On this week’s Education Nation podcast, we turned our attention to one of the pinch points of our education system, perhaps the most pressurised and least understood roles in Irish education: school leadership. More specifically, the conversation focused on the lived reality of principals and deputy principals in post-primary schools. Our guest, Rachel O’Connor, a long-standing advocate for school leaders, painted a picture of a profession that is deeply committed, increasingly complex, and now facing challenges that would have been unimaginable even a decade ago.
Looking back, Rachel speaks warmly of her Deise-ness and smiles as she recalls her education roots in the Mercy schools in Co. Waterford. What comes across strongly in the conversation about her career journey is an authentic passion for leadership and a genuine desire to support and develop leaders and leadership capacity in our schools.
Rachel points to the new challenges facing school leaders in an era of rapid change brought about by the digital revolution”
In her current role as Deputy Director of the National Association of Principals and Deputies, Rachel certainly has her finger on the pulse. NAPD proudly boasts of its unique place among post-primary stakeholders as a body which is cross-sectoral, representing principals of Voluntary Secondary, Community and Comprehensive schools and community colleges. She generously applauds the vision and energy of her predecessors and those who shaped the evolution of NAPD, Shay Bannon, Michael McCann, Mary McGlynn, and Clive Byrne.
From its early roots, NAPD has evolved to become a truly national organisation with Deputies and Principals meeting regularly across nine regions and a national executive made up of regional and sectoral representatives meeting in Dublin. Because of this regional and cross-sectoral structure, NAPD is well placed to understand and represent the experiences of those working in the crucible of day-to-day school leadership. Rachel points to the new challenges facing school leaders in an era of rapid change brought about by the digital revolution. She notes that in the last two decades, there has been an exponential rise in the number of incidents of online harm coming across the desks of the principals and deputies.
New challenges in a digital age
Rachel reports a more recent sharp increase in cases where harmful AI-generated imagery is circulating among students. So-called “—ship bullying” (where often vulnerable students are linked in relation-ship, friend-ship)—once confined to crude scribbles on toilet walls—have now migrated online, becoming more impactful, more permanent, and more damaging. Vulnerable students are particularly at risk. While NAPD is not picking up evidence of widespread use of so-called ‘nudification tools’ such as GROK, the broader trend is clear: online spaces are the platforms of choice for those who wish to criticise, to mock, or to bully peers. Bullying is not new to schools, but the scale, scope and speed of this digital graffiti far exceed anything schools have dealt with before.
The weight of rapid change
Schools and school leaders are meeting these challenges head-on but are doing so against the backdrop of rapid and extensive changes to policy and practice in schools. Curriculum reform, new approaches to assessment and a constant stream of initiatives—each well-intentioned in isolation—are collectively overwhelming, says O’Connor, noting, “too much is clogging up the system,” The result is a leadership role that is increasingly reactive, administrative, and consumed by compliance rather than the strategic leadership of the school and the leadership of learning.
Caretakers and school secretaries remain, in O’Connor’s words, ‘the backbone of the school,’ but the operational management of the modern school requires more”
For years, the National Association of Principals and Deputies (NAPD) has been calling for some imaginative thinking in this regard and have proposed an initiative in the form of a new role in schools which could provide enhanced administrative support. Caretakers and school secretaries remain, in O’Connor’s words, “the backbone of the school,” but the operational management of the modern school requires more. Since 2018 NAPD has been lobbying the Department of Education for a dedicated executive assistant—someone who can take on the ever-expanding administrative load in areas like HR, finance and procurement. It is worth noting that no new role was created to support the introduction of the highly valued Free Book Scheme. All the wise money suggests that the same will be the case when (or if) the department extends the Free Hot Meals scheme to post-primary schools. Sure, can’t the principal sort that out?
Rachel is delighted that the Department of Education has agreed to trial this role in a number of schools as part of an action research project. NAPD believe that a new ‘executive assistant’ would not only ensure that valuable (and expensive) initiatives such as the Free Schoolbooks and Free School Meals schemes could be managed more effectively and efficiently but would free up the principals and their leadership teams to return to what they are appointed to do in the first place: to lead teaching, learning, culture, and strategy.
Leadership development: strong but fragmented
The conversation also explored the supports available for school leaders. Ireland currently offers pre-commencement training for newly appointed principals, and a range of organisations—Management Bodies, Patrons, NAPD, and OIDE—provide high-quality professional learning. Yet, as O’Connor observed, the landscape is fragmented. There is overlap, duplication, and a lack of coordinated pathways. Greater collaboration would not only reduce inefficiency but would also strengthen the leadership pipeline at a time when recruitment is becoming increasingly difficult. Her passion for the support and enhancement of leadership in schools has inspired Rachel to take on Doctoral studies in the University of Limerick. We look forward to reading and learning from her research into the networks of supports for school leaders.
Looking ahead to 2036
In the final minutes of our conversation, I ask Rachel to reflect on what she hopes we will hold on to as our education system continues to evolve. O’Connor’s answer is both personal and profound. She hopes we never lose sight of “the human in the loop” what she refers to as “the relational heart of education”. She hopes postprimary education will be valued for its own sake, not merely as a sorting mechanism to filter candidates for entry to thirdlevel. At present, she argues, the Leaving Certificate is shaping the entire postprimary experience in ways that are neither healthy nor holistic. “The tail, is wagging the dog.”
Her wish is simple: that her two boys, and all students, can enjoy an experience of education that is rooted in humanity”
In 2036, Rachel’s now eight-year-old sons will be sitting their Leaving Certificate. Ultimately, her wish is simple: that her two boys, and all students, can enjoy an experience of education that is rooted in humanity and that they will emerge from postprimary school resilient, responsible, and respectful.
School leadership – ‘the backbone of the school’
On this week’s Education Nation podcast, we turned our attention to one of the pinch points of our education system, perhaps the most pressurised and least understood roles in Irish education: school leadership. More specifically, the conversation focused on the lived reality of principals and deputy principals in post-primary schools. Our guest, Rachel O’Connor, a long-standing advocate for school leaders, painted a picture of a profession that is deeply committed, increasingly complex, and now facing challenges that would have been unimaginable even a decade ago.
Looking back, Rachel speaks warmly of her Deise-ness and smiles as she recalls her education roots in the Mercy schools in Co. Waterford. What comes across strongly in the conversation about her career journey is an authentic passion for leadership and a genuine desire to support and develop leaders and leadership capacity in our schools.
In her current role as Deputy Director of the National Association of Principals and Deputies, Rachel certainly has her finger on the pulse. NAPD proudly boasts of its unique place among post-primary stakeholders as a body which is cross-sectoral, representing principals of Voluntary Secondary, Community and Comprehensive schools and community colleges. She generously applauds the vision and energy of her predecessors and those who shaped the evolution of NAPD, Shay Bannon, Michael McCann, Mary McGlynn, and Clive Byrne.
From its early roots, NAPD has evolved to become a truly national organisation with Deputies and Principals meeting regularly across nine regions and a national executive made up of regional and sectoral representatives meeting in Dublin. Because of this regional and cross-sectoral structure, NAPD is well placed to understand and represent the experiences of those working in the crucible of day-to-day school leadership. Rachel points to the new challenges facing school leaders in an era of rapid change brought about by the digital revolution. She notes that in the last two decades, there has been an exponential rise in the number of incidents of online harm coming across the desks of the principals and deputies.
New challenges in a digital age
Rachel reports a more recent sharp increase in cases where harmful AI-generated imagery is circulating among students. So-called “—ship bullying” (where often vulnerable students are linked in relation-ship, friend-ship)—once confined to crude scribbles on toilet walls—have now migrated online, becoming more impactful, more permanent, and more damaging. Vulnerable students are particularly at risk. While NAPD is not picking up evidence of widespread use of so-called ‘nudification tools’ such as GROK, the broader trend is clear: online spaces are the platforms of choice for those who wish to criticise, to mock, or to bully peers. Bullying is not new to schools, but the scale, scope and speed of this digital graffiti far exceed anything schools have dealt with before.
The weight of rapid change
Schools and school leaders are meeting these challenges head-on but are doing so against the backdrop of rapid and extensive changes to policy and practice in schools. Curriculum reform, new approaches to assessment and a constant stream of initiatives—each well-intentioned in isolation—are collectively overwhelming, says O’Connor, noting, “too much is clogging up the system,” The result is a leadership role that is increasingly reactive, administrative, and consumed by compliance rather than the strategic leadership of the school and the leadership of learning.
For years, the National Association of Principals and Deputies (NAPD) has been calling for some imaginative thinking in this regard and have proposed an initiative in the form of a new role in schools which could provide enhanced administrative support. Caretakers and school secretaries remain, in O’Connor’s words, “the backbone of the school,” but the operational management of the modern school requires more. Since 2018 NAPD has been lobbying the Department of Education for a dedicated executive assistant—someone who can take on the ever-expanding administrative load in areas like HR, finance and procurement. It is worth noting that no new role was created to support the introduction of the highly valued Free Book Scheme. All the wise money suggests that the same will be the case when (or if) the department extends the Free Hot Meals scheme to post-primary schools. Sure, can’t the principal sort that out?
Rachel is delighted that the Department of Education has agreed to trial this role in a number of schools as part of an action research project. NAPD believe that a new ‘executive assistant’ would not only ensure that valuable (and expensive) initiatives such as the Free Schoolbooks and Free School Meals schemes could be managed more effectively and efficiently but would free up the principals and their leadership teams to return to what they are appointed to do in the first place: to lead teaching, learning, culture, and strategy.
Leadership development: strong but fragmented
The conversation also explored the supports available for school leaders. Ireland currently offers pre-commencement training for newly appointed principals, and a range of organisations—Management Bodies, Patrons, NAPD, and OIDE—provide high-quality professional learning. Yet, as O’Connor observed, the landscape is fragmented. There is overlap, duplication, and a lack of coordinated pathways. Greater collaboration would not only reduce inefficiency but would also strengthen the leadership pipeline at a time when recruitment is becoming increasingly difficult. Her passion for the support and enhancement of leadership in schools has inspired Rachel to take on Doctoral studies in the University of Limerick. We look forward to reading and learning from her research into the networks of supports for school leaders.
Looking ahead to 2036
In the final minutes of our conversation, I ask Rachel to reflect on what she hopes we will hold on to as our education system continues to evolve. O’Connor’s answer is both personal and profound. She hopes we never lose sight of “the human in the loop” what she refers to as “the relational heart of education”. She hopes postprimary education will be valued for its own sake, not merely as a sorting mechanism to filter candidates for entry to thirdlevel. At present, she argues, the Leaving Certificate is shaping the entire postprimary experience in ways that are neither healthy nor holistic. “The tail, is wagging the dog.”
In 2036, Rachel’s now eight-year-old sons will be sitting their Leaving Certificate. Ultimately, her wish is simple: that her two boys, and all students, can enjoy an experience of education that is rooted in humanity and that they will emerge from postprimary school resilient, responsible, and respectful.
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