Agree to Agree Pilot Project Supported by the Department of Education and Youth and Oide Technology in Education
The Agree to Agree Pilot Project is an innovative, tailored process that guides schools, pupils and families to co- create student-family-school specific agreements in relation to online behaviour, for use outside of school hours. Through the Agree to Agree Pilot Project, key stakeholders representing, parents, staff and Board of Management are guided through a series of face-to-face workshops equipping them with the skills and tools to formulate an agreement that is unique to their individual school circumstances. Using the School Self Evaluation Process and promoting “Keeping Childhood Smartphone Free” Guidelines, the Agree to Agree Pilot Project is a collaborative and data-informed approach to addressing children’s internet enabled device usage. Through systematic evaluation, stakeholder engagement, and action planning, we seek to establish a new norm that prioritises children’s well-being and fosters responsible digital citizenship. The collaborative approach ensures every voice is heard and fosters agreement and understanding among stakeholders. Pupil engagement is at the forefront. By listening to their concerns and their advice on how we can best support them in their online lives, pupils are eager to implement positive change.
““If grown ups could block all the bad things online, that would help”
“.....look at what we are doing online to make sure its all for our age””
The Agree to Agree Pilot Project bridges the gap between school and home. The agreement process strives to ensure that when pupils are online, whether inside or outside the school gate, that school communities make every effort to ensure they are supported, protected and ultimately afforded the opportunity to learn and grow with digital technologies in a safe and supervised environment.
In September 2024, 10 Clare primary school communities who participated in the Agree to Agree Project during the academic year 2023-2024, launched their own unique agreements, informed by extensive collaboration with the wider school community and centred on issues most relevant to their school communities.
““this should be a project rolled out to all schools”
“extremely worthwhile project and very comprehensively delivered thanks to all”
“I think the whole process was executed extremely well”
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In October 2024, the Agree to Agree Pilot Project, supported by the Department of Education and Youth and Oide Technology in Education was launched in Clare Education Centre, Tralee Education Support Centre and Navan Education Support Centre, with great success. 21 school communities were involved in the process, with the potential of improving the digital wellbeing of over 4000 pupils and over 500 teaching staff combined. School communities involved ranged from small two teacher rural schools, to large schools with over 600 students. The schools participating in the Agree to Agree Pilot Project are reflective of the diverse nature of our school communities. The schools involved have pupils from a wide range of cultural backgrounds including Ukrainian pupils and those from the Roma and Travelling Communities. We also had a special school involved in the Agree to Agree Pilot Project that year.
Online Webinar for Parents/Guardians -Agree to Agree Pilot Project
On Monday 13th January 2025, an online webinar was held for the parents/guardians of those school communities participating in the Agree to Agree Pilot Project. The purpose of the night was to provide an update on the Agree to Agree Pilot Project to the wider parent body and engage their participation with the process in their school community. The webinar was a great success, with 465 parents/guardians joining in on the night. Over 96% of respondents indicated that the webinar was excellent/very good.
The ripple effects of the collaborative nature of the Agree to Agree process were clearly evident in Oldcastle, Co. Meath on Wednesday 14th May 2025.
A huge congratulations to St. Fiach’s National School in Ballinacree (a participating Agree to Agree school) who collaborated with their local secondary -St. Oliver’s Post Primary School and together hosted an informative and engaging evening for parents and guardians. Transition Year students showcased a range of apps and demonstrated how to use parental controls, offering valuable insights into managing digital safety at home.
The event also featured impactful presentations by Jane McGarrigle from Webwise, Dr. Maureen Griffin Agree to Agree and a local representative. It was a powerful and empowering evening for all involved. Well done to everyone who helped make it such a success!
Congratulations to the school communities in Rathmore, Kerry, who launched their Internet and Technology Use Agreements in October 2025.
Over the past academic year, these school communities participated in the Agree to Agree Pilot Project, engaging their entire communities to shape a new norm for children’s use of internet-enabled devices.
At the heart of each agreement was the voice of the pupils, reminding us of the importance of the principle: “Nothing about us without us.”
A special mention to St. Senan's National School Clonlara, Co. Clare who have surpassed expectations and demonstrated the potential of the Agree to Agree Project in uniting an entire community. To see what they have achieved and met their Agree to Agree Mascot “Captain Clonlara” see here https://clonlarans.ie/agree-to-agree-project/
What Participating School Communities Have To Say
““We signed up to this project to help to tackle the issue of internet safety for children of school age. Instead of this being another task, it has been a worthwhile, well-paced and powerful project. We are excited to launch this in September”
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““I just wanted to take a moment to sincerely thank you for all of your input and support in the Agree to Agree project so far. Your insights have been invaluable, and we truly appreciate the work you’ve put in. What started as a small idea in the Education Centre has grown into something much bigger than we initially imagined. We are absolutely delighted with how the project is unfolding in our school community. The ripple effect you hoped for is certainly happening, and its fantastic to see the impact it’s having””
““We are delighted to be taking part in this project -The Agree to Agree. It is very structed and easy to implement. Engagement with families, students and staff is a far better approach than principals/staff dictating rules etc. Lots of materials have been made available which makes the process so easy.””
““Very worthwhile and informative sessions which provoke thought and action. Clear and concise. Well done on its creation and delivery. Looking forward to implementing this initiative.”
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““The Agree to Agree programme is very well structured with very achievable tasks set out after each of the sessions. Maureen is a wealth of information and is so passionate about this area. This will have a long-lasting effect on all of our families.””
““We have found issues where we didn’t realise there were issues””
During the month of October 2025, the Agree to Agree Pilot Project was launched in Clare, Tralee and Navan Education (Support) Centres with great success. School communities came togther for the first of 5 meetings which will be held in their local Education Centres this year, facilitated by Dr. Maureen Griffin.
Participants were extremely enthusiastic about the project and we thank them for their engagement in the Agree to Agree Process.
34 school communities are involved in the process this year, including a large secondary school. Local GAA clubs are also supporting this project. This year the A2A project has the potential of improving the digital wellbeing of over 5200 pupils and over 550 teaching staff combined.
Throughout this academic year, key stakeholders representing, parents, staff and Board of Management will be guided through a series of face-to-face workshops equipping them with the skills and tools to formulate an agreement that is unique to their individual school circumstances.
A2A Webinar Series 2025/2026
On Thursday 23rd October 2025, an online webinar was held for the parents/guardians of those school communities participating in the Agree to Agree Pilot Project. The purpose of the night was to provide an overview of the Agree to Agree Pilot Project to the wider parent body and engage their participation with the process in their school community. The webinar was a great success, with over 400 parents/guardians joining in on the night. Numerous school communities across Clare, Kerry and Meath came together in their local schools to watch the webinar demonstrating the community involvement and collaborative nature of this project. Over 98% of respondents indicated that the webinar was excellent/very good. A second webinar will be held for all participating school communities in February 2026.
Agree to Agree Christmas Pause 2025/2026
As the festive season approached for 2025, we invited all Agree to Agree school communities to join us in our Agree to Agree Christmas Pause—a gentle, intentional moment to step back from our devices and make space for what truly matters.
This isn’t about strict rules or doing things “perfectly.” It’s simply a warm reminder to reflect together on how screens are showing up in our lives and to reconnect with the heart of our Agree to Agree Pilot Project. A short pause can be a powerful way to keep the agreement alive, meaningful, and supportive during a season that can easily sweep us along.
Whether it’s over a meal, during a walk, or while decorating the tree, we hope the Agree to Agree Christmas Pause helps create room for laughter, conversation, and the quiet joy of being present with one another.
During the month of February 2026, participating school communities in the Agree to Agree Pilot Project met for Stage 3 of the process in Clare Education Centre, Tralee Education Support Centre and Navan Education Support Centre.
Since our last meeting, participating school communities engaged in extensive consultation with their pupils and parents/guardians. Together with the feedback gained from consultation with school staff, participating schools began devising an individualised school profile, highlighting the most pertinent issues for their school community.
Common themes that emerged across school communities included parental concerns over children’s exposure to age inappropriate content online, increased pressure to use social media, cyber-bullying, sleep deprivation due to screen time and the need for more education on parental controls. Common themes identified by pupils included greater parental involvement, unwanted exposure to hurtful/harmful content and parental monitoring of online activity.
A2A Webinar Series
On Thursday, 26th February 2026, the second webinar in a two-part series was delivered to parents and guardians from school communities participating in the Agree to Agree Pilot Project. The session provided an update on the progress made to date, offered practical advice and guidance for parents on key topical issues, and encouraged continued parental engagement and involvement in the project.
The webinar was a great success, with over 200 parents and guardians joining on the night. In addition, a number of school communities across Clare, Kerry and Meath gathered in their local schools to watch the webinar together, highlighting the strong sense of collaboration and community at the heart of this initiative.
For more information on the Agree to Agree Pilot Project please contact:
Mr. Martin Moloney, Director Clare Education Centre
Tel: 065 6845500
Email: reception@clareed.ie
Web: https://www.clareed.ie/
Dr. Maureen Griffin, Director MGMS Training Limited
Tel: +353 87 2046598
Email: maureen@mgmstraining.ie
Web: https://www.mgmstraining.ie
