At the heart of Vineyard Public School’s heroic journey is a mission to better connect parents with their children’s learning - but the real game-changer came when they aligned this mission with their School Excellence Plan (SEP). For relieving Principal Kerry De Jager and her team, adopting Hero wasn’t just about communication - it became a cornerstone in their journey to ‘excelling’.
When Zoe Fraser, an experienced educator in both preschool and early childhood education, joined the Vineyard Public School team, she noticed a disconnect: families making the transition from preschool to primary school suddenly lacked the ongoing visibility into their child’s progress that they had been accustomed to. Gone were the daily updates and shared insights – replaced by a single report each semester.
“Parents came from environments where they had real-time updates, and suddenly they had nothing,” Zoe explained. “They felt cut off - and it was a struggle. When families received a report, they didn’t understand the ‘why’ behind their child’s achievement levels because there was no visibility into the learning journey.”
This feedback from the community sparked a search for a better solution - one that would restore that connection, provide visibility and clarity around student learning, and ease the reporting burden on teachers - and Hero delivered.
Saving Time and Elevating Teaching
One of the school’s initial concerns was about ease of use and the workload for staff. Hero quickly eased those fears.
“We didn’t want something teachers would try once and drop because it was too much work,” Zoe said. “Hero helped us let go of paperwork, double-handling and redundant reporting processes. We’re not duplicating anymore.”
Instead of redoing assessments or chasing down paper trails, everything lives in one platform - accessible, streamlined and current. This has freed up time for deeper teaching, collaboration, and curriculum exploration. Staff can engage more deeply with new curriculum standards, setting higher benchmarks for themselves and their students.
Building a Stronger School Excellence Plan through Real-Time Insight
For Principal Kerry De Jager, the impact of Hero was immediately visible in how it aligned with the School Excellence Framework (SEF).
“If you look at our SEF, it’s at the top level. You couldn’t get any higher,” Kerry said.
The school went from ‘delivering’ in several key elements, to confidently marking themselves as ‘excelling’ in their School Excellence Plan. What changed? The availability of real-time, accurate data, the ability to track conceptual development across K-6, and a shared understanding across the staff of where every student was at - at any moment in time.
"As the principal, I stay genuinely engaged with the learning in classrooms, which gives me a comprehensive understanding of the learning taking place throughout the school."
From Standard Reports, to Enriching Relationships Between Home and School
As Zoe identified, one of the most remarkable shifts came from the transformation in family engagement. With Hero, families were no longer left guessing.
“At the end of semester two, not a single parent came to ask about reports or interviews,” Zoe noted. “They already knew exactly what was happening.
Kerry added, “Our ‘Tell Them From Me’ survey came back as 9s across the board - it just showed how connected our community felt.”
Hero allowed parents to see the learning journey as it unfolded, helping them to understand their child’s development, how it linked to curriculum goals, and how they were being supported.
A System that Brings Everyone Together
Introducing Hero didn’t just benefit teachers or parents -
it shifted the culture of the school. From supporting intervention decisions, to helping with consistent teacher judgments (CTJ’s), Hero enabled a shared ownership model for student learning.
“They’re not Zoe’s kids or Christina’s kids,” Kerry emphasised. “They’re our kids, and everyone has access to the same insights about their progress. With limited resources, Hero has helped us act faster and smarter to support every student.”
Whether students needed extra help or enrichment, every staff member had access to the same real-time insights. It enabled genuine case management, targeted interventions, and collaborative planning.
The Bottom Line
Hero has not only improved reporting and saved time, it has redefined how Vineyard Public School connects, teaches and plans. It transformed what was initially viewed as a significant transition into a smooth, collaborative shift – helping the team deliver overall school excellence.
“It completely changed everything we do,” Kerry said. “With far less pain than I ever expected. Our standards of what we want to achieve now are so high because of the work that we've done with Hero.”
-
Considering Hero for Your School? If you're looking for solution to set you excelling across key priorities like Vineyard Public School, book a demo to learn more about Hero.
