St. Piran’s School accelerates digital transformation with Microsoft 365

When Sarah Mackenzie joined St. Piran's School in 2019 as Head of IT, the Berkshire preparatory school had just one main computer room with 20 devices and 10 computers within a Learning Resource Room for its then 385 students. A few laptops and a small set of iPads were also available for students to borrow. Together with the newly appointed Headmaster, Sarah championed a shared vision for a technology-enhanced future—one that empowered educators with modern tools to elevate teaching. Originally planned as a two-year roadmap, the initiative was rapidly accelerated by the response to COVID-19, compressing the transformation into just two months.

“We had teachers who were very worried about teaching online,” reflects Sarah. “They were still using the folders on their network and hadn’t yet transferred to the cloud, but it not only worked, it was a huge success. The parents were just in awe of what we achieved in such a short space of time.”

Microsoft 365 earns top marks

The strategic decision to upgrade from Microsoft 365 Education A1 to A3 subscription proved particularly beneficial. The A3 subscription helped the school strengthen security with multiple layers of protection including Microsoft Defender, multi-factor authentication for staff, and Windows Autopilot for zero-touch provisioning—helping safeguard student data during the rapid shift to remote learning.

For Network Manager, Bilal Razaq, the efficiency gains were dramatic. “In my previous jobs, it would have taken six weeks and some holidays to set up one classroom,” Bilal says. “But with Autopilot, I set up a number of laptops for pupils within two days. And we knew the laptops were secure.”

The Microsoft 365 Education A3 subscription delivers multiple layers of security protection, including Microsoft Defender Antivirus, remote device wipe capabilities for lost or stolen devices, and compliance with Microsoft EU data regulations.

“A3 is a great balance of value, functionality, security—all in one license,” Bilal says. “It's really simplified user provisioning and identity management for us. Microsoft Defender as well—I haven't had a single issue regarding malware or anything like that on the pupil devices. It’s brilliant."

Building confidence through connected experiences

Microsoft Teams for Education became the central hub for communication, collaboration, and learning delivery. Educators and students use Teams for assignments, real-time feedback, and daily workflows, transforming how the school community interacts. SharePoint and OneDrive eliminated the security risks of USB drives while providing reliable cloud storage.

“The hardest thing, at the beginning, was convincing people to put all of their files in OneDrive so they don't need to worry about carrying a USB around, losing that data, and encrypting it,” says Bilal. “But confidence drives adoption. The more confident the staff were in using it, the quicker it spread.”

Meanwhile, OneNote modernized lesson planning and homework management, with learning opportunities building further curiosity in Microsoft tools.

“We decided the best way forward was to become experts in our own specific areas,” says former Head of Innovation and Partnerships and Head of Maths, Beverley-Kim Bailey. “I took on OneNote because I fell in love with it. I started using it in every subject I taught, even religious and social health education. And I thought, ‘I want to share this with everybody!’”

The school further distributed expertise through this network of digital champions, a highly motivated group that served as an extension of Sarah’s efforts. And while staff were asked to complete mandatory Microsoft Learn courses, 95% of faculty went on to complete additional certifications voluntarily.

Where technology meets pedagogy

As educators became more confident with the core Microsoft platform through their training, they began exploring advanced features to enhance student learning. For Luissa Galloso, Head of English and Drama, this meant discovering how Learning Accelerators could support literacy development across the curriculum.

“I immediately saw that the Learning Accelerators really played into my role as English teacher,” says Luissa. “And that it was a perfect opportunity to delve deeper into what they could learn from a device that would promote reading and digital literacy!”

Microsoft tools have been embedded across all areas of pedagogy: from OneNote organizing student work and teacher planning to Reading Progress and Reading Coach supporting phonics and fluency from Year 1 onwards. The school has also adopted Microsoft Reflect, for social-emotional learning, helping students develop self-regulation skills, while Minecraft Education engages creative learners who might otherwise struggle with traditional approaches. In fact, a student with behavioral needs used Minecraft Education to produce what Sarah calls “the most incredible project" his educator had seen within that unit, evolving from disengaged student to enthusiastic learner: “He became a huge ambassador for learning and relished the subject from then on. It really changed his mindset.”

Voice dictation and Immersive Reader opened doors for students who had wrestled with conventional literacy methods, while OneNote's organizational structure gave students unprecedented control over their learning materials. Parents witnessed remarkable changes at home, with many parents marveling at how their child had independently organized all of their subjects in OneNote without prompting, demonstrating ownership of learning that extended well beyond school hours.

Measuring success in hours saved and learning enhanced

The impact of Microsoft Education tools at St. Piran's extends beyond traditional metrics, enriching the daily lives of educators who once struggled under administrative burden. Educators across departments reclaimed their evenings and weekends, with marking time dropping by as much as 75 percent through OneNote feedback tools and structured workflows. This newfound efficiency has inspired many educators to pursue Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert certification, with some even supporting national and international conferences. Staff who once described themselves as skeptics became innovation champions.

The institutional advancement at St. Piran's further validated the school's strategic investment in the Microsoft ecosystem. The elimination of physical storage systems, dramatic reduction in printing costs, and streamlined IT management through Autopilot and Microsoft Intune delivered cost savings that helped justify the initial investment many times over. Achievement of Microsoft Showcase School status brought delegations from thirty schools seeking to understand their implementation strategy, establishing St. Piran's as a beacon of digital innovation in education. School enrollment has also grown from 385 to 455, at a time when the sector is shrinking—a tangible validation of the school’s strategic direction.

Looking ahead, St. Piran's plans on migrating its remaining on-premises servers to Microsoft Azure cloud or hybrid solutions, creating a more resilient and scalable foundation for digital learning. Beyond technical infrastructure, St. Piran's is exploring emerging opportunities like e-sports programs to engage students in new ways, while developing comprehensive parent engagement programs to help families understand and support Microsoft tools at home.

Guidance for the journey ahead

For educators reticent about their technical abilities, Luissa offers reassurance based on her own journey. "For any educator, I would say you just have to start. I know it can be daunting if you're not tech savvy. But you don't need to be," she says. "Microsoft makes it so straightforward and supportive for educators and learners, plus you know it's safe. You know that Microsoft has got it and is listening to the professionals in the classroom who are exploring these tools with learners."

St. Piran's decision to adopt Microsoft as their comprehensive platform, rather than piecing together various solutions, has proven fundamental to their success. Sarah explains the strategic thinking behind this choice: "One factor in us choosing Microsoft is that it was all there and all together. Microsoft is like the bubble that holds it all together for us. And if that Microsoft bubble popped, then it wouldn't work." This integrated approach has enabled consistency across all aspects of school operations, from classroom learning to administrative tasks.

The real measure of success, however, lies in the impact on students themselves. Luissa points to a particularly meaningful outcome that extends beyond test scores or technical proficiency. "What I found most powerful is watching our primary pupils. They embrace reading purely for pleasure," she reflects. "That's what Microsoft tools like Reading Coach have done, the moment when reading becomes a source of joy and freedom. That has been incredibly empowering and really uplifting to witness for our pupils."

Six years into their journey, the scope of change at St. Piran's has exceeded even their own expectations. Sarah doesn't hesitate when assessing the overall impact: "It's changed the children's education journey. I know that may sound extreme, but their education is leaps and bounds beyond what it was six years ago technically and now they have the IT skill set for their future."

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