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

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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

In this episode, I speak with Ciara O’Connor Walsh, Creative Director at youth mental health charity A Lust For Life, about the transition from primary to secondary school. We discuss how practical worries (lockers, timetables, getting lost) often mask deeper concerns about belonging, relationships, peer judgement, bullying, puberty and identity, especially in the move from small primary schools to larger secondary schools. Ciara outlines signs a young person may be struggling, including headaches, tummy pains, sleep issues, tearfulness, irritability, withdrawal, defiance and difficulty concentrating, and stresses noticing early changes and starting honest conversations. We explore what schools can do to build safety and belonging, and Ciara introduces Rising Minds, a 10-lesson first-year programme using evidence-based approaches and skills for emotions, self-compassion, relationships and loneliness, alongside calls for protected wellbeing time and better support pathways.00:00 Back to School Feelings01:47 Meet Ciara O’Connor Walsh03:57 Why Transition Is Huge07:06 Big Schools Big Impact08:12 Common First Year Worries11:13 Spotting Struggle Signs18:01 How Schools Build Belonging21:41 Resilience Not Sink Swim24:47 Rising Minds Explained29:11 Loneliness And Social Skills31:42 Minister For A Day36:46 Support Pathways And CAMHS38:47 Where To Find Resources40:09 Wrap Up And Unconvention

I welcome Noel Davidson to the podcast to discuss entrepreneurship education and practical problem-solving in Irish schools. Noel shares his own education and career journey from horticulture into starting businesses and becoming Head of Training and Strategic Partnerships at the Entrepreneurs Academy, arguing that programmes like the Junior Entrepreneur Program (primary) and the Student Enterprise Program (post-primary) build confidence and life skills such as creativity, communication, resilience and learning from failure. We discuss why these human skills matter even more alongside AI, which Noel frames as a tool that should save time but cannot replace empathy or leadership. Noel highlights student success stories, including Anthony’s Wooden Crafts, and introduces First Bell (firstbell.ie), a new Irish app launching this September to help schools source substitute teachers more efficiently than phone calls or WhatsApp, with location-based matching, cascading preferences and GDPR-aware design. I close by inviting listeners to anseo.net’s Unconvention.

We’ve developed a course that makes sense of the revised primary curriculum and shows you how to enact it over the next two years and beyond. As a thank you for being a member, you are welcome to use it for free if you pay an annual licence. Simply get in touch with your details and we’ll get you signed up. (schoolpolicy.ie/cpd)

Are you interested in making sense of the revised primary curriculum and enacting your whole school plans over the next two years? We’ve developed a course to do just that. More information on schoolpolicy.ie/cpd or upgrade your account for free access.

00:00 Welcome and Purpose01:16 Meet Noel Davidson03:07 Noel’s Education Journey05:13 Mentors and First Business08:02 What JEP and SEP Teach10:00 Entrepreneurship in the AI Era13:02 Student Success Stories15:59 First Spell Origin Story19:46 How First Spell Works22:03 WhatsApp Limits and GDPR25:32 Launch Details and Access26:53 Minister for a Day29:29 Failure and Ken Robinson33:40 Wrap Up and Unconvention

In this episode of If I Were the Minister for Education, I speak with Grace Brennan, founder of Higgle, about process-driven visual arts and creative thinking in primary classrooms. Grace shares her education journey from County Wexford to art and design studies and entrepreneurship supported by Enterprise Ireland and local programmes, and reflects on how third-level art opened her mind to experimentation and careers. We discuss how art can become outcome-focused “cookie cutter” work influenced by social media, often because teachers lack training and time to explore materials, and why this can harm children’s creativity and confidence. Grace explains Higgle as a digital prompt generator that supports open-ended, cross-curricular art problems adaptable to available materials and diverse classroom needs, and she outlines her EPV courses for teachers.00:00 Welcome and Art Chat01:24 Grace Brennan Journey03:35 Simon Art Teaching Roots04:56 Mentors and Creativity07:57 Leaving Cert Art Reality09:03 Fixing Cookie Cutter Art16:31 Why Art Foundations Matter20:00 STEAM and New Curriculum22:55 What Is Higgle24:47 Inside the Prompt Generator26:12 Pencil and Paper Challenge27:45 Minister for a Day30:32 Where to Find Higgle31:52 Final Thanks and Wrap

I was delighted to meet Eithne Walsh, CEO of Féach Vision Support Services, to talk about improving supports for blind and visually impaired children in Irish mainstream schools. Eithne shares how her two children gradually lost their sight and how low expectations and limited expertise in schools pushed her to advocate for practical planning, expanded core curriculum skills, and assistive technology so her children could become independent learners. She explains Féach’s evolution from parent peer support into a charity offering school guides, webinars, SNA and teacher training, low vision awareness workshops, and VR immersive training, now supporting hundreds of schools. They discuss slow policy change, gaps in AT training, key recommendations from Féach’s access reports, and why braille remains essential for literacy alongside modern technology.

00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro

01:24 Eithne Story and Diagnosis

03:00 School Expectations Shift

05:13 Building Independence Skills

06:28 Why Féach Exists

07:32 Féach Services and Training

10:47 Mainstream Progress and Gaps

13:20 Assistive Tech Push

17:49 Why Policy Moves Slowly

23:08 Toolkits for Teachers

24:16 Age-Appropriate Tech Skills

24:36 Typing Progression Plan

25:36 Audit Tools and Live Resources

26:55 North-South Training Collaboration

30:13 Annual Report Key Recommendations

33:07 AI and Accessible Tech Advances

35:55 Why Braille Still Matters

38:58 Big Questions for Education

41:42 How to Contact Feach

43:09 Closing Thanks and Wrap-Up

Education Unconvention: Big Questions About ReadingI introduce the Education Unconvention as a fringe-style, discussion-based subset of my podcast, designed to complement and sometimes challenge the Convention on Education by sharing progress and inviting contributions online. The first theme is reading, explored through debates about Reading Recovery, UFLI, and dyslexia, alongside reading schools and reading classes. I describe tensions between research evidence and teachers’ lived experience, including questions about independent Irish evaluation of Reading Recovery and what should replace it if flaws are found. Teachers praise UFLI’s structure and results, while others caution against treating any programme as a silver bullet. On dyslexia, contributors argue for either specialists, stronger teacher knowledge, or expanded specialist provision, raising wider questions about inclusion. Across all topics, recurring themes include time, resources, workload, training, disadvantage, home literacy, and defining what success in literacy should look like.00:00 Welcome to Unconvention02:20 Why Reading Matters05:05 Reading Recovery Debate07:43 Research Versus Experience10:37 What Counts as Evidence15:12 UFLI Takes Off18:07 Program Hype Cycle23:33 Dyslexia Mainstream Reality25:36 Mainstream or Specialist26:54 Highest Need Critique27:36 Expertise Without Roles29:13 Every Teacher Dyslexia30:51 Reading Classes Debate31:54 Inclusion What Means34:14 Bigger System Questions36:10 Curriculum Time Squeeze38:19 Home Factors Screen Time40:09 Unconvention Ethos Wrap