When Jono Fox joined Tyndale Christian School as Head of Information and Learning Technology, he inherited a system that had reached its limits. Data lived in silos, manual processes slowed the flow of information, and teams across the school were feeling the weight of outdated technology. As both a technology leader and a member of the executive team, Jono saw an opportunity to do more than just replace a system. He wanted to reimagine how technology could serve Tyndale’s mission of learning, growing, and serving its community.
For Jono, leading this transformation has been as much about confidence and clarity in decision-making as it has been about technology. Choosing Veracross meant trusting in a long-term vision that balances innovation with practicality and empowers the entire school community to thrive. By taking a measured, collaborative approach and making bold decisions when it mattered most, Jono and his team are setting Tyndale up not just for a smoother workflow, but for sustainable growth and stronger leadership in the years ahead.
Can you tell us a bit about Tyndale Christian School?
Tyndale Christian School is an ELC to Year 12 school in Blacktown (New South Wales). It’s a Christian school that’s committed to learning, growing and serving our students. We’re keen to see our students strive for excellence in academics as well as their knowledge and understanding of God and the Christian faith. It’s a lovely community that we have and a very multicultural school. Many students come from various countries and backgrounds, which really makes this space unique and a great place to work.
What prompted you to start looking for a new SIS for Tyndale?
I’ve been here about three years. In my job interview, they made it very clear that the current SIS wasn’t meeting requirements anymore. I was pretty keen to avoid doing a new SIS migration; I knew how much of a big project that is and how many resources that can drain. A SIS is a massive part of the school community, so any change is difficult. I avoided it as much as I could, but in every executive meeting, issues kept coming up. Why is it doing this or why isn’t it doing that?
It was clear that we’d outgrown our current system. We’d been with it for about ten years, and things had dramatically changed in that time. We were trying to make improvements, but we realised it wasn’t going to work. We now needed a source of truth that was reliable, where we could have other systems read that information easily and quickly. We had to find a solution that would work for us, meet all the new needs, and be a really core part of the school life.
Who was involved in the early conversations about switching?
I was very keen for it not to be seen as IT or executives making this decision. I wanted school-wide involvement and for it to be clear that it was meeting the needs of the school community; for students, for staff, for parents, for everyone. So there were a wide range of stakeholders involved from various groups in the school, and they were able to put forward what they weren’t happy with and what they wanted in a new system.
What operational or administrative improvements were you hoping to achieve with this change?
The operation and administration improvements we were hoping to achieve included a greater accuracy of our data, a greater knowledge of where our data was and how it was being used. There was a lot of manual processes and spreadsheets happening. We wanted to bring all of that into one system, so it was easily tracked and integrated to other systems. I needed a system that could be a single source of truth. We wanted to leverage technology for things it does really well and free up staff from manual processes so that they can do tasks that only a human can do.
Was there a list of non-negotiables to cater to during your search for a new SIS?
We had a number of non-negotiables. We had to have strong APIs and open APIs to bring in our partners. How the system utilises data; the logic behind its database and finding information. And it needed to be intuitive. We have a lot of staff, a lot of students and a lot of stakeholders that need to be able to access various information at different times. We have new staff coming all the time, so we needed an environment where you didn’t need days and days of training to understand how to use it. It had to be visual, with a friendly design to it.
How did you approach the search for a new SIS? Did you use an RFP, or was there another process involved?
I was keen to have a SIS that worked with the current systems and worked with IT — particularly around integration, workflows and automation — but also worked with the needs of the school. Initially, IT chose three systems that we thought we could work with. From there, a committee made up of teaching staff, executive staff, administration staff, and IT reviewed those three, and then they gave feedback. It came down to selecting the one that they preferred, which is Veracross.
What stood out about Veracross during the evaluation?
In the evaluation, Veracross stood out as a strong, preferred candidate. One of the main reasons for that was its open APIs. It was very easy for us to see that it could link in with the current systems we have, and with future systems. It gave us a lot of possibilities. The other reason was their system is based on queries, so instead of thinking “I can’t find this information because it’s not on the right page or it’s not shown in a profile”, having everything based around queries creates this flexible approach to getting data.
The queries were easy to design. You didn’t need to be a programmer. Anyone could design them. They were big ticks for us. We could surface information people needed. We could access that data through various intuitive and easy to use systems.
How does this change align with Tyndale’s overall mission, and the vision that you have for the school community?
Tyndale’s culture is based around learning, growing and serving our community. We don’t want to be bogged down in administrative processes. We want to free our teaching staff up to do what they do best, and that’s helping our students learn and grow in a Christian environment. Our systems and technology need to enable that, and Veracross can do that by eliminating a lot of our manual processes that we currently have and streamlining a lot of workflows. That’s freeing up our time to get on with our core business, which is educating students.
How have you and your team found the implementation process so far?
The implementation process with Veracross has been really good. They’re partners with us. They have a methodical way to roll out their product. Things are broken down into modules, and for each module, someone leads us through configuration, meeting weekly and providing training. Another benefit is Veracross University. We’re very close to going live. Our administration staff are signed into Veracross University and the demo database. They’re learning it.
The journey has been great. They’re part of our school, helping us get the most out of Veracross, putting things into best practice, and helping us succeed with Veracross.
What early signs have given you confidence you’ve made the right decision moving to Veracross?
As the administration team started their training, and started understanding how they’ll use Veracross, they could see many of the frustrations they had with our current system being resolved with Veracross. Time’s going to come back to them. They’re going to be able to answer questions better, be able to serve the community better. That’s been a big win for me and the rest of the executive staff. This system has been the right choice for our school.
What do you hope this change will unlock for your school in the months ahead?
A hope with Veracross for our school is that it’s going to free us up to get on with our core business of serving students and families, that we’re not going to be bogged down trying to find information. We’re not trying to sift through Excel spreadsheets to find information that should be readily available. That the teaching, administration, and IT staff can work well together to serve the community, and Veracross plays a massive part in that. That’s what I’m looking forward to in Veracross, being able to serve the community, surfacing information quickly and easily, and providing value to our school.
For other schools considering a SIS change, what is the one piece of advice you would share with them?
It’s a big undertaking. You want to be sure you’re making the right decision. I think it’s helpful to review what you’ve got and to see what small improvements you can make to utilise the systems that you’ve currently got to meet those objectives. But then there’s a time when things need to change. As leaders, we often hold back, and that holds up the rest of the school. You’ve got to have the confidence to move forward. Give yourself the freedom to not get it all right straight away. Take time selecting the right system, and roll things out in a way that is going to suit you.
Be agile with your approach. Communicate well with your staff. Go forward with it and be that leader to make that decision and be confident in it. But take the time to choose the right product and listen to your community.
Ready for change at your school?
Book a demo with our team to learn what’s possible with a Veracross SIS.
