Jennifer Horgan: I've taught in a school that dealt with gangs, drugs, and police intimidation

Jennifer Horgan believes Conservative education has no place in Ireland

Katharine Birbalsingh was invited to speak at an education conference in Ireland last week. Her visit should never have happened. Why? Because the school, and indeed the society she’s come here to sell, has no place in Ireland.

If you haven’t heard of her, Birbalsingh runs the Michaela Community School in Wembley North London. She’s a Conservative and has most recently been appointed the new boss of the social mobility commission, charged with helping children escape the poverty trap. She is known as Britain’s strictest teacher. She’s also, apparently, concerned at Ireland’s move towards progressive education.