Testimonial

Papakura High School

A School Where Every Voice is Heard

In this case study, Principal Simon Craggs and  Deputy Principal Shauna Thomas share how Linewize has helped the school create a safer, more connected environment — one where students feel genuinely heard, staff have the visibility they need, and the whole community is stronger for it.

Summary

School Name 
Papakura High School

Type 
Y9-15 Secondary

Location 
Papakura

Champions
Simon Craggs, Principal
Shauna Thomas, Deputy Principal

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Background & Context

Silverdale Primary School, located just outside Auckland, caters to approximately 750 students from years 0 to 6. With a focus on digital integration and safeguarding, the school has embraced Linewize solutions to address challenges related to online behaviour and ensure a safer digital environment for its students.

Silverdale Primary School faced several digital wellbeing challenges, including:

  • Inappropriate online behaviour - with students using online platforms for collaborative work this sometimes led to unkind comments and name-calling.
  • Exposure to inappropriate content - students’ curiosity during Google searches sometimes exposed them to content unsuitable for their age, leading to distractions and concerns about inappropriate information.
  • Online bullying - older students, particularly those in year 6, were engaging in subtle forms of online bullying, such as sending unkind emails or messages.
These issues underscored the need for a solution that could help monitor online interactions and support digital wellbeing effectively.

Partnering with Linewize

Building on their existing relationship with Linewize, Silverdale Primary introduced Linewize Monitor, a real-time platform designed for early detection and intervention. This tool identifies students who may be at risk and need support, aligning with the school’s wellbeing objectives.

The implementation process included comprehensive teacher training and informative sessions with parents and students. This training was crucial for the seamless integration of the new tool into the school’s digital management practices. Additionally, the school utilized parent information evenings to explain the benefits of Linewize Monitor, ensuring that both parents and students were well-informed about the new technology, its role in enhancing digital safety, and its contribution to safeguarding students.

"If we can put interventions and supports in place...I only have to save one life, and it's paid for itself forever" - Simon Craggs, Principal

How Papakura High School puts wellbeing first

 

Papakura High School is deeply committed to a single, vital mission: ensuring every student feels seen, supported, and connected. While the school has always been anchored by a positive culture and strong staff-student relationships, the leadership team recognised that traditional methods of support had their limits.
They wanted to ensure that quiet, underlying issues were addressed swiftly for their students, preventing them from
becoming bigger problems.

 

Prioritising student wellbeing

A safe way for students to be heard

To truly nurture their students, Papakura knew they needed to provide a proactive, accessible way for young people to reach out for help safely and confidentially. Linewize Pulse was implemented to bridge the gap between a student’s internal struggle and the school's ability to help.

Rather than waiting for challenges to build up, students use Pulse, a weekly wellbeing check-in tool to quietly request help without the fear of peer judgement.

This 'red alert' triggers an immediate comforting check-in from a trusted teacher, transforming how the school manages daily pastoral care and helping prevent minor emotional struggles from escalating.

 

Connecting the 'Hauora Hub' 

Pulse serves as the real-time link that powers the school’s support ecosystem, known as the “Hauora Hub” bridging the gap between school life and whānau engagement. This collaborative team, made up of Kaiarahi, nurses, counsellors, social workers, In-school Engagement and Whānau Engagement personnel, relies on the insights from Pulse to ensure no child falls through the cracks.

 

Safeguarding the digital journey

Wanting to provide a 24/7 safety net for students, the school uses Linewize Monitor in addition to Pulse to protect students in their digital environments. While Pulse captures the student's voice, Monitor identifies silent signals of distress, such as cyberbullying or self-harm, before they escalate. This proactive visibility allows the wellbeing team to intervene earl, ensuring n child falls through the cracks.

 

"Our school does take our opinions and actually do something about it. They just listen and try help us all the way" - Student.

The outcomes


Accessible, safe support: Pulse gives students an anonymous, secure way to request help from a trusted adult
without waiting weeks for an issue to surface.

Proactive early intervention: With real-time insights, staff can move from reactive management to immediate support, keeping students emotionally balanced and engaged in learning.

A deeply restorative culture: The school has cultivated a community anchored in psychological safety, where restorative dialogue is led by student voice.

Building emotional awareness: Students are successfully becoming more aware of their own wellbeing and are better able to articulate when they need a helping hand.