In this episode, I speak with Debbie O’Neill, principal of Scoil Eoin in Crumlin about Department-level proposals to remove diagnosis as a criterion for access to special classes and special schools, replacing it with a needs-based model relying on school-written reports assessed by an unnamed independent body. We discuss the context of a reported 257% rise in children requiring classroom support alongside only a 7% increase in SET hours since 2017, and the implications for resourcing systems linked to diagnosis (SERC). We compare international examples cited in documents (Portugal, New Zealand, Denmark and England), contrasting wraparound in-school clinical supports abroad with limited Irish provision, and warning of New Brunswick’s failed rapid inclusion approach. We outline actions for teachers and principals through unions and patrons, and long-term requirements including smaller class sizes and adequate clinical staffing.00:00 Podcast Intro00:33 Support Needs Surge01:47 Debbie Joins02:43 Removing Diagnosis05:18 How It Works Now06:24 New Needs Model09:34 Resource Reality Check11:37 SERC Allocation Risks13:50 Full Inclusion Push16:36 New Brunswick Fallout19:14 Portugal Done Right23:24 Wraparound Services Gap25:49 In School Therapy Myth29:00 Why Now Money Motive30:47 Inclusion Driven by Money33:04 Patrons Sold a Story34:20 UK Model Falling Apart35:27 Denmark Numbers and Resources38:26 New Zealand Framework Lessons41:52 What Teachers Can Do Now46:20 Making Inclusion Work Long Term49:56 Final Call to Action

In this week’s podcast I focus on Budget 2027, outlining an alternative primary education budget and arguing that annual measures like capitation increases, extra teachers, and more SNAs prop up a flawed system rather than changing it. After summarising Sinn Féin’s proposals (additional teachers, special education staff, SNAs, higher capitation and allowances) and the Social Democrats’ plans (free education measures, lower ratios, counselling access, prefab phase-out, meals expansion), I propose a 15-year transformation towards a publicly managed system built around local education authorities, removing patron bodies. Key ideas include the State paying schools’ utilities, insurance, cleaning and procurement; moving to maximum class sizes; reforming school meals through localised, simplified, on-site preparation; embedding wraparound services in schools (counsellors, social workers, nurses, therapists) via expanded training; ensuring public capital spending creates public assets by increasing State ownership of school buildings; funding implementation of the primary school survey; piloting the model in one county; and properly paying all education staff while aiming for two adults per classroom.

00:00 Welcome and Subscribe

01:39 Budget 2027 Preview

02:33 Beyond the Usual Budget Questions

03:56 Opposition Education Pledges

06:53 A 15 Year Transformation Plan

07:38 Local Education Authorities Vision

09:20 State Pays School Bills

15:54 Fixing Class Size Rules

20:02 Rethinking School Meals

25:07 Rethinking School Meals

26:11 Wraparound Support Teams

28:41 Training the Workforce

30:30 Who Owns School Buildings

34:07 Funding Survey Changes

37:13 Pilot Local Authorities

40:04 Scaling the New Model

43:09 Pay and Classroom Assistants

44:15 Stop Piecemeal Fixes

45:34 15 Year Vision Wrap Up

mUjMTNT5FRnlz7moH8By

In this first report on patronage, I introduce my Unconvention fringe to the Convention on Education, where I gather public responses and research (using AI to help collate and draft) into reports and podcast episodes; this second report focuses on school patronage. I explain that patronage is not merely historical but gives patrons major power over boards of management and school ethos, including faith formation during the school day, within a system where 88.3% of primary schools are Catholic and only 5.5% are multi-denominational. I explore how admission reform since 2018 does not resolve unequal daily experiences for children of other faiths or none, and I challenge “parental choice” as unrealistic and often prioritised over children’s rights, especially in rural areas with one school. Emerging recommendations include separating admission from ethos reform, defining a minimum entitlement for every child, measuring children’s experiences, testing a state-run local school model with optional after-school faith formation, and explaining patronage clearly; I end with key unanswered questions about opting out, consistency, pupil views, survey choices, and protecting minority faith rights.00:00 Convention Kickoff00:57 Podcast Format Explained02:38 Patronage Question Raised05:35 What Patronage Means07:24 How Schools Operate11:27 Parental Choice Debate15:29 Rights Over Whims17:13 Reframing The Debate21:29 AI Recommendations26:45 Unanswered Key Questions28:47 Wrap Up And Next Steps