Kennedy Baptist College is an independent, co-educational secondary school in Western Australia, with approximately 1,200 students across Years 7 to 12. The college took part in its first TEP Australia Pilot census window across February and March 2026, led by Rick Cricelli, Director of School and Staff Development. As the largest secondary cohort in the pilot, Kennedy Baptist achieved one of the highest response rates of any school in the census - 98% of its 1,228 students participating.

In this account, Rick shares the methods behind that success, offering a practical guide for any school preparing to run the survey for the first time.

We would like to thank Kennedy Baptist College for their contribution to the project, and Rick in particular for his time and insights.

Communicating the purpose at every level

The foundation of Kennedy Baptist's implementation was effective communication of the 'why': the purpose behind the engagement platform and what it offers to schools. Rick was deliberate in making sure this rationale reached everyone involved, from senior leadership to classroom teachers, carefully cascading it through the school before anything else took place.

The process began at the top. After the principal and Rick had explored the platform together, they introduced it to the executive leadership team, who quickly recognised how it aligned with the college's own strategic priority of improving student engagement. From there it moved to middle leaders, then to all staff at a briefing that addressed both the process and the purpose behind it. Central to this communication strategy was ensuring staff felt that the process was straightforward and that they had genuine agency within it.

"All you need is a teacher or a handful of teachers going into the classroom with an attitude of 'we're doing this because we have to, not because we see the value in it', and that's it. It's game over. The students will pick up on that and not give the survey the thought and honesty it deserves."

Looking ahead to the next round, the focus is on extending that sense of purpose to students themselves. Rick is candid that student-facing communication was lighter than it could have been, and that students need a genuine understanding of the survey as a meaningful channel for their voice, rather than a task to be completed as quickly as possible.

"I think I probably didn't sell it to them as much as I could have. Students need to hear it a couple of times, and they need to see something in action before they really subscribe to it."

He was emphatic about the importance of making clear, from the outset, that responses are fully anonymous. Concern about attribution can suppress honest engagement, and reassuring students of this directly (whether at the staff briefing stage or at the point of delivery in the classroom) is a simple step with a meaningful impact on data quality.

"One of the big things that I pushed was the whole anonymity aspect. Everyone just freaks out otherwise if they think their name's going to be put to anything."

Tailoring the approach to each year group

Another key feature of Kennedy Baptist's approach was a flexible structure that varied by cohort. For most year groups, the survey was administered during English lessons. Rick credits his close working relationship with the English and Languages learning area, noting that identifying staff who genuinely understand the purpose and will deliver it thoroughly is an important consideration when planning implementation.

For Year 7, a different approach was felt to be more appropriate. Given the age of the students, their Head of Year  (who already teaches them) and some of their Protective Behaviours teachers were better placed to guide them through the survey.

"For our relatively new Year 7s, predominantly the Head of Year delivered it in classes that he teaches with them. In this way, it was delivered in quite a tailored manner."

Year 7 students are still finding their place within the school community. Having a trusted senior figure lead the session sent a clear signal about how seriously the college regarded the process and created a more secure environment for honest responses.

Rick is already thinking about tailored messaging for Year 12 students, for whom the immediate relevance may feel less obvious. His approach is to frame their participation as a custodial one, positioning Year 12s as contributors to the experience of students who come after them.

"Even as Year 12s leave, what they say will help to inform the processes that are in place for the next groups coming through."

Practical guidance

Preparing staff thoroughly

Rick produced screen recordings that guided delivering staff through every step of the process, a resource they could revisit ahead of their lesson rather than relying solely on recollections from a briefing. He shared visual question prompts with all staff in advance and provided every teacher with a set of backup student login details, ensuring that a misplaced email during the lesson did not become a barrier to participation.

"In the class there was no 'oh, I deleted the email, I don't have my login, I'm just going to sit here.' Just making sure the teachers could troubleshoot that if it turned up."

Front-loading completion and systematic follow-up

The census window at Kennedy Baptist ran for three weeks, but Rick treated the first week as the target for near-complete participation. He began with a broadcast email to all students who had not yet responded, followed by individual direct messages, and finally, for the most persistent cases, a message that also copied in parents.

"The vast majority of students that hadn't done it from that first email, suddenly with a bit of parental support, did it."

Monitoring completion figures at regular intervals throughout the window, rather than waiting until the close, was what made this staged approach so effective.

Confirming technical setup in advance

One early complication is worth noting. Rick had assumed that student login credentials would be delivered via the college's learning management system. They were, in fact, sent to individual student email accounts, which operated as a separate system entirely. The issue was resolved promptly, but it highlights the importance of confirming your school's email infrastructure, any whitelisting requirements, and general technical logistics before the window opens.

Key strategies at a glance

- Cascade the 'why' through every layer of leadership before delivery begins - principal, executive team, middle leaders, then all staff

- Make anonymity explicit at every point of delivery, to students and staff alike

- Tailor delivery to year groups, younger cohorts benefit from a trusted familiar figure leading the session

- Prepare staff with screen recordings and backup login details, not just verbal briefings

- Front-load the first week, then escalate follow-up systematically: broadcast, then direct messages, then parental nudge

- Confirm technical setup, email routing, whitelisting, login delivery, well in advance of the window opening

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