I work primarily with school principals, executive leadership teams, and boards in Australian independent and Catholic schools — and occasionally with government education departments and higher education providers navigating similar challenges. If you're a technology department looking for a vendor, I'm probably not the right fit. If you're a school leader trying to make better decisions about technology and the people it affects, let's talk.
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ICT Strategy Development

A multi-year technology strategy that genuinely serves your school's educational mission — not a document that sits in a drawer. Built collaboratively with your leadership team, grounded in your values, and designed to be owned and acted on by your people.

  • Current state assessment and gap analysis
  • Three to five year roadmaps with investment plans
  • Governance structures and decision-making frameworks
  • Alignment to school strategic plan and AITSL / accreditation requirements
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AI Adoption & Governance

Helping schools move from reactive to intentional on artificial intelligence — before the policy is needed, not after the incident. Framework-first, community-facing, and built around your school's values rather than a generic template.

  • AI acceptable use policy development
  • Staff capability uplift and professional learning design
  • Parent and community communication frameworks
  • Tool evaluation and procurement guidance
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Cyber Security for Schools

Board-ready cyber security that protects your community without requiring a technical background to understand. Risk reporting, incident response, and a governance model that keeps leadership informed and empowered — not overwhelmed.

  • Cyber security posture review and gap analysis
  • Board and leadership risk reporting frameworks
  • Incident response protocol development
  • Staff phishing simulation and awareness programs
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Technology Team Transformation

Taking a technology team from reactive help-desk to trusted strategic partner. Structural, cultural, and operational change — with measurable service outcomes that staff and leadership can see and feel.

  • Team structure and role redesign
  • Service catalogue and delivery model development
  • Performance frameworks and KPI design
  • Leadership coaching for technology managers
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Digital Literacy & Professional Learning

Building genuine digital confidence in teaching staff — not just tool training, but the underlying capability to think critically about technology in a classroom context. Programs designed for educators, not IT specialists.

  • Digital literacy needs assessment
  • Term-by-term professional learning programs
  • AI literacy for teachers and support staff
  • Curriculum-integrated technology coaching
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Capital Works & Infrastructure Advisory

Technology input at the right point in a building project — not as an afterthought. From early design review through to commissioning and readiness, I help schools get the infrastructure decisions right while there's still time to make them.

  • New building technology design review
  • AV and learning space specifications
  • Infrastructure standards and procurement
  • Technology readiness and commissioning oversight
Strategic Partnership
Ongoing · typically 6–12 months

A sustained working relationship where I become a genuine extension of your leadership team — attending planning sessions, advising on technology decisions as they emerge, and providing continuity across a program of work. Best suited to schools undertaking major strategic change.

Project Engagement
Defined scope · clear deliverables

A contained engagement with a specific outcome — a completed strategy, a finished framework, a delivered program. Clear scope, clear timeline, and a defined handover point. Good for schools that know what they need and want to move quickly.

Advisory & Review
Lighter touch · specific questions

For schools that don't need a full engagement but want an experienced perspective on a specific decision — a technology purchase, a policy review, a board presentation. A smaller commitment, but the same quality of thinking.

01
I tell you what I actually think

Including when it's uncomfortable. A consultant who validates every decision you've already made is not worth paying for. I'm here to make your thinking sharper — which sometimes means telling you what you don't want to hear, with enough respect to make it land without softening it into uselessness.

02
I work in your context, not mine

Every school is different. I don't arrive with a template and a timeline. I invest time upfront understanding your community, your culture, and the specific constraints you're working within — and everything I build reflects that context.

03
I build things that last

The measure of a good engagement isn't how well I performed — it's how well your school performs after I leave. Everything I design is documented, embedded, and owned by your team. Dependency on the consultant is a failure mode, not a business model.

04
No sales pitch. No obligation.

If we have an initial conversation and it becomes clear I'm not the right fit for what you need, I'll tell you that too — and I'll tell you who might be. I'd rather have a short honest conversation than a long unhelpful engagement.

The Next Word — AI in Education Consultancy. I am a member of The Next Word, a specialist consultancy working with school communities, leadership teams, and boards across Australia. Where my work is centred on technology strategy, school operations, and ICT leadership, The Next Word brings collective expertise across curriculum, professional learning, and whole-community AI capability uplift. For schools that need a broader or sustained engagement spanning both technology and pedagogy, we work together.

Visit The Next Word ↗
Ready to have a conversation?
No obligation, no sales pitch. Tell me what you're working on and we'll see if there's a good fit.

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