Schools of Isolated & Distance Education

What Schools of Isolated & Distance Education does

The School of Isolated and Distance Education (SIDE) is a Western Australian government public school, established in 1918 as the Correspondence School and operating today as the officially designated K-12 distance and online education centre of the WA Department of Education. Headquartered at 164-194 Oxford Street, Leederville in Perth, the school delivers full Primary K-6 and Secondary 7-12 curriculum — including WACE-recognised ATAR courses in five languages (Chinese, French, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese), specialist Music, and Woodwork — to Western Australian students unable to attend mainstream schools due to geographic isolation, temporary travel, high-performance sports/arts commitments, dance, or referral.

The delivery platform is a blended online learning environment combining synchronous Cisco Webex live virtual classrooms with asynchronous, 24/7 access through three dedicated SIDEMoodle instances (Primary K-6, Secondary 7-12, and RTO 52891 vocational training). Supporting infrastructure includes Microsoft Office 365 with provisioned student email, Parent Connect for parent-teacher communication, and a Library Resource Centre providing Sora, ePlatform, Britannica Online, World Book, and The West Australian Archive digital editions via the Oliver catalogue. An in-house Online Teaching and Learning Team of practising teachers supports digital pedagogy, and the Leederville campus also operates an accommodation village for visiting families and Remote Teaching Service staff.

SIDE's revenue model is predominantly government-funded through the WA Department of Education on a per-student, category-and-region-adjusted basis; non-government school enrolments are charged at full recovery rate, and home-based enrolments carry limited family fees with financial assistance available. The go-to-market combines direct enrolment via the SIDE Online Enrolment Portal for home-based students with a partner-school channel in which mainstream WA schools appoint SIDE Supervisors and enrol students in subjects unavailable locally — most visibly through the Primary Languages Program serving regional and remote schools that lack face-to-face language teachers.

Name

Schools of Isolated & Distance Education

Legal name

School of Isolated and Distance Education

Website

https://side.wa.edu.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1918

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The School of Isolated and Distance Education (SIDE) is a Western Australian government public school delivering K-12 online and distance education via Webex and Moodle, serving geographically isolated students, partner schools, and regional schools across Western Australia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Perth

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: As a Western Australian public school, SIDE is funded by the WA Department of Education. Government schools receive funding based on student enrolment categories and regional factors.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

SIDE delivers full K-12 distance education to Western Australian students unable to attend mainstream schools due to geographic isolation, medical needs, travel, or high-performance arts/sports commitments. The service combines synchronous Cisco Webex live lessons with asynchronous 24/7 access to SIDEMoodle curriculum, and is supplemented by a digital library, languages program, EALD support, specialist Music and Woodwork programs, vocational training through SIDE RTO 52891, and short-term accommodation at its Leederville campus.

Product overview

The School of Isolated and Distance Education (SIDE) provides a comprehensive K-12 distance and online education service for Western Australian students. The core offering combines synchronous Webex live lessons with asynchronous 24/7 access through SIDEMoodle (three instances serving Primary K-6, Secondary 7-12, and RTO vocational training). Supporting services include the Library Resource Centre (accessing Sora, ePlatform, Britannica, and World Book), the Primary Languages Program (Teacher Development School offering Chinese, French, Indonesian, Italian, and Japanese), EALD support, and specialist programs in Music and Woodwork for partner schools. Accommodation facilities are available at the Leederville campus for visiting students and Remote Teaching Service staff.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SIDEMoodle: Online learning management system platform for delivering curriculum materials and facilitating student and staff collaboration

Products and services

• SIDE K-12 Distance Education Service Comprehensive K-12 distance education program for Western Australian students unable to attend mainstream schools, delivered through a blended learning environment combining synchronous Cisco Webex live virtual classroom lessons with asynchronous 24/7 access to SIDEMoodle curriculum, digital libraries, and student support services.
• Primary Languages Program Teacher Development School: Languages program delivering Chinese, French, Indonesian, Italian, and Japanese instruction to students from Pre-primary through Year 12, including ATAR courses for Years 11-12, and supporting regional/remote primary schools unable to access a face-to-face languages teacher.
• EALD Program English as an Additional Language or Dialect program supporting students with low English proficiency in both Primary K-6 and Secondary 7-12, including intensive English classes.
• SIDE RTO 52891 Vocational Training Registered Training Organisation offering vocational education and training courses through a dedicated SIDEMoodle instance (training.side.wa.edu.au), accessible to students seeking VET pathways.
• SIDE Accommodation Village Short-term accommodation units at the Leederville campus featuring self-contained four-bedroom units, shared amenities, seminar rooms, and internet access for visiting Department of Education students, parents, and Remote Teaching Service staff, charged at $53/adult/night and $22/student (3+)/night.
• Specialist Music Program Specialist program for partner schools offering instruction in Bass Guitar, Drums, Electric Guitar, and Keyboards for students from Pre-Primary through Year 10, delivered by SIDE specialist music teachers who are working musicians.
• Specialist Woodwork Program Specialist woodwork program for partner schools providing hands-on technical education as part of the Arts and Technologies learning areas curriculum.
• Referral Program Short-term support program for students whose school attendance has been severely impacted, providing alternative education arrangements through SIDE.

Quantifiable outcome

• SIDE transitioned from teaching through correspondence to online model, with all upper secondary courses rewritten for online delivery
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration11 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Yirra Yaakin Theatre CompanyminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Yirra Yaakin Theatre Company visited SIDE to perform 'Djinda Kaatijin' (meaning 'to learn about the stars' in Noongar language) for students, promoting Indigenous culture and theatrical arts education.
• Schools of the Air (Port Hedland, Kimberley, Carnarvon, Kalgoorlie, Meekatharra)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1995In 1995-1996, SIDE was established through the amalgamation of the Distance Education Centre (Leederville) and five Schools of the Air: Port Hedland, Kimberley, Carnarvon, Kalgoorlie, and Meekatharra. This integration created a unified K-12 distance education service with consistent approach across Western Australia.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• K12 Inc: Large US-based operator of online K-12 learning programmes. Comparable in offering K-12 curriculum via online platforms, though operates as a private commercial provider rather than government entity.

Emerging players

• Australian Christian College: Private online K-12 school in Australia offering flexible online learning options. Overlaps with SIDE's flexibility-driven enrolments and represents emerging private-sector competition in the Australian online K-12 space.

Direct peers

• Brisbane School of Distance Education: Queensland state government's K-12 distance education school serving isolated and remote students across Queensland. Closest analog to SIDE in another Australian state with near-identical mandate and delivery model.
• Alice Springs School of the Air: Northern Territory government K-6 distance education school serving geographically isolated families in central Australia. Comparable mandate and delivery model, particularly for remote primary students.
• Cairns School of Distance Education: Queensland state K-12 distance education school serving remote North Queensland communities. Comparable mandate and operating model, with particular overlap on serving tropical and remote regions.
• NSW Department of Education - Distance Education: NSW state government's K-12 distance education programs delivered through multiple Schools of Distance Education. Comparable in state-government-funded mandate and K-12 distance learning delivery.
• Open Access College (South Australia): South Australian government K-12 distance education provider offering online learning to students unable to attend mainstream school. Directly comparable in scope, mandate, and state-government-funded operating model.
• Distance Education Centre Victoria: Victorian state government K-12 distance education provider serving geographically isolated students across Victoria. Directly comparable in operating model, governance structure, and target student cohort.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/sideschool.edu
• Instagraminstagram.com/sideschoolwa
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/school-of-isolated-and-distance-education

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Schools of Isolated & Distance Education