Geelong Grammar School

When Ari Farrar, Director of Music at Geelong Grammar School, first encountered Clipboard, he had no idea it would revolutionise how his department managed its operations. For over 15 years, the school had relied on a custom-built database for co-curricular management, which, while functional, had its limitations. Clipboard changed everything, offering a purpose-built solution that addressed not just their existing challenges but also unlocked new possibilities.

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Background

Geelong Grammar School, a leading independent school in Australia, prides itself on offering a diverse range of extracurricular activities, including a vibrant music program. However, the school’s reliance on a siloed and outdated system presented hurdles. Managing lesson timetables, timesheets, and student attendance required cumbersome manual processes and double-handling of data. Integrations with other school systems were extremely limited, creating silos and clashes with student timetables.

“We didn’t know what we didn’t know,” says Farrar. “It wasn’t until we started exploring Clipboard that we realised how much more efficient and connected our systems could be.”

Challenges

The music department’s existing system was holding them back in several ways:

• Siloed Reporting: Ari recalls dealing with over 18,000 lines of manual reporting annually to manage lesson billing, schedules, and student data. This process was resource-intensive and prone to errors.

• Limited System Integration: Their custom database couldn’t integrate with the school’s learning management system (LMS), Schoolbox, making it difficult to share schedules and updates efficiently.

• Manual Administration: Processes such as lesson scheduling, timesheets, and billing required extensive manual input, creating inefficiencies and double-handling of data.

Additionally, the school recognised the need to shift from billing in arrears to charging upfront by 2025, a move that would require a robust and user-friendly solution for managing student activity selection and fees.

The Clipboard Solution

Clipboard delivered a comprehensive platform that transformed how Geelong Grammar’s music department managed its programs.

1. Seamless Integration: Clipboard integrated effortlessly with Schoolbox, automating the flow of scheduling data directly into the LMS calendar. “Clipboard integrates beautifully and seamlessly, instantly with Schoolbox. Just a simple change like that was revolutionary for us,” Farrar notes.
2. Real-Time Visibility: Clipboard provided a unified view of all music lessons, timetables, and extracurricular activities. “The instant advantage of having one system that manages all of those things is visibility across the entire organisation,” Farrar explains. “Anyone can log in and see what anyone’s doing at any point in time.”
3. Specialised Music Functionality: Clipboard’s tailored features for music departments streamlined processes such as lesson scheduling, timesheet management, and billing.
   
4. Activity Selection for Upfront Billing: One of Clipboard’s standout features was its Activity Selection module, which played a pivotal role in the school’s decision to adopt upfront billing. The user-friendly interface allowed parents to select activities and pay fees in advance, drastically reducing administrative workloads.

“Clipboard’s Activity Selection gave us the confidence to transition to a more efficient billing model for 2025,” says Farrar.

Results

Since adopting Clipboard, Geelong Grammar’s music department has experienced transformative results:

• Efficiency Gains: Processes that once required hours of manual work, such as managing 18,000 lines of reporting, are now automated and error-free.

• Improved Communication: Staff can easily share schedules and updates across the organisation, reducing errors and missed communications.

• Streamlined Billing: The integration of Activity Selection has set the school on track to successfully transition to upfront billing by 2025.

• Enhanced Student Outcomes: With less time spent on administration, educators can focus more on teaching and nurturing student talent.

Conclusion

Clipboard’s holistic approach to extracurricular management has empowered Geelong Grammar School to streamline operations across its music department and beyond. By providing a single, integrated platform, Clipboard has not only solved existing challenges but also opened new opportunities for growth and collaboration.

“Clipboard has completely changed the way we manage our music programs. The efficiency and visibility it provides are invaluable,” says Farrar.

Take the Next Step

Ready to get more oversight into your music program? Book an obligation-free demo to see how Clipboard can be your single system for insights, enrolments, scheduling, program management, and more.

Contact us today to get started.

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