Beacon Academy

A Mixed-Programme School with a Clear Academic Vision

Beacon Academy is an established international school in Indonesia offering Cambridge and IB programmes. With approximately 500 students, the school delivers Cambridge and IGCSE in the middle years, before students progress to the IB Diploma Programme.

Managing multiple curricula, grading systems, and reporting expectations brings complexity. For Beacon, the priority has always been clarity: clear academic oversight, accessible information for families, and systems that support, rather than complicate, daily school life.

Choosing the Right Tools for the Job

Before adopting ManageBac+ and SchoolsBuddy, Beacon used a combination of systems, including Veracross and other platforms for record-keeping. Certain processes, particularly extracurricular activities and parent-teacher conference scheduling, were handled manually using forms and shared documents.

Rather than committing to a single, heavy, all-in-one solution, the school chose a different approach.

“Using the best of different tools can feel fragmented. But with Single Sign-On and the right platforms in place, it becomes much easier to manage.”Richard Sidharta, Director

That approach led Beacon to ManageBac+ as its academic backbone from Year 6 through Year 12, alongside SchoolsBuddy for key administrative workflows.

A Familiar Experience for Teachers, Students, and Families

For Beacon, adoption and usability were critical.

“The experience is familiar. It feels much closer to the apps we all use day to day.”Richard Sidharta, Director

From attendance records to academic results, parents can easily access the information that matters. Teachers are able to manage assessment, reporting, and programme requirements in one place.

“For parents, it’s easy access to attendance and academic records. Everything they need is there. For teachers, it brings core programme components and assessment into one place, and it’s easier to track progress.”Arvind Chalasani, Head of School

The result is a consistent academic experience across year levels, and a long-term record that supports both monitoring and reflection.

“The historical record matters. Having results and learning information consolidated in one space is hugely helpful.”Richard Sidharta, Director

Supporting Cambridge While Preparing for IB

Beacon delivers Cambridge in the middle years while preparing students for the IB Diploma Programme. The two curricula use different grading scales and assessment approaches, which initially required careful configuration.

“Cambridge and IB use different grading approaches, but we were able to set our boundaries and make it work smoothly.”Arvind Chalasani, Head of School

Beyond grading, the school values the way ManageBac’s planning structure reinforces its broader academic philosophy.

“Even when we’re teaching Cambridge, that structure helps our teachers think with an IB mindset. Our end product is IB. Using that planning structure helps gear students towards it from Year 6.”Arvind Chalasani, Head of School

The platform not only supports academic delivery but also ensures alignment with programme updates.

“The IB alignment is a blessing. Updates come through the platform, so we’re not constantly chasing vendors to adjust reporting.”Richard Sidharta, Director

Streamlining Conferences, Trips, and Consent

Alongside ManageBac+, Beacon uses SchoolsBuddy to manage extracurricular activities, trips, consent forms, and parent-teacher conferences.

“SchoolsBuddy allowed us to consolidate a lot of administrative areas: clubs, trips, consent, and parent-teacher conferences.”Richard Sidharta, Director

For parent-teacher conferences, the impact has been especially noticeable.

“It makes scheduling very easy. Parents can book their slots and see their own schedule.”Arvind Chalasani, Head of School

Each parent receives an individual schedule, improving organisation and data privacy compared to previous shared documents. The school can also manage multi-day conferences within a single structure.

“Multi-day conferences are a big plus. Some teachers need slots across several days, and it’s helpful to manage that within one container.”Richard Sidharta, Director

For trips and extracurricular activities, the school has reduced repetitive paperwork by centralising consent within a single, manageable workflow.

“We can collect year-long consent and only request additional consent when needed, like for trips. It simplifies the process.”Arvind Chalasani, Head of School

Smooth Implementation and Responsive Support

Beacon highlights the importance of timely and reliable support during implementation and beyond.

“The support team is always helpful when we need clarification or changes. Support has never been an issue for us.”Arvind Chalasani, Head of School

For Evi Yuniati, who oversees ManageBac+ at the school, responsiveness has been key.

“The guidance was good, and the responses were quick when I needed help.”Evi Yuniati, ManageBac+ Lead

A Strong Foundation for Continued Growth

With ManageBac+ as its academic backbone and SchoolsBuddy supporting key operational workflows, Beacon Academy has implemented an ecosystem that reflects its educational philosophy: structured, accessible, and aligned with long-term academic goals.

By combining clarity in curriculum delivery with streamlined administrative processes, the school continues to build a cohesive experience for students, teachers, and families alike.