Board Members

Message from the Chair of the Board of Directors

As Chair, I am pleased to share some background information on the governance and oversight of Castle Park School. The School was founded by its first headmaster, Mr Wilfred Parker Toone, who later passed it on to his successor, Mr Donald Pringle. Following Mr Pringle’s untimely death in 1962, the school transferred to the ownership of a charitable company in 1963, governed by a board of directors.

Castle Park School CLG is a registered company and a not-for-profit organisation with charitable status. The School can have between three and ten directors. Each member serves a three-year term and may stand for re-election at the end of that term. A majority of the current board are parents or former parents. There is no formal process for selection, but when a vacancy arises, the Board will look for someone with particular skills (academia, business and finance, legal, construction, IT, marketing, etc.) so that matters affecting the School are considered from a position of experience and expertise. Board members devote considerable time and commitment to their roles.

The purpose of the Board is to review policies, receive detailed reports from the headmaster and members of staff at every meeting, and consider plans for the development and continuous improvement of our educational provision. It is not the function of the Board to get involved in the day-to-day running of the School. This is handled by the management team led by the Principal. The Board’s role is to oversee the proper functioning of the School, especially from a financial and risk perspective, and to preserve the asset for future generations.

The Board also oversees the Swim Academy and Sports Centre, which not only makes good use of our facilities but also serves the local community, providing swimming lessons to over 1,200 children and supporting local clubs that use our Astroturf and Olympic-size sports hall.

The School is unusual in that, as it does not receive government funding, it is not subject to the Department of Education’s requirements. However, Castle Park pupils follow the Irish Primary School Curriculum, which we tailor to suit their needs. In many subject areas, we exceed its expectations and add significant content. Two examples of where we exceed it with our pupils would be our extensive social and emotional aspects of learning (SEAL) curriculum and the study of computer coding, including programming robots from age four. Castle Park places strong emphasis on reading and closely monitors each pupil’s progress. Our standards are subject to external inspection by the child and family agency, TUSLA and by POBAL for ECCE scheme provision. All staff and Board members are Garda vetted.

The goal of providing a quality education for all pupils is a journey rather than a destination, so as we strive for ongoing improvement, our efforts are guided by a detailed School Improvement Plan (SIP). Once these three to five-year plans have been reviewed, evaluated and approved by the Board of Directors, the key objectives of each SIP are shared with staff, parents, and pupils. In recent years, several important developments requiring substantial investment have been approved by the Board. These include initiatives in literacy & numeracy, Forest School, robotics, SEAL, including mindfulness, adventure playgrounds, role-play in early years teaching, learning digital technologies, and flexible space for collaborative learning activities. Each development was carefully planned and implemented in a phased, manageable way to sustainably enhance educational opportunities.

As a long-serving member of the Board, I can appreciate what is involved in fulfilling our responsibilities, so I would also like to say Thank You to my fellow Directors, past and present, for their support and hard work. They bring energy, expertise and wisdom to the demanding role, and I am most grateful to them for volunteering.

Chair of the Board of Directors

Members of the Board

• Ms Portia Reynolds (Chair)
• Ms Ellen Pinschmidt (Vice Chair)
• Mr Séamus Brady
• Mr Conor Crowley
• Ms Mairéad Duncan Jones
• Mr Vincent Finnegan
• Mr Gary Kidson
• Mr Eanna Mellett
• Ms Áine Ní Neachtaín
• Mr Karl Strecker