Implementing extracurricular technology programs in a school doesn't require the teaching staff to take on a new workload. The most effective (and efficient) model is to delegate the entire process to a specialized provider, from pedagogical design and registration management to communication with families and classroom instruction. The school only needs to provide a space, establish a time slot, and designate a contact person. The provider handles everything else.
Many parent-teacher association (PTA) management teams and coordinators in Barcelona and Madrid arrive in September with the same question: How can we add an extracurricular technology activity without placing an additional burden on our staff or the board? It's a strategic question. An educational center's schedule is already packed with activities, tasks, responsibilities, planning, and assessments. There's a much easier and simpler answer; we'll explain it to you step by step: from the initial assessment to the final project presentations.
Why are schools in Barcelona and Madrid now focusing on extracurricular technology activities?s?
The demand for digital skills among families is steadily growing. Today's parents not only value sports or language activities: they actively seek to develop their children's minds by learning to program, design in 3D, work with artificial intelligence, or build and operate robots.
For the school, incorporating this type of extracurricular activity has a dual benefit: it responds to a real demand from families and projects an image of educational innovation that differentiates the school in an increasingly competitive environment. In a school market where families carefully compare educational programs before enrolling, the extracurricular offering is an important part of the school's value proposition. The question is no longer whether it's worthwhile. The question is how to do it well and without creating operational problems.
The game-changer: technology in English, from day one
Before getting into the implementation model, there is one element of the IGNITE program that deserves special attention, because many centers consider it decisive when choosing a provider: All sessions are conducted entirely in English.
Technology is, by its very nature, a global field where English is the standard language: programming languages, technical documentation, design interfaces, robotics commands—everything is in English. Learning technology in English is therefore not an extra effort; it's the most natural way to learn it. That's why it has always been part of IGNITE's DNA.
Our instructors always work with students in English, fluently and progressively, adapting to each stage. In this way, everyone learns to program, build robots, or design in 3D while incorporating real technical vocabulary in English, without language becoming a barrier, but rather a competitive advantage for the future that is consolidated session by session. For families, it represents a double benefit: technology y English in the same activity. For the school, this means being able to offer an extracurricular activity that very few companies in the market can replicate with such pedagogical consistency.
How to implement extracurricular technology activities in your school: the 5 steps of the IGNITE model
Step 1 — Initial diagnosis of the center (free and without obligation)
Before proposing any program, we meet with the management team or the PTA/AFA board to understand the reality of the school:
- Educational stages involved: Early Childhood, Primary, Secondary or several.
- Available facilities: computer room, multipurpose room, regular classroom.
- Students' prior level of technological exposure.
- Family expectations and indicative budget.
- Center schedule and available afternoon time slots.
This assessment is free and non-binding. Its aim is to design a program that truly fits the school's reality and operational constraints, not a generic one. In schools in Barcelona and Madrid with which we currently work, this initial meeting typically lasts between 45 minutes and an hour.
Step 2 — Design of the personalized educational program
Based on the diagnosis, the IGNITE educational team designs a training program adapted to the students' ages and technological level. The programs cover areas such as:
- Minecraft Education: programming, computational thinking, and sustainability.
- educational robotics: LEGO Education, Micro:bit, Makey Makey.
- Video game programming: MakeCode Arcade, Unity, introduction to Python.
- 3D Design and Virtual Reality: Tinkercad and Delightex Edu.
- Creative artificial intelligence: projects with AI applied to real challenges and SDGs.
Each session applies a methodology of Project Based Learning (ABP)Students work on a real-world challenge and finish each session with a tangible product—a prototype, a minigame, a 3D model. Learning becomes visible from the first week.
Step 3 — Registration management and communication with families
At this point, many centers waste energy unnecessarily. At IGNITE, we take care of everything:
- Preparing the launch communication to families.
- Management of registrations and data of participating students.
- Direct support to families regarding schedules, materials and methodology.
- Coordination with the AMPA/AFA or the school's secretariat according to the management model of each school.
The school doesn't need to act as an intermediary. IGNITE is the direct point of contact with families, which drastically reduces the number of inquiries that reach the school administration or the PTA.
Step 4 — Instruction by teachers specializing in technology and English
All IGNITE instructors have high-level technical training—engineering, programming, design—and are trained in the IGNITE Method's guarantee of success., which combines gamification, PBL and progression of difficulty designed to maintain motivation throughout the course.
They teach in English naturally, adapting the language level to the age of the group. The school doesn't need to assign any of its own teachers. The IGNITE instructor arrives at the school, manages the classroom, works with the students, and leaves the space clean at the end.
Step 5 — Monthly follow-up and sample of end-of-course projects
Throughout the course, IGNITE holds at least one monthly check-in with the center coordinator or the PTA to share progress, resolve issues, and showcase project examples. At the end of the course, a [event/event/etc.] is organized sample projects where students present their creations to families: a high-impact moment for the center and tangible proof of the program's value.
What does the school need to contribute?
Very little. Basically three things:
- A space: Computer lab, multipurpose room, or any classroom with reconfigurable tables. You don't need to have your own technological equipment; IGNITE brings the materials.
- A time slot: generally one or two one-hour sessions per week in the afternoon.
- An interlocutor: A member of the management team or the PTA/AFA to coordinate the start of the school year and follow-up appointments. This requires no more than 30 minutes per month.
IGNITE takes care of the rest.
Frequently asked questions from principals and PTAs about extracurricular technology activities
Does it work in small schools with small groups? Yes. The program is viable with 8-10 enrolled students, making it accessible even in centers with low enrollment or in groups where students from similar courses are mixed.
Are there any materials that the school needs to purchase? No. IGNITE brings all the necessary materials for the sessions: robotics kits, devices if needed, and prototyping materials. The center does not assume any material costs.
Can students from different courses participate in the same group? Yes. The itineraries are designed with progressive levels of complexity that allow working with students from different starting points within the same session.
How is a replacement handled if an instructor cannot attend? IGNITE has a large enough team in Barcelona and Madrid to guarantee coverage for all sessions. In case of unforeseen circumstances, the session will be rescheduled or made up in coordination with the center.
Is the activity taught in English from preschool onwards? Yes, although with methodological adaptations depending on the stage. In preschool and the first years of primary school, basic technical vocabulary in English is integrated into the dynamics of the game. In middle and upper primary school and in secondary school, the sessions are conducted entirely in English.
Is it compatible with the school's educational project and with the LOMLOE? Yes. IGNITE programs are aligned with the key competences of the LOMLOE, especially with digital competence and computational thinking, which facilitates its integration into the memory of the center and its justification to the faculty and families.
The result: a real value proposition for the school, without operational effort.
Implementing extracurricular technology programs in your school in Barcelona or Madrid doesn't have to be a source of complications. With the right model, the school can offer robotics, programming, and artificial intelligence in English to its students, strengthen its educational project, and respond to the demand from families, without placing an additional burden on the teaching or administrative staff.
At IGNITE Serious Play, we've been supporting schools in Barcelona and Madrid in this process for over a decade. If you'd like to see how the program would work at your school, please contact us. The proposal is personalized, free, and without obligation.
