nottingham and MediCity Nottingham. Almost 300 school pupils from KS2 and KS3 took part, meeting scientists, researchers and STEM businesses through a packed programme of talks and hands-on activities such as constructing marble runs and programming Ozobots.
Ada Lovelace Day prioritises visibility, showing young people real people in real roles, and opening up futures they might not have imagined for themselves. Pupils leave with a greater confidence and a clearer sense that STEM is for everyone, and that there are lots of opportunities for STEM careers right here in Nottingham!
“It was a very interesting and varied ALD this year, felt it truly covered more letters of STEM and different avenues of Science” - Teacher
Thank you!
At Ignite! We believe that only by working together can we truly provide young people with endless opportunities to flourish in their creativity, follow their curiosity, and ignite their futures. We are super grateful to all the people and organisations who support Ignite! And our mission to inspire children and young people to grow. We are excited to be able to go on this mission with you.
See you for the new academic year in September!
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