I've been writing about religious control of schools for well over a decade now, and I found that people tend to throw the same arguments out to me every time I talk about it. And there's a lot and lots of different arguments out there. The most common of which I think. And I could be wrong on this one, but the one that I'm hearing most of all these days is the argument that parents want Catholic schools, to which I'm always wondering what parents are they talking about because I'm a parent and I know lots of parents who don't want their children being being formed in a faith that isn't theirs.

But that is not what I'm going to be talking about in this podcast, because another argument that I've heard and it gets thrown around, is Catholic schools internationally. And they often say that Catholic schools in England are well very sought after so we shouldn’t lose Catholic schools in Ireland.

We often hear the argument that the Church is determined to keep its grip on education. But if the sacraments were removed from the school day and shifted to after-school parish programmes, I’d argue the Catholic Church wouldn’t be the ones who’d lose out the most.

There are, after all, a lot of people with a vested interest in keeping things just as they are.

In this episode I explore who the real losers might be during Communion Season and then shift into another theory as to why divestment and reconfiguration can’t work

 If you have been listening to the first half of this episode where I covered the education stories from January to June, you'll notice that the first half of 2024 in schools was not exactly filled with hope. With special education slowly but surely been stripped away and the world falling apart with war. Could the second half of the year, bring some hope? Let see...

If I was the Minister for Education, I think I'd hire my guest this week as my deputy! If you don't know Annie Asgard, you are in for a treat. Annie and I could talk about anything but we decided to focus on EAL (English as an Additional Language) teaching. It's relevant always but in particular now with so many Ukrainian children arriving into schools over the last number of weeks. It's hard to believe but some schools are welcoming children without English for the first time! Annie shares her expertise with us with some fantastic tips but also some pitfalls to avoid.

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As I’m sure you’ve probably figured out by now, I could talk about the Forum on Patronage and Pluralism forever and I’m sure I’ll be coming back to it many times again. There are so many stories that blossomed from it, whether it was the struggle for Castlebar or the scaremongering in Malahide, and I’m sure there will be many more stories as Ireland stutters its way out of church control of schools, for example, I imagine the reconfiguration story, which I discussed a few weeks ago is going to be very interesting. However, I’ve spoken a lot about the past ten years so it’s only fair to let you know what I would do if I were the Minister for Education. After all, it is the point of this podcast.

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The paradoxical relationship that most Irish people have with the church baffles me. I can't understand why people care so little about the fact that religion permeates the entire day of 95% of primary schools in the country, even to the point of defending it when there are moves to change schools over to multi-denominational bodies. Why would thousands of people take to the streets in protest when there was a glimmer that the church was going to be allowed to retain ownership of a new maternity hospital on their grounds, and yet when every year several primary schools are built with State money, there isn’t a murmur when the building is gifted back to the church? Why is it that the vast majority of Irish people voted against marriage equality in 2015 because it was abhorrent to them that two people of the same sex were not allowed to be married, and yet they happily allow the message that the only acceptable relationship where marriage can occur is between a man and a woman, is given to their children without question? In this episode, I argue that the Irish school system acts similarly to the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy in the US army back in the day.

In this episode, we continue our exploration of why the Pluralism and Patronage Forum didn't succeed as we move to Malahide, where the final nail in the coffin for divestment took place. 

In this episode we focus on one of the maddest sagas in the divestment process: Castlebar. If ever there was a school that didn't think they'd see the light of day, Castlebar ETNS was it. From cowsheds to Cromwell, this was an example of why the Pluralism and Patronage Forum was never going to work.

• Image of Burren NS, which was offered to Castlebar ETNS
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Choice is always good, right? In this part I try to convince you that when it comes to schools, it is the root of all that's wrong in the system. Furthermore, I try to prove to you that unless you tick the Catholic box in the census, it's unlikely you have choice anyway.

On 10th April 2022, The Forum for Patronage and Pluralism Report will be 10 years old. In the first of a short series of episodes analysing its failure, I look at the history of the Irish Education System and question perceived truths about why everyone is so keen to run schools. 🎙Listen and subscribe to this podcast on your favourite app here. 

📌 Voted the best primary education podcast in the world by Feedspot! 

Part 2 of my recommendations from #BETT22. Some links to help:

• Original Blog Post
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• COOL from Cloudwise
• 
  
• ClassLink
• 
  
• Tom Rogers Top Ten podcasts
• 
  
• neal.fun
• 
  
• FakeYou 
• 
  
• Animated Drawings 
• 
  
• Gaugan2 
• 
  
• Reading on your Head
• 
  
• Bookr
• 
  
• Skewb Climate
• 
  
• Impero

After a 10 year gap, I returned to the BETT conference and in this episode I explore some educational technology you might be interested in for your classroom or school.

After Ruairi Quinn amalgamated the Teacher Training Colleges into a few different universities, most of them kept their “characteristic spirit” (generally a Catholic one) so Mary Immaculate remains Catholic despite being part of UL.

However, there was one complication. The Church of Ireland college and St. Pat’s were to be merged into DCU (which is a secular university.) Common sense would suggest that this would have been a good time to scrap religious teacher training.

And in this episode, I’m going to talk about this and what the consequences were for not doing so and why we have an utterly confusing Teacher Training College system in Ireland that is both controlled and not controlled by religious organisations at the same time.

 If there's nothing else you can say about the Minister for Education, Norma Foley. When we look back at 2024, it's likely she will feature heavily. Whether it was her crisis opportunity during the general election campaign or her 9 million Euro phone pouches, in this episode, join me as I look back on a year where the Department of Education were more interested in smartphones than teacher shortages and where all of the problems in the education system seemed to be defended by throwing free school books and free school lunches at parents. So without further ado, let's review the year from January to June.

Yvonne Cassidy is the chair of the Irish Ethical Celebrants' Society. They are launching two new ceremonies for children aged 8 and 12, which coincide with the ages that Catholic children make the Communion and Confirmation. In this interview I explore why they decided to do this and whether it is an Irish solution to an Irish problem.

As thousands of Ukrainian families arrive in Ireland, I explore what they will need as they come to our schools. I discuss a number of issues including language and psychological supports but, also, other areas where there may be need. I also list some useful resources for teachers which are linked here:

• https://www.educatetogether.ie/app/uploads/2022/03/202203_Talking-about-Conflict-with-Young-Children.pdf
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• https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/health-family/parenting/how-to-talk-to-your-children-about-the-invasion-of-ukraine-1.4816178
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• https://theconversation.com/teachers-can-offer-a-safe-space-for-students-to-talk-about-the-war-in-ukraine-and-help-them-take-action-178406
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• https://assets.gov.ie/217931/2d03ef45-25ff-4873-96e0-0fda3a21d154.pdf

If I were the Minister for Education was voted as the world's best primary podcast here: https://blog.feedspot.com/irish_education_podcasts/

My frustration with reconfiguration is laid bare as the Department of Education does some shady dealings with the Catholic Church. In this episode I explain why parental choice is no more, and why the government is paying the Church compensation for not indoctrinating children.

In this final part, I explain what I would do if I had all the basics but also had some spare cash. I'm not going to lie...you'll be disappointed.

So you have the basic foundations of technology in your school, what next? Instead of going through lots of complicated blossy brochures, follow my 3 step programme and you'll have your ICT plan in 2 minutes.

The recent announcement of all remaining restrictions in schools this week has raised a number of questions about the education landscape post COVID19. What have we learned about the system during the pandemic?

This part of the episode goes through the basic foundations that every school should have when it comes to technology. 

In Part 2 of this episode, I chart the lost 20 years we had in Ireland from 1997 in terms of technology. Find out what the reason was, and no, you won't be surprised.

Perhaps for the first time ever, Irish primary schools have some money to spend on edtech. In this 5 part episode, I go through a simple plan for integrating technology into education.

The Department of Education are seeking submissions to improve the School Transport Service. By the end of this episode, I bet they'll be sorry they asked!

In this episode, I count down who I believe are the top ten front-runners to being the next Minister for Education. What position with Norma Foley come? Who do I tip to be the next Donagh O'Malley? Find out in an episode that's like to age very badly!

In Part 2 of this episode, I explain why Catholic Schools' Week is like having a Men Only Golf Club then celebrating Men's Week during the year. By the end of the episode I have a depressing realisation.

It's Catholic Schools' Week in Ireland. In the first part of this 2-part episode, I examine why there's no need for this annual celebration. It is close to the bone but nothing should be free from scrutiny.

Donagh O'Malley is often referred to as the greatest Minister of all time for introducing free second level education. Well, move over O'Malley, there's a new sheriff in the Ministirial chair!

We are also always being told that schools are supposed to be centres of communities, especially in rural areas. If that’s the case, then it follows that services such as broadband would be centred around these places. So in this episode, if I were the MfE, I would be making broadband hubs around schools.

It's Monday, 3rd January 2022. Schools are due to open in 3 days. There are over 20,000 cases of COVID19 per day going around. Shops are closing due to lack of staff. How are we going to reopen schools and keep them open?

On New Year's Eve, Stephen Donnelly was interviewed on RTE Radio 1 about COVID19. The last 2 minutes of the interview focused on schools where he managed to say at least 6 things that simply weren't true. In this episode I dismantle the nonsense.

As we come to the end of 2021, I continue my Advent Calendar of my favourite moments of 2021 in education. And no singing from me this time, I promise!

In this special Christmas Special, I look back at our schools to find the highlights of the year where schools dominated the headlines - mainly in case there was a hint of them closing.

Is all well with wellbeing in schools? In this chat, I discuss wellbeing with Audrey Bryan where we find out why there's such a buzz about wellbeing in schools and is it all it's cracked up to be?

The Children's Lives Matter Report was published a couple of weeks ago. It is the third report, so far, in the series, and is one of the only reports that truly delves into the world of schoolchildren in Ireland. I love these reports because they venture into areas that others don't and give some facsinating insights to the education system.

Recently featured by Feedspot as the number 1 primary education podcast, visit some other primary education podcasts here: https://blog.feedspot.com/primary_education_podcasts/

Don't worry, I'm not running in the General Election! You already have enough of me.

However, theoretically, if I got to write a Manifesto, there are 4 main areas I would focus on:

1. Patronage
2. Special Education
3. Funding
4. Teacher Shortage

You might be surprised by the first one... listen on your favourite podcast platform

With all the mixed messaging about schools, it has become very hard to believe what's being said. This is a real pity as we’ll see in this special episode where I argue we may have developed another virus and it’s potentially more dangerous.

In this live recorded episode I run through the note released by the Department of Education releasing extra people into the system to cover the sub crisis. However, will it be enough, why did we get to this point, and how will we prevent it from happening again?

My immediate-ish reaction to the news that Antigen Testing is coming to schools. Recorded on the evening on the announcement.

I was delighted to chat to Paula Galvin, a teacher of over 40 years. We discuss everything from the limitations of textbooks, why teachers are afraid to teach, and why the new SESE curriculum will be out of date when it’s released.

The NCCA are currently doing consultations on the plans for the new curriculum. I have major issues with the draft and I want to talk about them!

In October 2021, Teaching Principals were told that if they opened 2 special classes, they would become an admin principal. This decision affected around 30 schools. However, was it the right decision? In this episode I wonder why.

Did you know the Department of Education doesn't provide a specific grant for cleaning staff so schools have to cobble together the money from funds that are supposed to cover other expenses? However, like secretaries and caretakers, shouldn't the Department of Education be paying cleaners directly?

As we crawl to the mid term break, I look back on the extraordinary week when representative bodies forgot their only job (to represent their members) and I discuss what you felt were the worst things that COVID19 has shone a light on in the education system.

I've never worked in a Special School so what right have I to say what they need. Luckily I had some help! In this episode I interview Anne Hartnett, principal of St. Paul's Special School in Cork. She tells me all about Special Schools and, rather than me, Anne tells us what she would do if she was the Minister for Education.

Based on a super interview by Kieran Cuddihy on Newstalk today, Minister Norma Foley tried to explain why her department removed Banked Hours from children with additional needs. In this episode, I analyse her responses to the interview and explain Banked Hours and what principals on the ground have been doing. Credit: some audio from the interview is interspersed in this episode.

In this final episode of Access Undone, I try to outline the ways I would reverse the damage that has been caused in the last decade by the Department of Education and NCSE. I explore three solutions and argue that if all three were implemented, it would save the agencies from being part of the 21st century's greatest education scandal and, even possibly put them in the same definition of Ireland's most famous minister, Donagh O'Malley.

This might not sounds like the most interesting episode in the world but if you ever wondered why it takes so long for your school to fix a leaking roof or to buy your child a laptop, listen in as I explain why the tendering process slows down everything but also has a much larger effect on the local economy.

School caretakers are paid from the ancillary grant, which is given to all schools by the Department of Education each year based on the number of pupils enrolled in the school the previous year. This grant is also supposed to cover the wage of all ancillary staff including secretaries, cleaning staff, etc. but, in general, it doesn’t cover much of those costs unless a school pays less than minimum wage. The Department of Education does not pay caretakers directly and like the secretary episode, if I were to make this episode as short as possible, the bottom line would be that school caretakers should simply be paid directly by the Department of Education in the same way teachers and SNAs are paid directly.

For the last couple of years, I’ve been telling you what I would do if I were the Minister for Education but today I am joined by Gary Keogh, who, after many years working in the UK has some advice for me - in a way it might be best called What I Wouldn’t Do If I were the MfE. Gary has over 10 years’ experience in education, working in secondary school, undergraduate / postgraduate teaching, adult education, and teacher-training. He is the author of three books, has run marathons and even finds time to play gigs as a singer/songwriter. He says he is a dad-to-be, which should put a stop to his gallop! Gary asked me if I’d be interested in talking to him because, like me, he has witnessed how the Irish Education System tends to blindly follow the education trends of the UK and while that may have had some benefits 20 years ago when I was a newly qualified teacher, the same cannot be said now.