2020 – 2024

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION

TECHNOLOGIES (ICT) STRATEGY
2 Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) Strategy 2020 – 2024
Contents
Introduction 4
Challenges and dimensions 5
Strategic alignment 5

Our strategic approach 6

Customer centricity and the concept of ‘teacher time’ 6
Building digital capability 6
Our key strategic areas 7
Our ICT services 10
Service principles 10
The core network 11
Standard Operating Environment 11
ICT processes and automation 11

Cyber security 12
Innovation 14
Technology choice and design principles 15

Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) Strategy 2020 – 2024 3

Introduction

ICT has the power to transform This ICT strategy focuses on the foundation
the way students think and technologies and ICT services that deliver connected
professional autonomy - to all public schools, and
learn and give them greater in our work of supporting schools. Enabled with a
common, equitable, affordable, cyber safe, and
control over how, where, and reliable ICT foundation, each school can explore and
when they learn. leverage applications, systems and tools to meet
the particular needs of their students and school
community.
To participate in a knowledge-based economy and to This ICT strategy broadly aligns with the Western
be empowered within a technologically sophisticated Australian Government’s whole-of-government ICT
society now and into the future, students need the Strategy as it applies to ICT services for schools and
knowledge, skills and confidence to make ICT work the use of technology in the classroom.
for them at school, at home, at work and in their
communities.

Digital
capability

Effective Supporting
governance emerging
and support learning
technologies

Every student Better

every classroom
Access to
quality data connected
schools
every day

Opportunity Increased
mobility,
through flexibility and
automation
availability

Keeping
cyber safe

4 Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) Strategy 2020 – 2024

 The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
estimates “…about 14% of workers are at a high risk of having
most of their existing tasks automated over the next 15 years”
while “another 30% will face major changes in the tasks required
in their job and, consequently, the skills required”

Challenges and dimensions

Our schools serve diverse student communities
across one of the largest geographical education
Strategic alignment
jurisdictions in the world. Schools in remote, Aligned to Every student, every classroom, every day:
rural and regional locations face the greatest strategic directions for public schools 2020-2024, our
challenges of access to enabling technologies. ICT services are designed to:
This includes availability of effective bandwidth 1.
1 Provide every student with a pathway to a
and local support as well as having a greater successful future.
need for technology that brings teachers and 2. Strengthen support for teaching and learning
2
their teaching tools into the classroom in a excellence in every classroom.
virtual context. 3. Build the capability of our principals, our
3
teachers and our allied professionals.
It is our responsibility to find, validate and deliver
solutions for all public schools by continually combining, 4. Support increased school autonomy within a
4
adapting or evolving technologies to meet their needs connected and unified public school system.
and those of their students. Schools reflect the 5. Partner with families, communities and agencies
communities they serve, and while they have a common 5
to support the educational engagement of every
core purpose and base curriculum, they are not a student.
homogeneous entity. Their use of ICT varies according
to their local needs, locally available resources and 6.
6 Use evidence to drive decision-making at all
infrastructure, and the digital capability of their staff, levels of the system.
among other factors. 7. Support stakeholders that the Department
7
This ICT Strategy seeks to deliver an equity based outcome provides stewardship and services to through
for schools, regardless of size, location or type and builds the provision of timely, accurate and accessible
upon our history of pioneering new technology solutions information.
and products with partner organisations to do so.

Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) Strategy 2020 – 2024 5

Our strategic approach

Customer centricity and the

concept of ‘teacher time’
No single resource is more valuable, nor more Building digital capability
scarce, to a teacher than time, which is an
essential ingredient in ‘optimising student Providing strong infrastructure, systems,
outcomes’. The ‘teacher time’ view of our strategy,
processes and supports will only have an
allows us to make customer-centric decisions that
align more effectively to support our purpose – the impact where staff are equipped with the
education of our students. capabilities to access and analyse data
Pursuing simplicity in design, choice and delivery of to support and transform student learning
ICT services is key to achieving this and demands effectively through the use of technology.
that we challenge our decisions against the
impact it will have in the classroom, directly or
Underpinning the success of this ICT strategy
indirectly. Given the scale of the Department, small will be training, tools and professional learning
changes can magnify beneficially and detrimentally. for staff and a system-wide culture of strategic
Technology changes can impact the amount of time digital innovation.
a teacher, or teaching support staff member, has
available to be in front of their students.

Capitalise on the opportunities

of the future as empowered
creators and users of technology.
Our
Students
Empowered
citizens

Expertly select and apply

technologies to maximise every
student’s learning and progress.
Our Teachers
Empowering students

Drive a culture of technological

innovation and collaboration that
delivers improved outcomes for
Our School Leaders every student.
Empowering staff

Create sustainable processes and

professional support to enable
a focus on maximising every
System student’s learning and progress.
Supporting our schools

6 Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) Strategy 2020 – 2024

Our key strategic areas

Digital capability Support emerging learning technologies

• Students strategically use and create • Staff discover, explore and apply new
technologies to optimise opportunities in technologies in a safe and supported
learning, work and life and manage their environment.
wellbeing. • Teachers strategically select and use
• School leaders establish an ICT focus and appropriate learning technologies, including
strategy for their school including monitoring assistive technologies, and monitor their
and managing the impact on the wellbeing of impact on student performance and progress.
students, staff and the school community. • Students personalise their learning and use
• As flexible, fluent, and agile digital consumers in technology to generate ideas and new ways to
partnership with students, teachers foster student learn.
creativity and engagement in real world problems. • Students develop adaptable skills in
• Staff are confident digital citizens with the skills to technology for careers of the future.
effectively use technologies relevant to their role. • Technology is utilised to meet the learning
• Students take an active and strategic role in needs of particular student groups eg. Gifted
using technology to achieve learning outcomes. and Talented, Aboriginal students, and
students for whom English is an additional
Delivered through: language or dialect.
• Curriculum delivery that explicitly
addresses the changing nature of workplaces Delivered through:
and enables students to successfully transition • Improved leaders’ understanding of
into post-school options. emerging technologies.
• Digital technologies curriculum that • Early identification and assessment of
complements the ICT general capability. emerging technologies.
• Professional learning in digital technologies and • Advice and tools to support the selection,
integration of digital capabilities in curriculum evaluation and implementation of ICT in
and assessment for teachers and school schools, including integrating assistive
leaders. technologies in classrooms.
• ICT platform and systems support differentiated • ICT platform and systems support
learning. differentiated learning.
• Leveraging the expertise and experience of
SIDE to provide professional learning for
teachers in effective flexible delivery. Outcome: A platform for contemporary
technologies that supports enhanced teaching,
learning and service delivery.
Outcome: Digital literacy is embedded into daily
practice for teachers, students and all staff.

Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) Strategy 2020 – 2024 7

Our strategic approach

Better connected schools Opportunity through automation

• Schools in diverse geographic and • Greater productivity, including teacher
demographic settings collaborate in delivering time focused on lesson planning.
a broad range of curriculum. • Staff identify and contribute to business
• School communications and community improvement.
engagement is strengthened. • Processes and systems align to avoid
• Technology facilitates student engagement, duplication and manual intervention.
inclusion and equity. • User-centric design is adopted regardless of
process/data ownership.
Delivered through:
• Improved experience for all stakeholders.
• Core network and centrally provided bandwidth.
• Robust Standard Operating Environment (SOE). Delivered through:
• Transitioning existing services and paper-
based processes to digital.
Outcome: Access to rich online resources, virtual
classrooms, enhanced collaboration and remote • Building a culture of continuous improvement.
learning. • Generating awareness of successful
transitions.

Keeping cyber safe Outcome: Self-service options and process

automation free up teacher and stakeholder time.
• Teachers and students model positive and
responsible use of technology, focusing on
wellbeing, cyber safety, global citizenship, Increased mobility, flexibility
cultural competence and ethical practices. and availability
• Principles related to technical, social and
ethico-legal aspects of digital technologies are
• Students can learn anywhere and at
embedded across the Department.
any time.
• Users are informed of the requirements and
• Staff and stakeholders have access to
implications of their online behaviour and
systems and information on all devices.
develop proactive cyber safety culture
• Home schooling and other flexible delivery
Delivered through: is supported.
• Robust platforms such as the Standard Operating
Delivered through:
Environment (SOE).
• Improved identity management and security.
• Department systems that are safe and secure.
• Cloud services to improve mobility and
• Guidelines and professional learning in the
access.
responsible and safe use of technology.
• Support for managed and supported devices.
• Visibility and management of digital security risks.

Outcome: Greater flexibility for students, parents,

Outcome: Access to appropriate learning resources,
staff and all other stakeholders.
in a safe online environment.

8 Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) Strategy 2020 – 2024

Access to quality data Effective governance and support
• Staff can access information to work • Ensure continuation and minimal
efficiently and effectively. disruption to student learning.
• Data is shared across schools and the • All applications, business systems and online
system to support learning outcomes, identify content are compliant with WCAG 2.0 level AA.
support services and manage transitions for • Policy and governance frameworks provide
both individual students and future trend equitable access to technology for all staff and
identification. students.
• Achievement data is used to improve learning • Schools are supported to adequately protect
outcomes, attendance and wellbeing. the collection and storage of data they hold on
• School improvement planning, analysis and students, staff, parents and other members of
reporting is improved. their school communities.
• Teachers use our systems to analyse data to • Evaluation frameworks assist schools in the
accelerate student progress. selection of appropriate learning and other
• Support stakeholders that the Department technologies.
provides stewardship and services to through • Staff and students are aware of security
the provision of timely, accurate and protocols regarding their access to supported
accessible data. systems.
• Systems of record provide assurance for
Delivered through: stakeholders.
• Systems capable of providing data visualisation,
interrogation and report generation. Delivered through:
• Common frameworks that enable data sharing • Guidelines and training on access to systems.
and minimises duplication of data entry. • Development of appropriate Disaster
• Professional learning on data analysis. Recovery Plans.
• Professional learning in development of
Outcome: Information enables evidence-based accessible systems and online content.
decision-making and enhanced collaboration. • Appropriate data segregation and controls.

Outcome: Contemporary tools and services

promote and support effective governance.

Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) Strategy 2020 – 2024 9

Our strategic approach

Our ICT services

These include:
Service principles
The Core Network - centrally provided bandwidth
As part of the broader
The Standard Operating Environment (SOE) Department approach
Corporate and centrally provided applications and ICT follows principles that
infrastructure, including those used by external stakeholders support Every student, every
classroom, every day and its
Desktop and mobile device support for managed and six key improvement drivers by
supported devices providing technology, technical
ICT advice on school-based purchases such as bring your own services and advice that help
device (BYOD) programs our stakeholders.

Network support and tools such as the ICT Dashboard

ICT follows the Education
Training in tools, programs and ICT initiatives (e.g. NAPLAN Business Services
Online, SOE) principles:
• Responsive to customer
We will deliver ICT services that: requirements
• Apply an approach that is based on the principle of equity. • Flexible in meeting
• Provide effective technology supporting the goals of teachers customer requirements
and students. through innovation
• Deliver a consistent, but appropriately flexible core ICT • Transparent in our
platform that applies appropriate standards. decision making processes
• Deliver an ICT platform that facilitates local school choices • Accountable to clear
while ensuring students, staff and other stakeholders use ICT standards
in a safe and secure manner. • Collaborative with
• Provide timely, accurate and accessible data to all Department customers and
stakeholders that use them. stakeholders

10 Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) Strategy 2020 – 2024

 This involves combining the use of different
The core network technologies to deliver services deployed on
commercial grade internet with service levels and
guarantees that better align with the needs of our
Our core network can be regarded as the schools.
circulatory system for classroom technology.
It is critical to connecting classrooms, In its initial phase, over 500 schools will see a tripling
of effective bandwidth per user. Moving to a mixed
teachers and students to the outside world,
service model and from incremental improvement to
to innovation and the effective adoption
a step change approach provides greater ability for
of emerging technologies that can deliver expansion now and into the future.
enhanced education outcomes.
1. We will aim to deliver 5 to 10 times the effective
The Department’s network stretches further than any per user capacity of the 2018 model over the
other agency in the State and indeed any other state next 5 years.
or territory in the country, and would circle the Earth 2. We will continue to strive to deliver location
over six times. independent equity.
Our new ‘Bandwidth Blueprint’ takes the best of 3. We will maintain the ability for schools to
what we currently have, exploits new and emerging supplement centrally funded capacity with school
opportunities, and continues to provide flexibility funded capacity through School Managed Internet.
and options for those schools that want to push
even further.

Standard Operating Environment

The Standard Operating Environment
(SOE) has evolved over time to become
a very effective foundation network and
security baseline platform that allows
service at scale to be delivered across
the diverse school environments we ICT processes and automation
serve, allowing local additions and rules ICT processes will be streamlined and automated to
to be applied by the school in line with the full extent possible over the next 5 years to help
its specific needs. reduce the administrative burden on schools and
other users and provide self-service options where
While we currently have 99.5% of our schools appropriate.
utilising the SOE, we plan to have all schools As a result, more consistent and effective governance
(100%) using the SOE within 5 years. With the around these processes will also be delivered.
SOE we will:
The capture of data and information in more
1. continue to develop the SOE platform to structured automated ways will also provide better
benefit all schools information sources that can be used to improve
2. pursue efficiencies and improvements through services to schools and other users over time.
the SOE that reduce the technology workload The approach will focus on minimising user effort
on schools to achieve the required outcome driven by clear
3. directly engage with focus groups from business rules. ICT will develop, with its customers,
schools in the ongoing lifecycle of the SOE standardised interfaces, language and approaches
that maximise effectiveness through familiarity and
4. continue to ensure an effective security model consistency, while minimising the time and effort
based on SOE combining central management required by users and providing opportunities for
with appropriate local control. enhanced mobility.

Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) Strategy 2020 – 2024 11

Cyber security

Our approach to cyber security is aligned to the ‘Western Australian

Whole of Government Digital Security Policy’1 with appropriate regard to
the operational demands and environment of schools, and the diverse
user base of the Department. Our focus is on practical approaches
for the safe and secure use of core technologies and services that we
deliver centrally to our stakeholders.

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school can explore and deploy other applications,

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systems and tools to meet the particular needs Adapt Prevent

+ Risk Managemen
and and
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community. Improve Educate Protect
and Inform
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Key concepts in our approach to keeping

Poli

cyber safe include:

Respond Monitor

t
• Cyber security is everybody’s
ge

and and
Fra
a

responsibility: The most expensive lock in

Us

Recover Detect me
al

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the world is useless if you leave the key in the
nt

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+
door or let the burglar in! Wh
partm
ole De
• Education and awareness: Establish a cost of G
overnment Policy +
effective method for improving security and
cyber awareness for staff, students, suppliers
and stakeholders.
• Security and the concept of ‘teacher • Practical usability: Consider the practical
time’: Seek options that provide protection application, viability and varying contexts in which
and defence against cyber threats with the a cyber security measure is deployed, for example
minimum impost on teacher time. what works in a central service setting may be
• Cyber security needs a holistic approach: impractical in a school setting.
Adopt a model that considers cyber security • Credential streamlining: Simpler credential
as a framework and that considers people, management across a wide range of applications
process, and systems as a whole. Technical has operational efficiency benefits and improves
tools and policy alone will not be enough. security consistency.

1
Digital Security Policy https://www.wa.gov.au/sites/default/files/2018-06/digitalsecuritypolicy.pdf

12 Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) Strategy 2020 – 2024

Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) Strategy 2020 – 2024 13
Innovation

We are committed to developing, adopting and fostering a culture of

strategic innovation wherever there are opportunities to deliver greater
value, fit for purpose services and the ability to enable schools and
other stakeholders to better meet needs that are unique to their local
communities while still benefitting from being part of a system. Innovation
is critical to ongoing success.

Innovation will be focused, managed and

measured in accordance with the following
themes:
• Risk management - Embrace a digital future
for the Department acknowledging that all
innovation involves risk and will be managed to
provide greater value to all stakeholders including
teachers and students.
• Information management - Maximise the value
of agency information from acknowledged single
sources of truth for different types of information.
• Online service delivery - Make our services and
systems securely and consistently accessible at
times and places convenient to users, securely,
and using an agreed variety of digital devices.
• Solution design - Our business solutions will be
based on a sound understanding of systems and
process requirements and meet both agency and
Government needs.
• Digital business systems - Technology
solutions will be scaled to the size of the need,
built on top of common technology platforms,
and suitable for use on the type of common
devices our customers prefer to use.
• Use of technology - Use the most appropriate
technology available to deliver and support
services to all of our customers with services
designed to automatically configure to suit the
device they are accessed from.

Pursuing innovation will enable business needs to be

met faster, capacity for scaling up and down quickly
in response to changing demand, and services no
longer required to shut down faster.

14 Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) Strategy 2020 – 2024

Technology choice and design principles

Demand for online services is expected Our technology choice and design principles are
the basis for the future applications landscape
to significantly increase as the impetus and guide modernising the existing legacy
for information technology to support platforms to deliver improved services and
opportunities. To do this we will:
learning, collaboration, management
• implement common applications for whole of
and Government services grows. Department challenges to provide efficiencies,
An increasingly digital world will drive reduce duplication and support common needs
• improve application services for staff and
the need for cost effective online stakeholders through the provision of more
services that are cyber safe and contemporary systems
appropriate to the Department’s needs • implement methodologies and architectures that
reduce delivery time and are responsive to change
and stakeholders. • consolidate, rationalise, modernise and
decommission existing applications where
appropriate.

In a broader sense, and respecting the above principles, technology choices made will be aligned to
the Government’s Digital WA strategy, with operational choices influenced as follows:

Exploit Consume Services Don’t Reinvent Build as a Last Continuous Configure don’t
Investments The Wheel Resort Delivery customise
Maximise the Utilise Services/ Use packaged Build only Be agile and Minimise
return from Cloud. software, or where other value driven customisation
that which the Consume it as packaged options are by avoiding to control
Department a service or components proven to be lengthy large cost, simplify
has already deploy into a rather than unsuitable. deployments solutions and
invested in. consumption building a where possible. maximise
package. bespoke connectivity.
solution.

This approach is designed to ensure effective investment, faster response times to business needs and
alignment with modern practice.
We will continue to maintain a lean approach to central ICT spending with the primary driver of cost effective
service delivery and support of schools and employ solutions and strategies to minimise the cost.

Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) Strategy 2020 – 2024 15

W education.wa.edu.au © Department of Education 2020
Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) Strategy 2020 – 2024 16