All Case Studies, Education
August 28, 2026

Mount Samson State School: From five-day retrievals to records in around an hour

The background

Mount Samson State School is a Queensland school focused on supporting its students and community while managing the operational and compliance requirements that come with maintaining important school records.
With limited space and resources, the school needed a more sustainable approach to records management, one that would improve security and compliance while reducing the administrative burden on staff.

Having previously worked with Grace in other school environments, Business Manager Karen Ryland understood the benefits that a more structured approach to records management could provide.

The challenge

Mount Samson State School was heavily reliant on manual, paper-based processes, with records taking up valuable space and requiring significant staff time to manage.

Of particular concern was the storage of sensitive school records in an onsite shed. The environment presented potential risks around security, environmental damage and loss, while making information more difficult to locate when required.

As a small school with a limited budget, Mount Samson needed an approach that could help it:

Improve the security of sensitive student and school records.
Strengthen compliance with Department of Education policies and auditing requirements.
Reduce reliance on manual, paper-based processes.
Improve the speed and accuracy of record retrieval.
Free valuable onsite space for more productive purposes.
Better understand what records it held, where they were located and when they were due for retention review or destruction.

The solution

Grace worked with Mount Samson State School to transition its physical records to a more secure, organised and accessible records management solution.

The project commenced onsite, with the school’s Business Manager, Schools Officer and Administration Officer working alongside Grace to identify and prepare records for digitisation and storage.

Given the sensitive nature of student files and administrative records, particular consideration was given to confidentiality, security and appropriate recordkeeping requirements throughout the process.

The solution provided the school with:

Secure management of physical school and student records.
Digitisation to improve accessibility to information.
Greater visibility of what records are held and where they are stored.
Improved management of retention and destruction requirements.
Faster access to archived information when required.
Ongoing support and guidance from the Grace team.

The results

The impact has been significant, particularly in two areas: retrieval time and space.

Previously, retrieving an archived record could take up to five working days. With Grace, that has been reduced to approximately one hour, allowing staff to respond far more quickly to operational, compliance and auditing requirements.

The school has also reclaimed an entire 6m x 3m storage shed – 18 square metres of space previously occupied by physical records. Rather than being used for boxes of documents, the space can now accommodate sports equipment and other resources that directly support the school community.

The school has also achieved:

Clearer visibility of what information it holds and where it is stored.
Greater confidence around retention review and destruction requirements.
Reduced administrative workload for staff.
Stronger alignment with Department of Education records management policies and procedures.
Improved security and accessibility of important school and student records.
More staff time available to support students, families and broader school operations.

“My advice would be simple: do it. Partnering with Grace has been one of the best decisions we’ve made for our records management processes. The solution has simplified what was previously a time-consuming and challenging task, giving us confidence that our records are secure, compliant, and easy to access when needed.

The Grace team made the entire process easy to understand and implement, and their ongoing support provides real peace of mind. If your organisation is struggling with physical storage, compliance requirements, or inefficient record management processes, I would highly recommend exploring a Grace Solution. It has genuinely transformed the way we manage our records and has delivered lasting benefits for our school.”

Karen Ryland, Business Manager, Mount Samson State School

How this large enterprise organisation transformed inbound mail into a secure digital workflow

“I would recommend Grace to any organisation looking for more than just a vendor. What sets Grace apart is their willingness to work as a...

Glen Innes Severn Council: Preserving history while transforming access to critical records

“Prior to the digitisation of Council’s archived development files, staff were required to sort through stacked boxes of 8,000 paper files in a basement to...

News

Ramsay Health Care: Strengthening control and compliance for clinical trial records

“We now have increased control over our inventory held with Grace. The Grace team was helpful, and communication was efficient and friendly. We have been...

Bunbury Catholic College: Preserving more than 50 years of school history through digitisation

“We had 23 years of yearbooks in physical form only, with no electronic copy. Yearbooks were frequently requested by ex-students organising reunions, and with many...

NSW Health Nepean: Secure access to patient records when they’re needed

“Working with Grace has allowed our team to focus more on supporting clinicians and hospital operations by reducing the administrative burden associated with managing large...

Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry: Strengthening control and compliance across physical records

“The Grace solution has helped improve visibility, reduce reliance on manual storage, support compliance and make retrieval more consistent. The collaboration with Grace has been...

How this government agency ensured continuity through a secure Digital Mailroom

Throughout implementation, Grace worked closely with stakeholders to understand business requirements, develop and refine scanning templates, conduct user acceptance testing and support the transition to...

News

Telstra: Streamlining employee records management with secure storage and digital access

“Grace has helped simplify how we manage employee records by taking the responsibility of physical storage off our team. This allows us to focus more...

Yarra Ranges Council: Turning building permits into accessible digital assets

“The gradual conversion of the hard copy collection into digital assets serves the agency and the community well from an economic and efficiency perspective. We’ve...

News

Landgate: Streamlining access to offsite records with Grace Gateway

“Grace has helped streamline the way our team manages and accesses records, providing a more centralised and secure approach to records management. Improved visibility of...

St Joseph’s Early Learning Centre: Safeguarding sensitive records with Grace

“Grace were excellent to work with. They made the process simple, clearly identified our records, andexplained every option so we could make the best decision....

Rees R and Sydney Jones Solicitors: Streamlining efficiency and organisation with Grace

“Everything was right from day one. The professionalism and kindness of the staff have been exceptional, they cater to our every need. The delivery service...

General

Sales

Customer Support