BUILDING CONFIDENCE,
SHARING BEST PRACTICE,
STRENGTHENING LEADERSHIP
IN CATHOLIC SCHOOLS
Addressing the challenges Catholic School Leaders face today and every day
As I built CESS during 2025-26 I took time to consult with former colleagues and others within the wider network of Catholic education. I listened attentively to school leaders and teachers, and I even sought out the views of parents and students in schools all over the country.
When it came to those leading in the schools five questions kept rising to the surface:
1
How can I lead with integrity, conviction and confidence when my own foundations in faith are not solid?
2
How do I support my team effectively when many—sometimes most—are not familiar with or do not personally identify with the Catholic tradition?
3
How do we hold together a vibrant, confident Catholic identity while remaining fully inclusive, welcoming, and respectful of all faiths and none?
4
How can we strengthen and elevate the quality of teaching and learning in the Religious Education classroom?
At CESS, we understand these questions because we have grappled with them.
Our approach is to support others who care about the Catholic identity of their schools but who live with these challenges every day.
Catholic Education Supports and Services offers practical solutions to those who are navigating through these challenges.
Whether you are a principal, deputy, an RE teacher, or a member of a wider school team, CESS can help you find effective solutions and to build a school culture that is faith-filled, inclusive, and educationally excellent.
Education Nation Podcast
Brought to you by the Irish Catholic and hosted by Nicky Cuddihy, Education Nation is invites fascinating guests to talk about their own career journeys and their role within the Irish education system. With new episodes arriving every two weeks, we aim to help develop a better understanding of the complexity, richness, and diversity that make our education system so unique, and our schools and teachers so highly valued.