Anne Looney: ETB schools will face challenges to their ethos of equality 

We're used to rows about religion in schools, but State schools will face rows around sex education, gender and identity as society continues to change, writes Prof Anne Looney

There have been conscious efforts to reframe the identity of State schools which historically was framed as a negative — schools defined by what they were not. Picture: iStock

Revisiting origin stories is always enlightening. Each new reading reminds us of what we already know, but it also delivers fresh insight as it echoes through more recent developments and contemporary challenges.

The origin story of vocational education in Ireland is of particular interest as it represented the first education provision delivered directly by the relatively new state.