Reflecting on running the Lanzarote Half Marathon (slowly!) 🌍🏃‍♂️ last weekend, amidst some thoughts about the state of Adult Education across these islands and the need to keep running up the down escalator.

Some thoughts on the British government's Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper, and how adult learning is perceived within England.

Some thoughts about adult and community education across the island of Ireland

First day at conference - just after grabbing credential and (overpriced) coffee! One week on from attending this year's IATEFL Conference in Edinburgh, I'm still processing the various conversations I engaged in and insights I picked up. It's both a massive conference (nearly 3,000 people this year) and a very intense few days. ESOL is just one of many English Language Teaching (ELT) contexts, and one of the (mini) frustrations at IATEFL is how frequently it becomes necessa

I had an article published in FE News a few days ago, lambasting the British government for attempting to slice a further 2-3% off the Adult Skills Fund in England for 2025-26. I was commenting particularly on the impact for ESOL provision, and lamenting how English language acquisition is one of the aspects of adult education that has been hit hardest by a decade and a half of budget freezes and cuts. ESOL enrolments in England dropped by more than a third during the 2010s,

There's a nice, if slightly nervy/surreal, feeling about seeing your name in print. Not just online, in actual printed print. And in Ireland's only peer-reviewed journal dedicated entirely to adult and community education. In the midst of rushing to finish writing up my Masters thesis in the summer of 2023, I had a brief conversation with my supervisor about the potential to share my research findings with a wider audience. I'd been struck by the limited volume of ESOL-relat

Frankly, the last couple of months have been crazy. I've built up an extensive list of things to update and opine (rant...) about - which I will try to drip-feed when I get a chance over the festive break. In the meantime, a few highlights: My research project exploring ESOL in Ireland during the pandemic has an extensive airing in the latest edition of AONTAS's The Adult Learner Journal (see publications for a link to the journal and article). I attended the launch of a gr

A lot has happened in the last few months. I've become Co-Chair of NATECLA , joined the staff team at North West Migrants Forum (whilst its CEO is breaking new ground as the first Black Mayor in the north of Ireland); all whilst continuing to do bits of consultancy. Life's not as stable or as predictable as it was before I left City & Guilds, but it's mostly enjoyable and increasingly feels productive. Like many of us, I was caught out by Rishi Sunak's 'rain-dance' on 22 May

Discussion, collaboration and praxis aren't optional extras for educators and education professionals. We ALL need thinking and sharing space. Last week I spent a few days away in Wales and England, working with two organisations close to my heart - North West Migrants Forum (NWMF) and Research and Practice in Adult Literacies (RaPAL) . Since leaving the Technical Advisor role a year ago, I've spent less time travelling than I used to and (Masters aside) less face-to-face ti