The brief

Currambena School needed a new approach in presenting their philosophy and methods of teaching and learning online, and methods of communicating and engaging with the broader community. The school wanted to utilise the web more effectively to;

• educate and inform a broader local audience about Currambena and it's unique approach to education
• connnect with potential students and their families to increase enrolments and interest in the school
• promote the school to a national and global audience as a model of democratic education in practice

The approach

To achieve this, Bea Pierce;

• Developed a strategic approach and design philosophy specifically tailored to showcase democratic education at its best
• Developed an information structure and navigation design that;
  • made moving around the site and finding relevant information easy and intuitive
  • emphasised the main aspects of the school
  • clearly articulated the educational philosophy and practice of the school
• Created a visual design style that communicated the nature of the school and their approach through visually engaging media such as photography, colours and organic graphical elements
• Built the site in a combination of Joomla and WordPress to;
  • utilise sophisticated content management capabilities, integrated functionality such as calendars, Google map and promotional slideshows
  • allow easy weekly news updates for teachers and students in a blog format
• Tested the site thoroughly for standards-compliance and accessibility and ensured SEO metadata was in place throughout the site to increase ‘findability’ via Google search
• Provided training in using the Joomla and WordPress administration tools to staff, and a step-by-step instruction guide

The end result

"I am writing to pass on my feedback regarding the new Currambena website. To start what I have to say is IT IS FABULOUS!

Immediately when I connected with the site I felt invited to explore, wander around and enjoy the virtual experience of Currambena. On a practical level the information sources are easy to find and relevant for me as a parent. Even I find it fun going to pages I would not have normally gone to before and learning more about what is happening in the school

Not being a web designer but having created and managed websites for my business I fully appreciate the intricacies and attention to detail behind the presentation. I like the look and feel, the flow, the balance of words and images, the multiple places to navigate to information and the professionalism of the style. I also like that I can find out what I want easily.

Though this may have been in place before I now am more aware of the interactivity of the site. I have subscribed to the news feed and now have the blog prominently on my reader.

What is most amazing and important to acknowledge though is the work of the people behind this site. I fully appreciate the time, effort and dedication of the person who updated the site. The site is also a great showcase for the amazing photos of our children.

Though we were already lucky to have the communication forum on the old version I love the new and improved version of the website. It feels like our virtual presence sparkles and shines even more to the world.

So thank you from a parent that truly appreciates what goes on behind the scenes and by no means takes for granted the selfless gestures of individuals in our parent community."

- Jenn Shallvey, Currambena parent

Referees:
Karen Brien, Marketing Officer, Currambena School
Juliana McCarthy, Currambena School Manager