From an infrastructure review to long-term digital learning capability

When the school’s staff Technology Manager left in unanticipated circumstances, Education Advantage was brought in to take stock of the ICT infrastructure. For St Paul the Apostle the matter at hand was one of continuity and confidence. EA’s review had to do more than address that immediate need: it was to put in place a dependable foundation and a strategy for future growth, one that tied technical matters to the school’s culture, budget and administration.

EA didn’t come in and ask the school to put a whole new model into place right off the bat; the first order of business was to put some steadiness back into the environment, ease the burden on the staff and take care of what was needed in the moment.

The pace of things is important. A full-scale change across the school would have been too much to ask of them all at once, which is why the device program was put in stages. The opening phase let the leadership and their people get a feel for the model in a hands-on way, work out the financials and witness the kind of difference a consistent environment can bring. When that method had shown its worth, it was then possible to roll the program out to the rest of the school.

To get there, discovery sessions were held with the Principal, the eLearning and teaching leaders, the MACS Business Partner and the administration team. The range of views from these stakeholders allowed a roadmap to be drawn up covering everything from cybersecurity and procurement to day-to-day support and project coordination.

What has been delivered includes network and disaster-recovery systems, security and a device program for students (one per child in Years 3-6 and one for every three in Prep to Year 2). There has also been cyclical replacement planning and professional learning for staff, alongside advice on cabling, wireless and audiovisuals for building works. Where necessary, specialist input has been called upon for the various administrative and learning-management platforms.

This has made for a more secure and reliable environment while boosting the capabilities of both staff and students. The operating model is now one of breadth and continuity; leadership can plan and staff can build their skills with any technical hiccups handled in a single, coordinated relationship.

In this way, St Paul the Apostle has been able to let its environment become more complex without compromising on its educational priorities or culture.