Access to quality education is a huge issue globally, and parents everywhere want the best for their children. In Australia, where large areas of the country have been in a hard lockdown due to COVID-19, schools have been closed to students for a lengthy period of time, and parents have been forced to home school their children. Some children have thrived, and some have suffered – unable to effectively engage in home schooling and falling behind. This, against the backdrop of scandal after scandal involving elite private schools and racist, sexist and homophobic behaviour from students has reignited the ongoing debate about the merit of federal government funding for private schools. Season 4 kicks off with John Marsden (https://johnmarsden.com.au/), storyteller, renowned author and Principal of Candlebark (https://www.candlebark.info/), a P-7 school nestled in the foothills of the Macedon Ranges on 1100 acres of bushland. John and I chat through the merits of alternative education, access and equity and the public vs private debate.