Diocese of Ballarat Catholic Education Limited: Towards 2035

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.

Professor Pasi Sahlberg and Dave Runge sit down together to reflect on the changing landscape of education worldwide. From equity to wellbeing, from system coherence to innovation, this conversation offers deep insight into the ideas that influenced the development of the DOBCEL strategy.Hear how global perspectives connect to local action – and why our context matters.

Principal of St Alipius Parish School, Ballarat East – Emily Clarke – joins Dave Runge for a candid conversation about the opportunities and pressures facing school leaders today. She reflects on how the DOBCEL strategy resonates with her school community and the ways brave leadership is required to enact meaningful change.

How did a regional Catholic education system in Victoria end up working with one of the world’s most respected educational thinkers? In this episode, Executive Director Tom Sexton is joined by Marketing & Communications Manager Ruth Appleyard to share the story behind connecting with Professor Pasi Sahlberg and futurist-educational strategist Dave Runge – a hopeful opportunity that quickly evolved into a meaningful partnership.In the second half of the episode, Tom and Pasi sit down together to reflect on the early beginnings of the DOBCEL strategy. They explore the big questions that sparked the work: Why now? What challenges and opportunities were emerging? And why is courageous, future-focused change essential for Catholic Education Ballarat?This episode reveals the human side of strategic design: the relationships, curiosity, and shared purpose that set our bold and brave journey in motion.

In the first of our short “School Voices” conversations, Dave Runge – Director of Future Schools, engages with Principal of Lumen Christi Primary School in Delacombe – Carmel Hanley, to discuss the DOBCEL Strategy 2035 and what it means in her own school context.Together they explore the hopes, struggles and practical realities of leading change from the ground up – and what the 2035 strategy means for students and staff today.

In our opening episode, we explore the aspirations behind building a high-performing system of Catholic schools across the Diocese of Ballarat. What does “high-performing” really mean in a Catholic school context? Why now? And how have we shaped a strategic direction that is bold and brave, but not reckless?Join us as Executive Director Tom Sexton, in conversation with Julia Petrov (Strategy Implementation Manager), unpacks the origins of the strategy, the co-design process that engaged leaders across the system, and the critical role of the DOBCEL Board in shaping, challenging and ultimately endorsing the vision for 2035.