Catholic education plays a critical role in Australia’s education system but its value is not always well understood.

In this episode of Catholic Education Matters, our executive director Kate Fogarty is joined by Dallas McInerney, CEO of Catholic Schools NSW, for a conversation about leadership, funding and the future of Catholic education in Australia.

With a background spanning financial services, government regulation and international policy, Dallas brings a unique perspective to education leadership, one shaped by governance, complexity and clear thinking.

Together, Kate and Dallas explore:

• Why funding is mission-critical to sustaining Catholic education.
• Why the narrative around non-government school funding is often misunderstood and how it has been misrepresented.
• The need for clearer, more confident advocacy across staff, families and local communities.
• What Catholic education contributes not just to students, but to communities and society.

As the next funding cycle approaches, this conversation is a timely reminder: we cannot assume understanding. The story of Catholic education must be clearly and consistently told.

Whether you are leading a school, teaching in a classroom, supporting from the central team or part of the wider Catholic education community, this is a conversation about leadership, advocacy and the future of education in Australia.

Catholic Education Sandhurst is home to 51 Catholic schools and six early learning centres across regional and rural Victoria, educating 15,298 students. We empower regional young people, their families, our staff and communities to have 'life to the full' (John 10:10).

Visit www.ceosand.catholic.edu.au or follow us on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.

What does 'know better and do better' actually look like in the classroom?

In this episode of Catholic Education Matters, Executive Director Kate Fogarty is joined by Learning Leader Craig Simpson to explore one of the most powerful commitments within our Cultural Covenant: a passion to 'know better and do better'.

From memory and retrieval to routines, attention and the thoughtful use of technology, this episode connects research to the daily reality of classrooms; and to the culture we are building across our 51 schools in regional Victoria.

This episode forms part of our ongoing series unpacking the Cultural Covenant and what it enables across the Sandhurst Diocese.

Whether you are teaching in a classroom, leading a school, shaping system strategy or reflecting on your own professional growth, this is a conversation about growth, coherence and aligning culture with evidence.

Now join us as we explore what truly matters in education.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

• Catholic Education Sandhurst - Cultural Covenant
• Jared Cooney Horvath - The Digital Delusion
• LME Global - The science of learning
• Dr Aimee Maxwell
• Sir Ken Robinson - Ted Talk
• The Anxious Generation
• Stolen Focus
• Ochre Education
• Steplab
• Ebbinghaus Forgetting Curve
• Barbara Oakley

Catholic Education Sandhurst is home to 51 Catholic schools across regional and rural Victoria, educating 15,490 students. We partner with schools, students and families to provide innovation and excellence in education, inspired by the Catholic story.

Visit www.ceosand.catholic.edu.au or follow us on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.

What does culture look like when it’s named, shared and lived across a whole system?

At the beginning of 2026, Catholic Education Sandhurst launched something that will quietly shape our system for years to come, our new Cultural Covenant.

In this episode, Executive Director Kate Fogarty is joined by principals Alannah Darmody (St Liborius Primary School, Eaglehawk) and Joel Brian (St Brendan’s Primary School, Shepparton), to unpack what the Cultural Covenant means, how it was received across schools, and what it makes possible for our young people, their families, our staff and communities to live 'life to the full'.

The Cultural Covenant has been shaped by leaders, teachers and allied staff across the Sandhurst diocese. It answers four powerful questions:

1. Why do we exist?
2. What do we do?
3. How will we behave?
4. How will we succeed?

This episode marks the beginning of a series of conversations unpacking the Cultural Covenant and what it enables across our 51 schools in regional Victoria.

Whether you are leading a school, teaching in a classroom, supporting from the central team, or considering joining Catholic Education Sandhurst, this is a conversation about culture, clarity and the quiet power of shared purpose.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

1. Catholic Education Sandhurst - Cultural Covenant
2. St Liborius Primary School Eaglehawk
3. St Brendan's Primary School Shepparton
4. Careers at Catholic Education Sandhurst
5. Patrick Lencioni

Catholic Education Sandhurst is home to 51 Catholic schools across regional and rural Victoria, educating 15,490 students. We partner with schools, students and families to provide innovation and excellence in education, inspired by the Catholic story.

Visit www.ceosand.catholic.edu.au or follow us on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.