As schools across the country prepare for teaching students in a very different environment - some remote, some with limited students in classrooms, some a hybrid of both models - teachers, parents, students, suppliers and regulators are all working to figure out best practices.

Before the school break, we saw a surge in online activity consistent with the climbing absentee rates across the country (more details on these statistics can be found in this update). It was clear that during the school holiday period, parents and teachers were preparing to make the transition to working remotely, a trend that was confirmed by increased activity on our platform where traditionally we would see a decline as people enjoy the holidays.

We used the time while schools were on break to develop additional parent communication and online learning enhancements and scale our platform to meet the expected demand.

With these trends, we planned for online activity to rise to about three times the typical peak when Victorian schools returned. This morning, with Victorian schools back in session, we saw activity climb to six times the previous peak. This heightened load caused a partial interruption that affected a small number of schools, and we’re sorry about that.

Our team managed to scale the platform to meet the excess capacity within 30 minutes and we’re seeing the platform now operating in a stable manner under the heightened loads.

Our team of Melbourne-based developers are continuing to boost the platform capabilities to meet the demands of these unpredictable and uncertain times. This will mean increased capabilities and key enhancements designed to help school staff, students and their families with remote teaching and learning in Term 2. There’s more detail about those enhancements over on this blog.  

If you need any additional assistance or guidance, our Support team continues to be available by email, phone and live chat, offering the same high level of assistance.