Diocese of Ballarat Catholic Education Limited: Towards 2035

In this episode, Ruth Appleyard (DOBCEL Marketing & Communications Manager) sits down with Jo-anne Van der Voort, DOBCEL Education Officer: Religious Education (Primary), along with Cara Chisholm and Stacey Atkins, to explore a powerful example of collaboration and innovation in action.

Together, they unpack the Star of the Sea Parish Sacramental Reimagining Prototype, a Collaborative Innovation Research Prototype (CIRP) that is transforming how sacramental preparation is approached across the Warrnambool parish network.

Cara (Deputy Principal and Religious Education Leader at St Joseph’s Primary School Warrnambool) and Stacey (Deputy Principal and Religious Education Leader at St Pius X Warrnambool West) share how their partnership has supported a more connected, authentic and engaging experience of faith for students and families.

Supported by Jo-anne’s mentorship, this work reflects the strength of collaborative leadership and a shared commitment to meaningful Religious Education and Catholic identity.

Recently recognised as winners of a Bishop Paul Bird CSsR Spirit of Catholic Education Award at the Catholic Education Week Awards Dinner, Cara and Stacey’s work is a compelling example of how innovation, grounded in faith, can strengthen both school and parish communities.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• How the sacramental program was reimagined across a parish network
• The role of collaboration in strengthening Catholic identity
• Insights into the CIRP process and its impact
• Reflections on leadership, faith formation and shared mission

In this special Catholic Education Week episode of the DOBCEL Strategy 2035 Podcast – Towards 2035, DOBCEL Marketing and Communications Manager Ruth Appleyard joins Deputy Director: Catholic Education Matt Byrne and Deputy Director: Stewardship Megan Ioannou to reflect on the significance of Catholic Education Week and the vital role Catholic schools play across our Diocese.

Together, they discuss why Catholic Education Week matters, the impact Catholic schools have in local communities, and the importance of celebrating Catholic education. The conversation explores how schools nurture learning, belonging, faith, service and opportunity, while supporting young people to flourish.

This episode celebrates the incredible people, stories and communities that make Catholic education such a hope-filled part of life across the Diocese of Ballarat – from the Murray to the Sea.

What happens when schools genuinely listen to students?

In this episode, DOBCEL Marketing & Communications Manager, Ruth Appleyard, speaks with Dr Penelope Jean Stiles, Future Schools Director Dave Runge and some of the students and teachers who were involved in Student Agency forums held across regional Victoria.

The Student Agency – Schools that Listen initiative brings together students and teachers to ask an important question: What makes a great school for all?

Through a learn, share, do approach, students are encouraged not only to contribute ideas, but to take action within their own school contexts – building confidence, leadership and connection along the way.

In Season 2, Episode 3 – School Voices: Why We Teach Here, Future Schools Director Dave Runge speaks with St Brigid's College Horsham, early career teacher Olivia Spadea about her journey into Catholic education, the importance of strong relationships in schools and the opportunities that come with teaching in regional Victoria.

Olivia shares how her experience at St Brigid's College in Horsham confirmed her passion for teaching and reflects on the sense of connection, belonging and purpose that makes Catholic education unique.

In this episode of Inside the Engine Room, Board Chair Eugene Dalton and Director Anne Pekin share a governance perspective on Strategy 2035 - why the Board endorsed it, what it sets in motion, and the hopes it holds for students and school communities.

The conversation explores how the Board is keeping the strategy alive in its work, what they are already noticing in schools, and what is giving them confidence in the direction ahead. A key focus is the role of Collaborative Innovation Research Prototypes (CIRPs) as the engine of action, helping turn strategy into practice and make progress visible across the system.

In the first episode of Season 2, Ruth Appleyard (Marketing and Communications Manager) is joined by Julia Petrov (Strategy Implementation Manager) and Tom Sexton (Executive Director) to unpack Collaborative Innovation Research Prototypes (CIRPs) – and why they matter now.

This conversation brings CIRPs back to basics, offering a clear, plain-language explanation of what they are, how they work, and why they are central to delivering on the DOBCEL Strategy 2035.

Together, Ruth, Julia and Tom explore how CIRPs act as the engine of action and learning across the diocese – moving ideas beyond discussion and into real, testable change in schools. In this episode, you’ll hear a clear explanation of what a CIRP is, why prototyping is such an important approach right now, and the problems it is designed to solve. The conversation also explores what staff can expect to see, learn and achieve by the end of a CIRP, and how this work connects directly to Strategy 2035 priorities and system-wide improvement.

In our season finale, we break open the practical architecture of the strategy – the strategic pillars, the three practical principles and the emerging Collaborative Innovation Research Prototypes (CIRPs) that will drive system-wide learning and transformation.

Discover how bold ideas can become real action, and how schools will work together to prototype, test, and scale the practices that shape the future of Catholic Education across the Diocese of Ballarat.

What does it take to craft a decade-long strategy in a world that’s changing fast? In this episode, Tom Sexton (Executive Director) is joined by Ruth Appleyard (Manager: Marketing & Communications) and Julia Petrov (Manager: Strategy Implementation) to explore the rationale behind our 10-year horizon, and the formative influences that shaped it – from Catholic identity and tradition to international research, global advisors, and a year dedicated to sense-making across the system.

We also introduce the framework guiding our next stage: the Strategic Implementation Plan.

From demographic shifts to technological disruption, global forces are reshaping education at a rapid pace. In this episode, DOBCEL Executive Director Tom Sexton joins Julia Petrov (Manager: Strategy Implementation) and Ruth Appleyard (Manager: Marketing & Communications) for a short conversation about the external drivers that make strategic renewal essential for Catholic Education Ballarat. We explore why standing still is not an option – and how a bold, brave approach ensures we remain responsive, mission-aligned, and future-focused.

In this interlude, Principal of St Patrick’s Primary School in Nhill, Kingsley Dalgleish, speaks with Dave Runge about the unique character of his school community and the challenges and opportunities they are navigating. Kingsley reflects on how the 2035 strategy is coming to life in his context and shares practical examples of how the strategic pillars – especially deeper collaboration – are shaping everyday leadership and learning.