Principalship for Life – Not A Good Idea?
- Published: 25 January 2011
‘Many primary school Principals spend too long in the same school and effectively become ‘Principal for life’. This practice is neither good for the Principal personally, nor for the wider school community’, stated Mr Seán Cottrell, Director of the Irish Primary Principals’ Network (IPPN) in his address to 1,000 school Principals at the IPPN Principals’ Conference in City West Hotel, Dublin.
‘In other countries where the practice of appointing a Principal on a fixed-term contract is in place, these Principals benefit professionally and are re-energised when moving to a different school on a new contract’ said Mr Cottrell.
In Ireland, it is not unusual for some schools to have the same Principal for more than 30 years.
‘We can never overestimate the influence and impact a Principal can have on a school community. There are very few examples of successful schools without an effective Principal. A change of leadership every 7 to 10 years is healthy as it brings new ideas and new energy’, concluded the IPPN Director.
