Woodleigh School is one of Australia’s leading innovative and progressive schools, providing a contemporary and progressive education to students from Early Childhood to Year 12. Founded in 1856, Woodleigh is Victoria’s oldest independent, co-educational school and was the first on the Mornington Peninsula. More than 1,020 students are united by one purpose across three campuses; two junior and one senior. The School’s mission is to develop creative, compassionate, skilful and resilient young people who can thrive in an ever-changing world.
Empowering Education through a Future-Ready ICT Strategy at Woodleigh School
Overview
Fast Facts
- More than 1,020 students and 200 staff across three campuses
- Support the adoption of International Baccalaureate’s framework (PYP And MYP)
- ICT Strategic Review, Five-Year ICT Strategic Plan and embedding ICT within the organisation
- Digital ecosystem and learning management improvements
“By partnering with Atturra, we have embedded the role of ICT within the school community, fostering a culture of security and best practice during a time of transformational change. We have leveraged their expertise to deliver a forward-thinking ICT strategic plan that projects a framework of success for our three campuses. This plan has not only been wholeheartedly embraced, but also presents Woodleigh School as a leading, progressive educational organisation.
We value our long-standing relationship with Atturra; a relationship built upon professionalism and mutual respect. Their learning and teaching backgrounds, coupled with a deep appreciation for the interconnected nature of school-based ecosystems, have been invaluable to us. Throughout all of our interactions, it has been abundantly clear that they have the best interests of our school at the core of how they operate.”
Troy Pieterman,
Director of ICT at Woodleigh School
Opportunity
Historically, the School’s ICT solutions had been implemented organically, addressing issues as they arose. The Director of ICT recognised the need instead for a proactive approach. To achieve this, a detailed roadmap for the future was needed. It was evident that valuable resources were being pulled in multiple directions, with urgent demands that required immediate and conflicting attention. He saw this as an opportunity to evaluate the School’s direction and determine the most effective and sustainable path forward.
In parallel, they wanted to improve the School’s customer service by shifting their local support team from a technology-focused mindset to a process-focused mindset with people at the core. This shift was designed to position Woodleigh as a forward-thinking, customer-centric organisation, much better prepared to meet the future of work.
They were eager to gain a better understanding of how technology was being used by students, staff and parents. This included a detailed review of the integrity of data, the wellbeing of students and community.
Central to this was the understanding that all roads lead to the Learning Management System (LMS). There were many questions about Woodleigh School’s Learning Management capabilities in general, and secondary to this was the consideration of specific systems designed to support the adoption of the International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years Program (PYP) and Middle Years Program (MYP) curriculum frameworks.
Having worked together on ICT projects for over a decade already, Woodleigh selected Atturra to carry out a comprehensive ICT Review and Strategic Planning Project, which was undertaken during Term 4 of 2023.
Solution
Atturra worked closely with Woodleigh’s Director of ICT to deliver a review and planning project that met the School’s organisational requirements. With the full support of school leadership, the project prioritised reliable solutions by focusing on achieving the right outcome, rather than being driven by arbitrary deadlines. The schedule was designed to incorporate and accommodate the input of as many stakeholders as possible across the organisation.
Atturra’s team of education specialists gathered and analysed documentation and then met with members of the Woodleigh community to understand how technology was helping or hindering their work life and interactions with the School. Through multiple conversations, they gathered the insights required to solidify the School’s possible future direction.
The insights allowed the development of a coherent plan in the context of existing and sometimes disparate IT projects. The Director of ICT was empowered to make data-driven, validated decisions that garnered buy-in from the Senior Leadership Team, teaching staff and the wider school community.
Outcomes achieved
Woodleigh School now has a roadmap and an exciting future for its ICT initiatives that the whole school community can support and collectively work towards. By revisiting and evaluating the plan annually and conducting a comprehensive audit and review every five years, Woodleigh School is confident that it can refocus or prioritise wherever necessary in an agile manner.
This process has helped to change the narrative and clarify the roles and responsibilities of IT, and how it works as an ecosystem to support all areas of the School. Leaders and staff are now actively engaged in conversations around technology and how the infrastructure can be used to improve outcomes and experiences for members of the Woodleigh School community.
Woodleigh School continues to benefit from its long-term partnership and collaboration with Atturra. Atturraprovides additional knowledge, skills and experience that complement Woodleigh’s expert in-house team.
