What next for ERBE?

As part of the government’s Pluralism and Patronage Forum, which is supposed to ensure the human rights of all children, they tasked the NCCA (the people who write our curriculum) with making a new subject called Education about Religions and Beliefs and Ethics, or ERBE for short. This new subject aimed to teach children in all … Read more

Diversity in Primary Teaching

The Teaching Council hold a conference every year called Féilte. One of the topics up for discussion was Diversity in Teaching. The panel consisted of 4 educators, two of whom were primary school teachers. The first lives with a physical disability and the second is a member of the LGBTi community. The third level representatives … Read more

Different points to enter Teacher Training College

RTE revealed that DCU’s newly formed Teacher Training course, which amalgamated 3 previous colleges of education into its campus, has two separate CAO entry points. In order to get their Bachelor of Education degree, there is the normal route for everyone, which requires 465 points. However, according to their current Prospectus, there is also a “restricted … Read more

Education Equality: Gathering for Change March

I was delighted and honoured to have had the opportunity to speak at the rally for Education Equality: Gathering for Change today. While I am lucky to have the choice to send my child to his local denominational primary school and, better yet, the choice to send him to his local Educate Together school where … Read more

What is the biggest issue for Community National Schools?

The Community National School model is being lauded as the ideal solution for primary education in Ireland as a compromise to the near-monopoly that all churches have on primary education. Started by then Fianna Fáil Education Minister, Mary Hanafin in 2007, the CNS model is supposed to be a “happy medium” between denominational education and multi-denominational (now … Read more

What’s the difference between the CNS model and the Catholic model?

Another government, another disappointing day for education. Jan O’Sullivan has left her mark and I bet Ruairi Quinn is ruing the day he decided to address patronage in schools. Meanwhile Mary Hanafin is probably rubbing her hands in glee. It looks like despite all the flaws and all the secret deals with the Catholic Church that … Read more

Why Ticking “No Religion” Shouldn’t Matter in Schools

For people without a religion, the census always draws up conversation. Mostly, it’s to do with the position of the “No Religion” box on the form or the implication in the question that one has a religion. However, many people and organisations such as Atheist Ireland and the Humanist Association of Ireland use the census to ask … Read more

How to make denominational schools more inclusive

Around 96% of Irish primary schools are under the patronage of a religious body, with around 92-93% of schools under the the Catholic Church. This means that anyone who does not identify themselves as Catholic has very little chance of getting into a school that fully respects their religious identity. There is little appetite for … Read more

Primary Schools: Inclusive or Tolerant?

As most people know, there are a number of parents in Ireland who have been in the media lately claiming that they cannot enrol their children in their local school as they do not have a Baptismal Certificate. However, in the vast majority of schools, this is not the case. The Catholic church claim that most … Read more

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