Teaching principals in small primary schools struggle to balance full time classroom instruction with an overwhelming invisible workload. Shared leadership structures and collaborative networks offer practical pathways toward long term professional sustainability.
In this conversation, school leaders explore strategies for managing multi grade teaching alongside administrative duties. The discussion examines core principles of authentic co leadership, research on principal well-being, and the operational advantages of small school clusters.
Aoife O'Connor serves as Deputy Principal and Acting Principal at Tierneevin National School in Galway. She brings deep experience across diverse educational settings, serving as a pioneer for distributed leadership as the first elected deputy principal on the IPPN Board of Directors.
THINGS WE SPOKE ABOUT
- Career progression across different school settings and leadership roles
- Core principles of co-leadership and building authentic trust
- Research insights on well-being for small school leader
- Balancing classroom teaching with invisible administrative leadership duties
- Practical benefits of small school clusters and administrative support
GUEST DETAILS
Aoife O'Connor is Deputy Principal and Acting Principal at Tierneevin National School in south Galway, teaching Junior and Senior Infants. She holds a Masters in the Leadership of Wellbeing in Education from Mary Immaculate College, with her research featured in the IPPN Sustainable Leadership Report. As an Associate with the Oide Leadership Team and the first elected deputy principal to the IPPN Board of Directors, she actively champions collaborative co-leadership and professional mentoring across primary education
MORE INFORMATION
IPPN is the officially recognised, professional network for leaders of Irish primary schools. It is an
independent, not-for-profit, voluntary association, with a local, regional and national presence.
It provides practical resources, professional learning, and peer support to strengthen leadership capacity and sustainability. IPPN also advocates on behalf of school leaders, ensuring their perspectives influence education policy and practice.
Learn more about IPPN and our work at ippn.ie
Our podcast is produced by dustpod.io
QUOTES
You behave yourself into trust. - Aoife O'Connor
If someone is to look after everybody else's, they need to look after their own. - Aoife O'Connor
You're all things to all people all of the time, but your priority is the children in front of you in your class. - Aoife O'Connor
KEYWORDS:
#SmallSchoolLeadership#CoLeadership#SustainableLeadership#SmallSchoolsProject
What is Leading for Impact with IPPN?
Leading for Impact explores the experience of the practice of primary school leadership, the challenges that arise and the opportunities that present, with insights provided by expert voices from education and beyond.
We bring you conversations with school leaders who've faced the same impossible juggling acts we all know too well, plus policy makers, mental health experts, and stakeholder voices who understand the systemic pressures you face.
You’ll discover evidence-based solutions, hear how other schools have tackled similar challenges and gain fresh perspectives that help you see your own practice with new clarity.
Leading for Impact – Real conversations for real school leaders from IPPN, the network for Irish Principals and Deputy Principals.
Discover more at ippn.ie