Episode 2: Soft Barriers

In this episode I explore the role of the National Council for Special Education (NCSE), a quango responsible for organising resources for special education. I trace the NCSE's establishment in 2003 and its subsequent decline in effectiveness, particularly since the detrimental effects of budget cuts since 2008. The NCSE's lack of adequate support, arbitrary allocation of resources, and controversial response to government cuts are all scrutinised. I argue that despite the increasing number of children with special needs, support has been reduced, leading to a progressively worse situation for these children. And when schools spoke out against the cuts, it was the NCSE, not the government that said schools were putting in soft barriers to stop children accessing support.

If you were to walk into any primary school and compared it to the classroom you might have sat in only a generation ago, apart from a big screen instead of a blackboard, the biggest difference you would see is the diversity of students in that room. One in four children in primary school have an additional need* and according to recent research over 45% of children with support needs are being failed in accessing their right to education. I have spent the last 15 years witnessing the slow collapse of services for children with additional needs in school. Join me for 'Access Undone: The Collapse of Special Education,' where I explore what I believe is the 21st century’s greatest educational scandal."

If you were to walk into any primary school and compared it to the classroom you might have sat in only a generation ago, apart from a big screen instead of a blackboard, the biggest difference you would see is the diversity of students in that room. One in four children in primary school have an additional need* and according to recent research over 45% of children with support needs are being failed in accessing their right to education. I have spent the last 15 years witnessing the slow collapse of services for children with additional needs in school. Join me over the coming weeks for 'Access Undone: The Collapse of Special Education,' where I explore what I believe is the 21st century’s educational scandal."

Sources: https://www.sensationalkids.ie/our-impact/facts-figures/ and https://inclusionireland.ie/news-events/department-of-education-removes-vital-resource-while-45-of-children-with-support-needs-are-being-failed-in-accessing-their-right-to-edu/

You will not be surprised to hear that my first podcast of the 2024-2025 school year is about religion in schools. It's a topic I'm always coming back to and it never ceases to amaze me of how many different angles you can find from it. But what I want to explore in this episode is what do most schools mean when they talk about religion. Maybe a better title would have been, "What we talk about when we talk about religion in schools."

This week, I focus on the significant challenges within special education. I cover recently published inspectorate findings, testimonies from school principals, and a detailed report by a group of parents on the deteriorating state of special education. I discuss the lack of adequate resources, bureaucratic hurdles, and the ineffectiveness of new initiatives, emphasizing the dire need for proper support and funding. I also and, finally, how a 13-year-old girl is most likely to be the one to save us.

I don't know about you, but when I think about Special Education, in general, I think about 3 options - mainstream, special classes and special schools. However, special schools are not simply a one-size-fits-all solution with lots of different types out there that cater for particular needs. This week I talk to Debbie O'Neill, principal of Scoil Eoin, a school for students with mild general learning disabilities. It is also a type of special school that the Department of Education are trying to close down in the name of so-called inclusion.

In this episode, I examine the complex topic of teaching children about war, specifically focusing on the Israel-Gaza conflict. Drawing from my personal background and experiences, I explore the intricacies of discussing such sensitive subjects in the classroom.

After that, something completely different as I preview my interview with Paudie Moore, The Teacher's Coach, on maintaining teacher wellbeing.

I also touch upon the goal of achieving 400 multi-denominational schools in Ireland and the challenges involved.

Resources for Israel/Gaza can be found here: https://simonmlewis.medium.com/i-need-to-talk-about-israel-including-some-resources-for-your-classeoom-8435df4698dc

Over the last couple of years I've chatted to a number of people about wellbeing in the classroom but usually from a child's point of view. And I've talked about resilience, growth mindset, all that kind of stuff. But one thing I'm always interested in is about a teacher's own wellbeing. I was really happy to be joined by Paudie Moore, aka The Teacher's Coach. And that's exactly what he specialises in.