This panel brings together education journalists, researchers, policymakers, practitioners, and students to ask: What counts as “good education”? Who sets the terms of debate? And how can we create space for more inclusive, critical, and constructive public dialogue?
Education touches contested issues in Northern Ireland, post-conflict identity, integrated and shared education, curriculum reform, student mental health, and questions of equity and access. Yet the way these issues are framed in headlines, policy documents, and community conversations often privileges certain voices while systematically excluding others.
Participants will examine how language, storytelling, and framing shape public perception and political action. What’s being said about education? What’s being left out? Why does it matter?
This is for anyone invested in honest conversations about education: educators, policymakers, journalists, researchers, students, and parents. Expect rigorous analysis grounded in classroom and school reality, and space for critical questioning.
More speakers to be announced.
John Walshe – Education Journalist and Policy Advisor John Walshe spent four decades at the intersection of education journalism and policy. As Education Editor of the Irish Independent, he established himself as Ireland’s leading commentator on education reform. He served as Special Adviser to the Minister for Education and Skills (2011–2014) and recently chaired the INTO’s (Irish National Teachers’ Organisation) National Education Debate during Ireland’s 2024 General Election campaign. His work bridges technical policy analysis and public accessibility, holding power accountable while making complex education issues comprehensible to diverse audiences.
Dr Anne Devlin – Research Officer, Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) Dr Devlin specialises in labour economics, disability economics, education policy, and social inclusion. She holds a PhD in Economics from Queen’s University Belfast (2021), examining elevated disability rates in Northern Ireland and links to post-conflict legacies. She has published in peer-reviewed journals and conducts all-island economic research on education and opportunity. Also a Visiting Researcher at Queens Business School, her work brings quantitative rigour to questions about educational equity and what data reveals—or hides—about educational access.
Dr William Kitchen – Lecturer in Mathematics and STEM, Stranmillis University College Dr Kitchen teaches pre-service teachers and conducts research on how mathematics and science are taught and learned, with focus on cognitive science, curriculum design, and evidence-informed practice. His work appears in peer-reviewed journals and he is actively involved in Northern Ireland’s TransformED education reform strategy. He brings classroom reality and teacher professional judgment to policy discussions, understanding the gap between policy intention and classroom practice.
Sandra Patterson – Head of Geography, A2L Coordinator, DofE Manager, Ulidia Integrated College. Sandra Patterson leads Geography, Travel and Tourism at Ulidia Integrated College, educating students from Catholic, Protestant and other backgrounds together, every day. She received the Royal Metrological Society’s Educator Award recognising 20+ years of innovative environmental teaching, represented Northern Ireland at COP26 in 2021 on teaching climate change and environmental justice, and is Joint Chair of the Geographical Association (NI) Branch and a WomenEdNI Network Leader. She holds an MEd and is a Fellow of the College of Teaching (FCCT). Sandra represents practitioners in Integrated schools, who every day navigate post-conflict identities and cross-community belonging.
Age 16+
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