Research Foundation
15% higher in literacy and numeracy
Students in arts-integrated schools score up to 15% higher in literacy and numeracy (Catterall, 2009; DeMoss & Morris, 2012).
Lower absenteeism and stronger motivation
Arts-rich schools report lower absenteeism and stronger motivation (Rabkin & Redmond, 2006; Snook, 2013).
Closes gaps for disadvantaged learners
Arts integration closes gaps for disadvantaged learners by providing multiple pathways to succeed (Deasy, 2002; Snook, 2012).
An Evidence-Informed
Arts-Integrated School Model
Ignite Academy Cambridge is a whole-school transformation model where the arts are fundamental to teaching and learning across all subjects.
Creativity enriches every learning area, making education meaningful, memorable, and alive with curiosity and purpose.
Decades of international research show that school-wide arts integration lifts achievement, engagement, attendance, and equity.
Our Mission
This is not enrichment; it is the structure of how we teach — ensuring creativity fuels achievement, engagement, and equity for every learner.
Curriculum Design – each discipline is taught through arts-integrated methods, making learning active and meaningful.
Inquiry & Projects – cross-disciplinary, future-focused projects connect learning to the real world.
Professional Development – structured teacher education through the A+ Schools (USA) model, supporting teachers as creative learning designers.
Community Partnerships – families, artists, iwi, and local partners co-create learning.
Measured Outcomes – progress tracked in achievement, creativity, equity, and wellbeing.
Educational Approach
At Ignite Academy Cambridge, mathematics pulses with rhythm, science unfolds through story, and literacy sings through drama and poetry.
This model has been proven in A+ Schools USA and in New Zealand research (Snook, 2012, 2013) to raise achievement, improve attendance, and strengthen engagement.
Graduate Profile
Who Ignite Academy Cambridge students become:The research-informed impact of arts-integrated learning.
Creative Thinkers - They imagine possibilities, generate original ideas, and adaptively apply creativity across all subjects.
Authentic Communicators – They express ideas confidently and creatively through movement, voice, image and media, and use their voice to advocate and make meaning.
Curious Explorers – They ask bold questions, investigate how the world works through hands-on and arts-infused inquiry, experiment and refine their understanding.
Culturally Grounded Contributors – They honour identity and place, build belonging through creative expression, and shape a vibrant community in Aotearoa and beyond.
Ethical Innovators – They design solutions that matter — acting with integrity, collaborating, and using creative thinking to improve life for people and the planet
