{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Leading for Impact with IPPN","title":"From the Private Sector to Leadership of a Special School","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":1929,"description":"Caroline Sheill spent 12 years in corporate finance before discovering her teaching vocation during maternity leave. After training in Montessori and Special Education she eventually became Deputy Principal in an ASD specific school before moving to St. Michael's House in Ballymun as Principal.\nArriving at the end of COVID to lead 60+ masked staff she'd never met, Caroline made a crucial decision: spend September meeting every staff member individually before implementing any changes. This listening-first approach helped her understand existing expertise and build trust before transformation.\nThose conversations led to key innovations which prevented burnout, built whole-school capacity, and shifted the culture from reactive to proactive behaviour strategies, making both students and staff feel genuinely safe.\nJoin us to hear practical strategies for leading change, preventing specialist burnout, and building effective transition programmes that prepare students with complex needs for adult life through real community partnerships with hairdressers, libraries, and cafés.\nTHINGS WE SPOKE ABOUT\n Meeting every staff member before changing anything\n Mixing classes and building whole school approach to needs\n Reactive to proactive behaviour strategies making students and staff feel safe at school\n How new classrooms impact on the physical environment matters as much as staff\n Community links transition programme to give students real life skills\n\nGUEST DETAILS\nCaroline Sheill is the principal of St Michael's House Special National School in Ballymun, serving 64 students aged 5-18 with moderate to severe/profound intellectual disabilities (28 with autism diagnoses, many with complex medical needs requiring four nurses on staff). Her journey to education was unconventional—working 12 years in a multinational's accounts department then customer service before realizing during maternity leave with her second child that she wanted a career allowing more family time.\nMORE...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/aJi42R4jdQBofPBLmW-b33-JKAUvRVBOY-VGg9-Wf_8/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9jZGUw/NjJmNjExYWFlODZm/OWNiYjQ0MzQyYjZi/OTE1ZC5qcGc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}