Our Board of Management
Our dedicated school Board of Management works behind the scenes to ensure the school runs smoothly. The Board meets regularly and consists of eight members:
- Two nominees of the patron
- Two parents of children in the school – a mother and a father, elected by the parents
- The principal
- One other teacher – elected by the teaching staff
- Two community representatives
The Board’s responsibility is to manage the school in line with the ethos, policies and procedures as laid down by the Patron and the Minister for Education & Skills. In practice this is largely achieved by facilitating a child-centred educational environment which is in partnership with the Principal and the staff as well as the parents and the parish. We also note our ongoing desire, wherever possible, to be a place of welcome for those outside our immediate community; new-comers to our town, those of other faiths and none.
The members of the Board of Management generously volunteer their time to ensure the smooth running of the school. 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 principal and other staff members.
Canon David Mungavin
Chairperson – Patron’s rep
David has been Rector of St Patrick’s Church since 2009 and a member of the Board of Management since 2009. He is a Canon of Christchurch Cathedral. David takes whole school assemblies every Wednesday and 6th Class Confirmation preparation.
Rachel Harper
Principal - Staff Rep
Rachel has been Principal of St Patrick’s NS since January 2019. Prior to this, she was Principal of Nuns Cross NS, Ashford for 7 years. She has over 20 years of teaching experience across all class levels, including special educational needs, and extensive leadership experience. Rachel is a member of Oide’s leadership panel, where she mentors newly appointed principals. She is known for her practical, organised and collaborative leadership style, with a strong focus on building positive relationships within the school community.
A strong advocate for pupil and staff wellbeing, Rachel is committed to creating a supportive, inclusive and positive learning environment where all children can thrive.
She is also involved in wider community wellbeing initiatives in the Greystones and Delgany area and is the founder of the It Takes a Village initiative, a collaborative project working with local schools and organisations to support children and families. This includes promoting positive wellbeing and healthy approaches to digital use, including a voluntary agreement on reduced mobile phone use among primary school children. She is currently serving on the HSE Therapeutic Wellbeing Pilot project steering group, which aims to provide a range of creative therapeutic support in primary school settings.
Trevor Philips
Treasurer - Community Rep
Trevor is the father of two boys, both of whom attended St Patricks, the youngest leaving in 2017. With a background in Accountancy, he is currently the managing partner in a Tax Advisory Practice. A keen golfer he also serves on the committee in Greystones Golf Club. He is delighted to be joining the board at such an exciting time in the development of the school.
Alizia Gisler
Staff Rep
Alizia is currently a 6th Class Teacher, Year Head for 5th Class and AP2 post holder. She grew up in the gorgeous town of Lucerne in Switzerland, with her mum being Irish she spent most summers in Dublin and 30 years ago made the decision to move to Ireland permanently. Along with her husband and two children she relocated to Delgany four years ago. Both her children are attending St. Patrick’s and have settled in really well and made great friendships. She loves walking, reading, painting and being creative in her spare time.
Laura Bourne
Parent’s Rep
Andrew Johnston
Parent's Rep
Andrew is a father of three children, two of whom currently attend the school. A corporate executive with 20 years’ experience, of which a significant portion of that is at board level. Andrew is an active member of the Greystones community within clubs and charities and has enjoyed fund raising for both. Andrew has also previously served on a number of sporting and community committees and boards.
Arthur Godsil
Patron’s Rep
Arthur has been involved in international education for 46 years. In 1977, he joined St Andrew’s College as a teacher and in 1990 he was appointed Headmaster. For 20 years he was a member of the Joint Managerial Body (JMB), which represents 400 voluntary secondary schools in Ireland. He has been President of the Irish School Heads Association (ISA) and a member of that organisation for 23 years. In 2013 after 23 years as Headmaster, he set up Godsil Education (GE) with his daughter, Emma.
Jennifer Lewis
Community Rep
