KPS welcomes Mr Ian Packham as the new school principal.
The Board of Management is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Ian Packham as Principal of Kildare Place School from the 2nd. September, 2008, following the retirement of Mrs. Hazel Allen.
Ian is from Cork, a graduate of the Church of Ireland College of Education, from which he graduated with distinction in 1999, winning the Vere Foster Medal awarded by the I.N.T.O. for the highest marks achieved in teaching practice amongst the Colleges of Education. He achieved a Bachelor of Education Honours degree the following year specialising in Education Administration, History of Education and the use of Information and Communication Technologies in Education. His area of special study was ‘The role of the school assembly.’
Since 1999 he has been on the staff of Rathfarnham National School, holding a post of responsibility for Resource Teaching/Computers as well as being a member of the In-School Management Team with particular responsibilities for Curricular and Administrative Policy, Planning and Review.
Since 2006 he has been seconded to the Primary Curriculum Support Programme as Regional Facilitator for the Arts in primary schools including Mainstream Schools, DEIS schools, Gaelscoileanna and Special Schools in Dublin, Louth, Meath, Monaghan and Cavan. He has been responsible for the delivery of courses as part of continuing professional development for teachers in music, the visual arts and drama.
Since 2001 he has been a part time lecturer in the Church of Ireland College of Education with responsibility for Music Education on the Bachelor of Education Programme. He is also the choir director in the college. He has designed and delivered a summer course for teachers approved by the Department of Education and Science based on Integrated Arts.
In his own professional development he has completed courses in Web Design and Management, Identifying and Remediating Learning Difficulties, Music and Creativity in the Classroom, and Salsa in the Primary School.
From the above you can see that he brings a wide range of experience and interests to the school, especially in music and the arts. He is a gifted communicator with an infectious enthusiasm for teaching children, and motivating and encouraging teachers in their task.
We hope that he will receive a warm welcome to our school, and that all of us who are involved with the school will benefit from his enthusiasm and experience, and with anticipation look forward to working with him and bringing our school on to encourage the children to grow and develop in knowledge and creative imagination.