The review of the National Schools Reform Agreement (NSRA) is in the earliest stages of its next iteration. But in many respects, and however the final format is legislated in the next few years, it promises to bring increasing administrative KPIs and societal expectations to bear on school managers and stakeholders. 

Earlier this year, the Productivity Commission released an important study report  on the current NSRA. The report specifically considered factors that impact student outcomes and what should be potentially targeted for reform in the next NSRA. It examined the advancement (or lack of) of the current NSRA initiatives and evaluated the effectiveness of performance reporting and accountability mechanisms. 

Future changes will likely include:

• Improving academic achievement targets
• Reducing differences in achievement across students
• Supporting quality teaching and effective leadership
• Achieving accountability and transparency targets and reporting on performance

With their responsibilities to fund education and to meet set criteria to receive federal funding, it’s expected that State governments will need to work harder in some key areas. So, it follows that schools will in turn need to maintain and improve their performance. 

While it may seem like a ‘later problem’, school leaders and business managers are keeping this changing education environment at front of mind in strategic planning conversations. Decisions about scaling for growth, reputation management, student acquisition and retention, asset management and information technology acquisition, to name a few, can all have major impacts on how the school will be able to respond to new regulatory demands and changing stakeholder expectations.

Here’s how planning for streamlined, integrated systems can help your school be ready to respond – or even stay ahead of the coming changes: 

• Improving academic achievement targets
  Lifting literacy and numeracy skills means keeping students engaged and learning in class or remotely. Today’s digital natives have short attention spans, and teachers need to have more time to work one on one with students to lift learning outcomes. 
  
  Interactive, versatile, visual technology  that brings the world to the learner can make the difference by catering to many learning styles and introduce new ways to engage with the curriculum.  
  
  
• Reducing differences in achievement across students
  To avoid disadvantaging remote learners all classroom audiovisual aids will need to have uninterrupted, two-way communication - critical to avoid students missing learning opportunities if they are unable to be in the room. If the pandemic taught us anything, education-wise, it’s those interruptions to learning, particularly at critical times like early years and senior secondary, can have very detrimental outcomes. 
  
  Until recently, classroom technology involved many peripheral assets – projector, whiteboards, PC, speakers, microphones and more. But when planning new learning spaces or refurbishing existing buildings, ask our education experts about what’s possible – like the latest convergence technology including collaborative displays, touchscreen learning and 3D printers that are future-friendly, portable and versatile for learners, encouraging them to stay engaged, from wherever they are. 
  
  
• Supporting quality teaching and effective leadership
  Taking advantage of the best in emerging technology, in a scaled and iterative way, offers huge potential to free teachers, support staff and leadership from low-value tasks and connect learning, teaching and operations. Quality teaching happens when school staff wellbeing  is at a high level, and they are supported to apply their talents creatively without getting mired in red tape, repetitive administration and ‘busy work’. 
  
  
• Achieving accountability and transparency 
  From pre-enrolment engagement through to graduation and alumni involvement, the school is accountable to a large community of stakeholders, all with differing (and changing) expectations. Meeting these expectations with transparency and accuracy can be largely automated through smart digitisation, in channels such as internal and external communications, marketing, school reports, financial reporting, board reporting and accreditation compliance.

Solutions to suit any school, at any stage

At FUJIFILM Business Innovation Australia, we’re always delighted to show our education clients how our services can be tailored to any school’s pain points. Some solutions to free up school staff include:

• EdInduct – an automation solution that manages staff, volunteer and casual worker induction documentation in a way that is seamless, collaborative and compliant
• Financial Automation – workflow automation to streamline back office processes and accounts payable, integrating with existing learning management systems like TASS and Synergetic and giving real-time visibility across departments
• EduScan - an accessible, secure digitisation solution for all school office documents and records
• Anytime Print – professional print services with controlled spend, single monthly invoicing, visibility and fast, quality printing managed by a print specialist

These are a sample of the innovations that we bring to the education ecosystem, and there’s more to come. Partnering with a vendor like FUJIFILM Business Innovation Australia, whose global reach and 60 years’ expertise in the Australian education system is an invaluable investment. We come alongside to design customised solutions to help you make the right decisions for the future of your school.

FUJIFILM Business Innovation Australia partners with institutions in every Australian state to implement systems and technological systems that will grow as required, improve information flow and transparency, and reduce the load of growing administrative burdens placed on teachers and administrative support staff.