Active

Primary

Mon Jun 8 2026

Tue Jun 23 2026

Wed Aug 26 2026

Permanent

Mainstream

Vertical

Co-Educational

Catholic

7

149

No

Scoil Chaitríona Naofa, Oristown under the patronage of the Catholic Bishop of Meath, Dr Tom Deenihan, is inviting applications for the position of Deputy Principal. This is a permanent position starting on 27th August 2026. This appointment will be made through open competition, in accordance with Circular 0044/2019 and Information Note 0008/2022.

Scoil Chaitríona Naofa, Oristown is a Catholic vertical primary school with a current enrolment of 149. The school is a rural school committed to supporting inclusion, equity, and excellence in teaching and learning. The present staff comprises of 1 teaching principal, 6 mainstream class teachers, supported by 1 Special Education Teacher.

Circular 0044/2019 states: ‘While the Principal is ultimately responsible to the Board of Management, as appropriate, for the leadership and management of the school, the Deputy Principal occupies a position of vital importance within the senior leadership team in a school. Shared leadership requires openness and willingness on the part of Principals and Deputy Principals, to share and to distribute leadership and management responsibilities in a manner that encourages and supports partnership. The Deputy Principal co-operates with the Principal in the fulfilment of the Principal’s role and acts or deputises as the Principal in the Principal’s absence’. In accordance with Circular 0044/2019, it should be noted that as the needs of the school continuously evolve, a review of duties may result in reassignment of the role and responsibilities within the leadership and management team.

This is a key senior leadership role, offering the opportunity to work in partnership with the Principal and the In-School Leadership Team to support the effective leadership, management, and development of the school. The successful candidate will demonstrate a responsive, reflective, and evidence-informed approach to leadership and school improvement and will be required to act or deputise for the Principal in the Principal’s absence.

Eligibility Criteria for Appointment
Applicants must:
1. Be fully registered with the Teaching Council (Route 1 – Primary) and have a minimum of five years recognised teaching service, two of which must be in a recognised primary school within the Republic of Ireland.
2. Hold a Recognised Certificate to Teach Religious Education in a Catholic School and be committed to upholding and promoting the ethos, values, and traditions of the Catholic Church.
3. Meet all statutory requirements, including Garda Vetting, Occupational Health screening, current Teaching Council registration, and satisfactory references, including the applicant’s current Principal for Child Protection purposes, in line with the Child Protection Procedures for Schools 2025.

Roles and Responsibilities
This position aligns with the four domains of leadership and management as outlined in Circular 0044/2019 and Looking at Our Schools 2022: A Quality Framework for Schools. They identify four key areas of leadership and management, and examples of demonstrated capacity will be sought in these domains:
1. Leading Teaching and Learning
2. Managing the Organisation
3. Leading School Development
4. Developing Leadership Capacity
Working closely with the Principal, the Deputy Principal will support whole-school curriculum development, policy formulation and implementation, planning and implementation, staff leadership, strategic planning, and the day-to-day management of the school. Duties associated with the role may, at times, require participation outside of the standard school day.

In addition, evidence of the following knowledge, competencies and experience are essential to the role:
• Knowledge of and a commitment to the ethos of our school.
• Experience of leadership, management and administration in a primary school setting.
• A commitment to work with and support the Principal towards a shared vision for the school. This includes acting up as Principal in the event of his/her absence from school.
• Strong commitment to inclusive education, with proven capacity to lead and support special education, EAL and mainstream provision.
• Highly effective interpersonal and communication skills. Evidence of the ability to foster positive relationships with all members of the school community.
• Proven capacity in successfully leading people and a commitment to collaboration and the promotion of distributed leadership.
• A willingness to work collaboratively and foster positive relationships with the Principal, all staff members, Board of Management, parents/guardians and the wider school community and an ability to work effectively with families and liaise with external agencies and support services.
• Support for extra-curricular activities and opportunities for pupils in the school.
• Grá don Ghaeilge a léiriú agus tacaíocht i gcóir dul chun cinn a dhéanamh ann tríd na scoile.
• A proven ability to work collaboratively with all stakeholders in policy development, implementation and future planning as per the needs of the school.
• Flexibility to adapt, to cater for the daily changing needs of the school.
• At regular intervals, but at minimum every two years, the Deputy Principal is required to undertake a review with the Principal. Roles and responsibilities will be reviewed in the context of the changing needs and priorities of the school and the professional development of the Deputy Principal. This may result in the reassignment of roles/responsibilities.


Application Process
Applications must be submitted by email to the Chairperson of the Board of Management Mr.Alf Martyn at: applications@oristownns.ie and received no later than 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday 23rd July
.
APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS
• It is a requirement to hold a valid Statutory Declaration and to complete the Form of Undertaking for this position.