Lead the Way | Education Leadership Skills

Marie Sheehan has been Deputy Principal of Coláiste an Chroí Naofa, Carraig na bhFear in Cork for 8 years and is currently on career break. She is an accredited coach with the European Mentoring and Coaching Council and is the ownerand founder of Clochán Coaching & Education Consultancy. Marie works with teams and individuals in the area of supporting teachers and school leaders to develop their sense of agency and their capacity to lead well. She talks about her own decision to take a career break, what people need to consider and the value of coaching to provide the tools and space to act with confidence and direction.

http://www.mariesheehan.ie/

@clochan_coaching

Colette Crowley has just attained a principal position for September in Carriganima National School in Cork. She had been a Deputy Principal for four years and loved the school but really had a desire to progress in her career. She talks about her cancer diagnosis in college and her awareness of both grabbing and creating every opportunity that you want as life is short. Her story is inspiring.

Angela Cummins is known to me from her Instagram account SpecialedteacherIreland. She is a special education teacher based in Dublin for over 20 years. She discusses her own challenges in school, how she became the first in her family to go to college once she secured a loan for herself while simultaneously holding down multiple jobs, what getting an adult diagnosis of dyslexia was like and finally, she kindly shares her wisdom around opening an autism class.

Ann's website

⁠https://leadthewaycoaching.my.canva.site/⁠

https://angelacummins.ie/

https://www.instagram.com/angela_cummins2025?igsh=cmJ5bzhwcGo1eTFl

In this podcast, I compare notes with Emmet Ryan from St. Peter's Community School, Cork about how and why we set up a school podcast in our respective schools. We hope to inspire you to do the same! Below are links to our school website and links to our school podcasts.

Emmet's school podcast:

https://www.stpeters.ie/

https://audio.com/st-peters-english/audio/zoom0016-lr-wedeve-1

Emmet's email for advice:

[email protected]

Ann's school podcast :

https://www.scoilchriostriportlaoise.ie/

https://www.scoilchriostriportlaoise.ie/page/Transition-Year/48489/Index.html

How to set up podcast and sign up to Spotify for podcasters

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BlLX2uwojfM

Debbie O’Neill is Principal of Scoil Eoin, Crumlin, Dublin, a special school which caters for pupils with Mild General Learning disabilities as well as some students presenting with a dual diagnosis of ASD, ADHD. Schools catering for children with mild general learning disabilities are being put under pressure by the government to change their classification. She talks about the impact on her and the students and the decision to engage with the media as a Principal.

https://www.into.ie/app/uploads/2025/05/Circular_Letter_0039-2025_EN_final.pdf

Simon Lewis is the principal of Carlow Educate Together primary school, the only multidenominational primary school in the county, which he helped to set up. He is currently the only Irish primary school principal from an ethnic minority which we begin the podcast discussing. Simon’s podcast, If I were the Minister for Education, is another and one of the original education podcasts in Ireland Here we explore the Droichead Process which is currently under review.

In this podcast, I dig deeper into The Agree to Agree project and its origins. This is a conversation we need to keep having to save the next generation from the threat that is overuse and inappropriate use of internet enabled devices.

Dr Maureen Griffin is a forensic psychologist who specialized in the risk assessment of online sexual offenders. Maureen has worked with over 900 schools across Ireland, in addition to child protection agencies providing training on issues around online safety". 

Martin Maloney also joins me Martin was a Principal for 17 years and held that role in Clarecastle National School where The Agree to Agree Project was originally piloted in 2018. He is currently the director of the Clare Education Centre who proudly support the current project at the moment.

https://www.mgmstraining.ie/agree-to-agree-project

Clare Education Centre

https://www.clareed.ie/articles-in-category-tree/10-programmes/797-agree-to-agree-project-2024-2025.html

Navan Education Centre

https://www.ecnavan.ie/index.php?option=com_eventbooking&view=event&id=2059

Tralee Education Centre

https://www.edcentretralee.ie/

Minister for Education Helen McEntee acknowledges the project Feb 2025

https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/question/2025-02-25/400/

Donal Evoy is Principal in Blackrock Educate Together Secondary school in Cherrywood, Dublin. Donal completed his Masters in Leadership 10 years ago and his focus of research was peer observation. He has moved from piloting the scheme in his own school to opening it up across a network of schools so teachers could visit classrooms in another school entirely in order to learn from each other. He is here to share how he and a few colleagues did this and perhaps it is something you could introduce in your school.

Template used:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1WVuRqna0jqTrjLKdH6isWXfVE13lq74F/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=116790290612885199765&rtpof=true&sd=true

Ann's website

⁠https://leadthewaycoaching.my.canva.site/⁠

Dr Ciara Uí Chonduibh is Principal of St. Fiach’s National School in Ballinacree, Oldcastle, Co Meath. The school has just completed year one of a pilot scheme called, ‘Agree to Agree Scheme’ The Agree to Agree Project, which is supported by the Department of Education through Oide Technology in Education, aims to establish a school-specific agreement for the use of internet-enabled devices, creating a positive and unified norm for children's digital device use. It is facilitated by forensic psychologist Dr. Maureen Griffin of MGMS Training through Clare Education Centre.

https://www.clareed.ie/articles-in-category-tree/10-programmes/797-agree-to-agree-project-2024-2025.html

https://www.mgmstraining.ie/agree-to-agree-project

https://www.webwise.ie/

Paudie Moore, the Teacher’s Weight Loss coach returns for asecond podcast. Since our first podcast, he reflects onwhat he has learned from working with teachers in the past year and how this information might help you make 2025 your best year yet! You can follow Paudieon Instagram, @thriving teachersacademy

Ann's website:

https://leadthewaycoaching.my.canva.site/