A cháirde go léir, It is my very great pleasure to welcome you all to the 2025 edition of NAPD Annual Conference. I wish to extend a particularly warm welcome to those of you new to school leadership who are attending for the first time.
If this is your first conference, you will find a community here that is generous with advice, encouragement, and friendship. Indeed, the great strength of our Association lies in our cross-sectoral and nationwide composition which affords us opportunities to benefit from many diverse and wide-ranging friendships, support and wisdom. For those returning after many conferences, thank you for your ongoing support and the valuable perspectives you continue to share.
At the outset, I wish to say that it has been a great honour and a privilege to serve as your President over this last year and express my deepest of gratitude for the trust you placed in me to represent you and this very fine Association.
I wish also to take this opportunity to thank all those who supported me personally in my role as President throughout this last year and those whose dedicated work behind the scenes ensure that our voice is not just heard but listened to.
Michelle and Lisa whose committed work ensures the smooth operations of Head Office. Publications Editor Barry O Callaghan who consistently produces excellent editions of the Leader magazine. Our nationwide network of Regional Committees, Secretaries and Chairs who organise wonderful professional development opportunities for local members while also continuing to ensure that Regional concerns are raised and addressed. Those devoted retired members who have acted as Regional Ambassadors to support newly appointed colleagues.
Heartfelt thanks also, to the members of our National Executive team who give willingly of their time to ensure that member’s concerns are consistently raised and discussed at a national level while also ensuring that the Association itself runs efficiently while continuing to grow and modernise.
The Presidential Team of past President, Regina Butler and Vice-president Brian Doran whose continual support and advice has been invaluable throughout the year. Finally, our Director Paul Crone and Deputy Director Rachel O Connor who represent our members tirelessly at every possible opportunity. Their
dedication, planning and vision are examples of leadership in action, often unseen, purposeful, and effective.
Our theme this year, Re-imagining Leadership in Changing Times could not be more timely and follows on from our themes of the sustainability of our roles as school leaders of recent conferences. The landscape of education and the role of the school leader is continually shifting like quicksand beneath our feet at anincreasingly rapid rate. I have spoken before about my belief that we have moved from what was once slow role creep to an avalanche of expectations.
Senior Cycle reform with new approaches to assessment, the expanding needs of inclusion with increasing numbers of special classes, updating of child protection, anti-bullying and behaviour policies, the impact of digital technologies and artificial intelligence, the increasing demands of accountability, the realities of
recruitment and retention, ongoing impact of social media and the growing emphasis on student wellbeing are just some of the forces reshaping our schools and our role as school leaders presently.
Leadership in schools today is no longer about steady management of the familiar, it is about adaptability in the face of constant change. Yet if we are not careful, that constant change risks overwhelming us. We therefore, need to re-imagine leadership by moving beyond the current model of simply managing every crisis and initiative as they arise to a model where we rethink the assumptions of the role and imagine new possibilities.
In my conference speech I will speak about the need for clarity of our role and where our priorities should lie. Are we to be leaders of learning or super managers consumed by administration and compliance? The traditional image of the principal or deputy principal as the single centre of authority needs to give way to a more collaborative model where leadership is shared across the school. This model of distributed leadership is very much what is envisioned by circular 003/2018 but lacks the necessary flexibility and most importantly accountability to allow this to happen in a meaningful way. Re-imagined leadership should become less about command and control and more about dialogue, trust, and partnership.
Re-imagining leadership also requires renewal, of ourselves, of our practices, and of our sense of purpose. Renewal is not indulgence, it is necessity. Leaders who make space for reflection, who sustain themselves through networks like ours in NAPD, and who reconnect regularly with their core values are the ones who can carry schools through changing times with hope and clarity.
In this regard it is important that this conference is not just about presentations and speakers but also about connection. For many of us, it is one of the rare occasions in the year when we step away from the demands of the school day and give ourselves permission to reflect, to learn, and to rejuvenate. In our roles, the
isolation can be real, despite being surrounded by people every day. Meeting fellow leaders who understand the challenges without long explanation, reminds us that we are not alone. Taking time to enjoy the company of colleagues, to share practical strategies and creative solutions or even to laugh together is not insignificant, it is integral to sustainable leadership.
Learning is central too. The conference programme is designed to offer a rich mix of keynotes, workshops, and discussions that will spark new ideas and challenge familiar assumptions. Each session is an opportunity to bring something back to your school that may lighten your load, inspire your staff, or better serve your students. I hope that you will find the programme interesting and inspiring or at the very least an opportunity to reflect and consider what a re-imagined version of your role might look like.
As we begin this conference, I invite you to hold this question in mind: What would re-imagined leadership look like in my school, for my staff, for my students and most importantly for myself, my personal wellbeing and the way I assume this most important of roles?
Colleagues, thank you for the extraordinary work you do every day in your schools, often unseen, too often unacknowledged, but always essential. Thank you for the courage you show in leading in changing times. And thank you for your commitment to ensuring that education in Ireland continues to serve our young people with excellence, compassion, and vision.
I wish you an inspiring, restorative, and imaginative conference.
Ar aghaidh le chéile
Anton O’Mahony – NAPD President