Deputy Principals

NAPD provides a group mentoring service for all newly appointed deputy principals who register for the PDST Tánaiste programme. The new deputies are organized into groups of 5-8 on a geographical basis and each group is allocated an experienced deputy principal or principal who has received specialized training in mentoring and facilitation skills.

The groups meet on four occasions during the year beginning in late September – early October. The meetings usually take place in conveniently located Education Centres and usually commence with lunch around 1pm and finish around 4pm. Each meeting will have a specific theme e.g. the theme for the first meeting is usually ‘The Rhythms and Patterns of the School Year ’but there is always scope for deputies to raise issues of particular concern to them. Contact between meetings between mentor and mentees and between mentees themselves is facilitated also.

Principals

The Centre for School Leadership (CSL) organises one to one mentoring for new principals in their first year.

In their second year they become part of a group mentoring session organised by NAPD. As with the deputies, each group is facilitated by an experienced school leader who has been formally trained in one to one mentoring, group mentoring and facilitation. The groups meet five times in the course of the year and arrangements are put in place for contact outside the meetings. These mentors also give of their services on a voluntary basis.

For further information contact Michael McCann (NAPD Regional Co-ordinator) HERE