20 Minutes Back: How one Australian school uses Clever to save teaching time and boost security

St Thomas More School, located in the Hadfield suburb in Melbourne and serving 400 students and staff, eliminated the login challenge for students by implementing a passwordless logon solution into Chromebooks, creating a ripple effect of benefits for the school community.

The challenge: Young students struggle to safely log in when typing usernames and passwords

At St Thomas More Primary School in Hadfield, Victoria, young students were losing up to 20 minutes of a 40-minute lesson just logging into Chromebooks. For many prep students, typing usernames and passwords was overwhelming. Some didn’t even know all of their letters yet, and they struggled to stay logged in as they switched lessons and learning applications. 

To solve for this, teachers logged into Chromebooks on behalf of students before school or relied on older students to help the juniors sign in. They also relied on shared password practices, which created security risks. Sticky notes were taped to devices, logins were displayed on classroom walls, and simple credentials were chosen to make access easier.

Kate Mackintosh, STEAM Specialist & Digital Technologies Leader, wanted a solution that would let students start learning right away with Google while also supporting stronger security practices across the cyberschool.

The solution: Single sign-on into devices simplifies access and supports digital citizenship

To address the challenge, Kate introduced Clever Badges, a secure physical, encrypted passcode that gives students fast, independent access to their Chromebooks and Google accounts. After students flash the Clever Badge in front of the webcam to securely unlock the device, they are taken to their digital classroom in the Clever Portal where they get one-click access to applications like Seesaw and Kahoot!

Their rollout plan also included teaching students strong online safety habits as global citizens. Students were taught to keep their Clever Badges secure by storing them in the classroom. Older students used Clever Badges and a PIN for even stronger protection.

Giving students the Clever Badge frees up a lot of time. It also enables the teachers to spend time on other things rather than logging in students.

Kate Mackintosh

STEAM Specialist & Digital Technologies Leader

The impact: Single sign-on creates the foundation for security practices that don’t interrupt learning

St Thomas More’s experience demonstrates how a unified identity platform enables both immediate classroom gains and opportunities to strengthen security posture. 

1. Teaching and learning impact

• Instructional Time Saved: The unified approach recovered 20 minutes per 40-minute lesson previously lost to login friction.
• Access Rate: The school achieved 100% fast, instant student access to learning tools, rather than navigating delays.
• Operational Efficiency: Single sign-on into devices and applications drive a reduction in login-related tickets, freeing IT staff from password troubleshooting to focusing on strategic projects.
• Fewer IT Burdens: After implementing Clever Badges, the school has reduced login-related tickets down to 0.

2. Boosting Security

• Security Foundation: Clever serves as the secure identity platform that enables schools to implement stronger backend password practices in alignment with Australian government guidance.
• Advanced security: By establishing a unified identity base, the school is positioned to explore advanced security measures, specifically deviceless Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), to comply with standards like Essential 8.
• Zero Trust Enabler: Unified identity is the fundamental first step toward modernizing security architecture and implementing zero trust principles.

What is a Unified Identity Platform?

A Unified Identity Platform provides a single, trusted digital identity that works everywhere, replacing fragmented logins and eliminating the need to juggle multiple records.

Clever is the global identity platform designed for education. It integrates directly with school data systems to automatically verify, standardize, and sync user accounts across all applications.

This unification delivers immense value: seamless single sign-on and time savings are immediate classroom wins, while enhanced security (like identity provisioning, centralized password management, and multi-factor authentication) builds the resilient digital architecture IT leaders require. Clever ensures the right people securely access the right resources, every time.

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