Overview
Floreat Park Primary School became the first public school in Western Australia to successfully implement a school-managed, parent-funded 1:1 iPad program. Through years of community consultation and careful planning, the school developed a model that balances the flexibility of parent-funded devices with the benefits of centralised management, creating a consistent and focused digital learning environment for every student.
It is a model shaped by research, innovation and collaboration, and one that deliberately puts teaching first. By investing in its teachers as much as its technology, the school has built an environment where students develop the digital capability, creativity and critical thinking they need to thrive.
The Opportunity
As technology became increasingly embedded in the classroom, Floreat Park Primary School recognised the need to provide students with a more consistent and equitable digital learning experience. Traditional BYOD models often resulted in varying device settings, applications and levels of parental control, creating potential distractions both in the classroom and at home.
The school’s vision was to introduce a managed learning device that would support teaching and learning while reducing digital distractions. Underpinning this was a clear, research-informed philosophy: pedagogy before technology, ensuring digital tools enhance high-quality teaching rather than drive it. Achieving this required significant engagement with parents and the wider school community, so that every stakeholder understood the educational benefits of a centrally managed approach.
The Approach
Over three years of planning and consultation involving staff, the School Board and the P&C, Floreat Park Primary School built genuine community support for a school-managed program. This work was guided by the Future Technology @ Floreat Committee, a dedicated School Board subcommittee of teachers, parents and industry experts formed to research, shape and oversee the vision.
Working closely with Winthrop, the school developed a streamlined procurement and deployment process that made participation simple for parents while ensuring all devices met the school’s educational requirements. Winthrop created a custom purchasing portal that allowed parents to order approved devices directly through a dedicated platform. Each device was automatically enrolled into the school’s mobile device management system before delivery, with the school profile pre-configured and ready to deploy the moment the device was powered on.
The result was a seamless out-of-box experience for families, and a program that was ready to scale.
The Outcome
Consistency and equity across every device
Whole-school implementation gives students equitable access to the same applications, settings and educational resources, reducing technical barriers and maximising learning time. The centrally managed model also reduces digital distractions by ensuring devices are configured specifically for educational use. Parents have peace of mind knowing their child’s device is protected by the school’s management framework, and teachers can focus on teaching rather than managing differences between devices.
A culture of teaching, not just technology
The program’s real strength is the professional learning culture behind it. Today, 100% of teaching staff are recognised as Apple Teachers, and the school is home to three Apple Distinguished Educators and one Apple Learning Coach, providing outstanding leadership in innovative teaching and digital pedagogy. Technology is embedded across the curriculum to support collaboration, creativity, communication, critical thinking and authentic problem-solving.
Strong and sustained community buy-in
Community confidence in the program is clear in the numbers. Floreat Park achieved 97% parent participation in its first year, and participation has consistently remained above 95%, now in the program’s fifth year. This is supported by a strong emphasis on digital citizenship, cyber safety and responsible technology use, backed by ongoing parent education and community engagement.
Why It Worked
The success of the program comes down to three things working together: a school community willing to invest years of consultation and planning, a research-informed philosophy that kept teaching and learning at the centre of every decision, and a delivery partner in Winthrop providing the purchasing portal, automated enrolment and zero-touch deployment that made the model simple and scalable.
Today, the program is recognised not simply for its innovative use of technology, but for the culture of collaboration, evidence-informed practice and continuous professional learning that underpins every aspect of its implementation. By placing teaching and learning at the centre of every decision, Floreat Park Primary School has developed a sustainable model of digital innovation that continues to empower both students and teachers.
