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

In this episode of If I Were the Minister for Education, I speak with US educator, consultant and author Patty McGee about transforming grammar teaching away from dry worksheets and red-pen correction towards inquiry, curiosity and delight, connected to real writing. Patty explains how traditional grammar instruction can create discomfort and inequity, and reframes grammar as a tool for communicating with clarity and connection, noting differences between spoken, book and standard grammar and how grammar evolves. She shares practical classroom experiences: brief, frequent sessions using talk in partnerships, comparing concepts (such as simple and compound sentences), explicit instruction with accessible language (like FANBOYS), hands-on manipulatives for playful practice, and reflection to consolidate learning. We also discuss Ireland’s evolving curriculum, trust in teachers, and Patty’s wish to bring literacy practices to schools, as well as her view that literacy should be defined as meaning-making and sharing voice.

00:00 Welcome and Teaser

01:22 Meet Patty McGee

02:24 Ireland Connection

03:17 Why Grammar Gets Hated

05:54 Beyond Grammar Police

08:00 Teachers and Discrete Grammar

11:46 Three Buckets of Grammar

14:09 Playful Grammar Experiences

19:23 Irish Curriculum Reflections

21:30 Workshops and School Support

24:50 Trust and Respect in Education

26:51 Minister for a Day

29:26 Where to Find Patty

30:44 Final Thanks and Sign Off

In this episode of “If I were the Minister for Education”, I interview Gavin Doyle, a Dublin secondary teacher and founder of Examinaite, about AI and technology in education. Gavin describes his path from teaching and high-level basketball to software development after time in San Francisco, and explains Examinaite’s aim to reduce teacher workload through a bank of 25,000 Leaving Cert past questions with AI-supported marking, feedback, progress tracking, and generation of new differentiated mock questions, with potential for printable resources. They discuss using AI to tailor learning to pupils’ interests, varying tech access in primary schools, and tools like NotebookLM and Claude for turning long texts into podcasts and creating engaging resources. They address concerns about AI cheating, limits of AI detection, assessment changes, and suggest more in-person exams, oral work, and teaching responsible, gradual AI use. Gavin also outlines “Craicathon”, a Gaeilge-focused hackathon at Dogpatch Labs with projects like Irish sign language translation, Irish-friendly venue maps with phrases, and an Irish-event rating app, and shares views on AI driving more personalised education and the importance of grit, resilience, and open-mindedness.00:00 Welcome and Subscribe00:47 Meet Gavin Doyle01:51 Gavin’s Teaching and Tech Journey04:15 AI for Teachers Explained06:33 Cutting Admin and Corrections07:41 Examinaite for Leaving Cert Prep11:12 Primary Tech Reality Check12:04 Personalised Learning and New Questions16:13 AI Makes Coding Accessible18:28 Irish Language Tech Hackathon25:25 Creative Classroom AI Tools26:35 AI for Learning Styles27:09 NotebookLM Classroom Magic28:02 Claude Quizzes and Websites29:42 Cheating and Detection Limits32:25 AI Proof Assessment Ideas33:30 Teaching Responsible AI Use35:15 Internet to AI Parallels37:09 Personalisation and COVID Shift38:30 Alpha School Future Model42:23 Minister for Education Vision44:36 Future Skills Grit Resilience48:16 Wrap Up and Contact Info49:34 Host Closing Reflections

In this episode of If I were the Minister for Education, I unpack the Department of Education’s primary school survey and the headline claim that 40% of parents in denominational primary schools would prefer their school to be multidenominational. I admit I was wrong to assume parents would simply vote for the status quo, and I argue this figure is a remarkable tipping point, especially given how quickly some commentators tried to minimise it by claiming it represents only 16% overall. I question why only partial statistics were released, warn how narratives harden before full data emerges, and describe how “cultural Catholics”, church bodies and the state all benefit from a system driven as much by convenience and control as belief. If I were Minister, I’d publish all the data fast and remove patronage as the dividing line to build one inclusive system.

In this episode of If I Were the Minister for Education, I explore how behaviour support in Irish primary schools has shifted from corporal punishment to rewards and consequences, and now toward restorative practice, nurture spaces, and Collaborative & Proactive Solutions (CPS). I’m joined by Dr. Ross Greene, founder of Lives in the Balance and author of The Explosive Child, Lost at School, and The Kids Who Aren’t OK, and by Ruth Edie, principal in Dublin 18 and a certified CPS trainer. We discuss CPS’s focus on solving the unsolved problems behind concerning behaviour through proactive, collaborative Plan B conversations, including the ASEP process and practical “drilling” strategies. We also compare CPS with restorative practice, address concerns about time and “letting kids off,” and share resources (livesinthebalance.org/ireland). I dedicate the episode to my late deputy principal Emer and HSE psychologist Toby.

00:00 Welcome and Overview

00:39 Behavior Shifts in Schools

01:59 Discovering CPS

03:10 Dedication and Intro

03:48 Meet Ross and Ruth

05:18 Ross Green Background

06:26 Ruth Eadie Journey

10:05 What Is CPS

13:14 ASEP and Unsolved Problems

15:06 Plan B Conversation

19:47 Drilling Strategies

21:09 When CPS Starts

22:49 Handling I Don’t Know

24:33 Ireland Context Setup

25:17 Piloting CPS in Ireland

25:50 Tribute to Toby and Emer

27:12 Restorative Practice vs CPS

29:16 What CPS Adds for Teachers

30:18 Finding Time for CPS

32:48 Common Pushback and Myths

35:56 Where to Learn CPS

38:05 Minister for a Day

41:48 Final Resources and Farewell

Deirdre O’Toole is one of Ireland’s best known educators. She started her well-known Instagram page in 2018 - the Playful Classroom, which explored early infant education - but had since become heavily involved in teaching and learning reading. She took it upon herself to bring the Right to Read conference to Ireland and this will take place next weekend, 21st March 2026. All 400 tickets sold out in under 90 minutes.

Deirdre and I have never met in real life (that’s going to happen at the INTO Congress this year) but we first came across each other over 20 years ago on the Education Posts Forum, where many teachers of our vintage got their first taste of online discussions.

You can find Dee on Instagram, LinkedIn and Facebook and keep an eye out for resources from the Right to Read Conference.