How might we ensure that the next generation of innovators, including those furthest from opportunity, are prepared for the future of work, learning, and civic life?
Catalyst Schools is a professional learning programme that supports schools to transform learning experiences so that each young person is prepared to thrive in the future of work, education, and civic life.
Catalyst Schools’ mission is to nurture a collaborative ecosystem that empowers school leaders, teachers, and businesses to approach the complex challenges they face today with a human-centred mindset and lens of educational equity.
We build and nurture relationships among school leaders, teachers, school pupils, the business community, families and Catalyst. We create space and time for schools to explore their own unique school culture, define key challenges, and identify areas ripe for small steps toward inclusive innovation.
In a rapidly changing world, it is becoming increasingly complex to prepare all young people for the world of work and civic life. School communities lead this work, but the broader community can play a key role.
Catalyst Schools supports school communities in fostering a culture of inclusive innovation and learning, using their existing resources.
School teams of four design and implement steps to increase inclusive innovation in their schools.
Two leaders from each school will participate in four 1-day workshops and one 1/2-day workshop over 12 weeks, take action back at school, and receive online coaching.
Over the course of four and a half days, participants will:
Two teachers from each school will then participate in two 1-day workshops and two 1/2-day workshops over 6 weeks, and continue the momentum as they take action back at school.
Register your interest for the 2025-2026 programme below.
Learning events to keep the network engaged and help schools keep up the momentum toward resolving relevant challenges and spreading developing practices that support a culture of inclusive innovation in school.
We bring schools and businesses together to co-design new prototypes that explore innovative ways to work together as equals in support of the next generation of innovators.
Businesses need a voice in education – to inform, collaborate and play a part in helping schools to equip young people with the skills and mindsets required in today’s workplace and beyond. Schools are eager to hear that voice.
Catalyst Schools works with schools and business partners to create opportunities for meaningful collaboration that benefits both education and business. We do this through a range of joint school-business initiatives throughout the school year.
Catalyst Schools has a flexible approach, offering businesses the opportunity to get involved throughout the school year. Organisations are able to choose which initiatives they are able to commit to, based on their available time and resources.
If you are interested in hearing more, please contact our team for an initial informal chat at ellie.irving@wearecatalyst.org.
Catalyst Schools Programme Manager
Catalyst Schools Programme Manager
Michelle is passionate about understanding people and culture. As an anthropologist and creative facilitator, she utilises methods from social science, creative problem solving and design thinking to enable individuals and organisations to connect creatively, to gain new perspectives and approaches to problem solving, to uncover the insights which drive innovation and to stimulate ideation. It was during her time as a teacher that a love and flair emerged for the design and development of human-centred tools which facilitate change and growth. Michelle continues this work today with client companies and within education in Northern Ireland. Michelle holds a Masters degree in Social Anthropology from Queen’s University Belfast and a Bachelor’s Degree in Visual Communication from Limerick School of Art and Design.
Catalyst Schools Lead
Catalyst Schools Lead
Peter Worth is an educator and learning designer working at the intersection of design thinking, leadership, professional learning, and school culture change. As a member of the design team and former co-director of the School Retool professional learning fellowship—a project of the Stanford d.school’s K12 Lab and IDEO—he helped school leaders apply their hacking mindset to build toward an equitable school culture of deeper learning, preparing all students for post-secondary education, career, and civic life.
Now based in Northern Ireland, Peter consults locally and globally, working with and coaching clients in business, university, and schools, including leading Catalyst’s two school leaders’ fellowships in Belfast and the Northwest.
A career educator, Peter has been director of learning design and senior instructional designer for a professional learning edtech company, a senior research associate with an educational research organization, and a public school teacher in Los Angeles County. Peter holds a Master’s degree in education (Learning, Design, & Technology) from Stanford University and a Bachelor’s degree in theater arts from UC Santa Cruz.
Catalyst Schools Lead
Catalyst Schools Lead
Patricia’s core passion is for how Design Thinking and Creative Problem solving can be used inclusively across society. This passion was sparked by a study visit to the d-school, Stanford California over 10 years ago.
Since then Patricia has been focused on developing creative problem solving approaches to stimulate innovation with client companies and in education, where she introduce students from primary school through to PhD to the skills, tools and techniques which will help them to thrive as innovative thinkers in a complex, globalised world.
As a specialist facilitator Patricia has designed and delivered a wide range of design thinking programmes and workshops for strategy setting, team building, uncovering insights, innovation in the private and third sector and strengthening social enterprises. Patricia has a BSc Computer Science and a Masters in Business Administration, both from the University of Ulster.
Business Lead
Business Lead
Ellie Irving has been involved in entrepreneurship education in both the charitable and education sectors in Northern Ireland for more than ten years and is passionate about creating links between business and education.
She is the founder of Junior Dragons, entrepreneurship and life-skills education provider for children, which has been running workshops for primary schools since 2018. As an experienced facilitator, Ellie’s focus has been on developing and delivering entrepreneurship and product design challenges as a vehicle to encourage children to practice ideation and creativity while developing team-working abilities and discovering how they relate to others.
Ellie is also an experienced mental health educator and speaker, mindfulness in schools teacher and former relationship counsellor.
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