Reappointment and extension to the terms of appointment to the Council for Catholic Maintained Schools and its Diocesan Education Committees
Date published:
Education Minister Paul Givan has announced the reappointment of one member to the Council for Catholic Maintained Schools (CCMS) and three members to its Derry Diocesan Education Committee (DEC).
Eight existing members have also had their terms of appointment extended until 31 May 2025 or until such earlier time as a public appointment competition can be completed and new Council and DEC appointments can be made.
Education Minister Paul Givan said “I am pleased to reappoint the members to the Council and Derry DEC and thank them for their work over the last three and a half years.
“I would also like to thank the current members for their dedication and service and those members who have accepted an extension to their term of appointment, for their continued presence on the Council and DECs in an interim capacity while a public appointments competition can be completed and new appointments made.”
The reappointments are as follows:
Council
Ms Nuala Toman is Head of Innovation and Impact at Disability Action, Chair of the Little Forget Me Nots Trust, Vice Chair of Thrive, and a Board Member of the Human Rights Consortium and C21 Theatre Company. She previously served as a political representative member on the Education Authority Board from April 2015 until 31 January 2021.
Derry DEC
Sean Mullan was Vice Principal of St Mary’s Limavady and has just been appointed Principal. He is Branch Treasurer of the Limavady & Dungiven branch of the Irish National Teachers Organisation.
John Paul O’Doherty is currently a Director of Corporate Services with the Loughs Agency.
Briege O Neill is a former Principal of both Chapel Road Primary School, Waterside and St Colmcilles Primary School & Nursery Unit, Claudy over the last 25 years. She is also a former Assessor with CCMS and a former Top Team Moderator with the Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment and she was an Associate Inspector with ETI for three years.
The extensions to current term of appointments are as follows:
Council
Dr Patricia Corrigan is an Associate Lecturer in Business Studies at St Mary's University College.
Dr Ana Kerr is a Company Director of CEON Ltd. She is a former member of the Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment and was its interim Vice Chairperson.
Council and Down and Connor DEC
Mr Hugh Cox is Chairman and a Volunteer Tutor with Comhaltas Craobh Boirche (Lower Mourne) teaching music to SEN/Disabled Pupils. He is a volunteer with RNIB (Northern Ireland, a Board member of Shelter NI Ltd and Vice-Chair of Moneydarragh Community Hub Ltd. He previously served as a school governor and for over 16 years, as a Governing Body Member of both Newry Institute Further and Higher Education and its successor Body, Southern Regional College, gaining and extensive experience of Educational Issues and challenges.
Mrs Maxine Murphy-Higgins - is currently employed by the NASUWT Teachers’ Union. She is also club registrar for Tir Na Nog GAC. She continues to bring to the Council/DEC experience in business and corporate planning; and human resource management through her previous role as Employment Relations Manager with the Labour Relations Agency.
Dr Mary Elizabeth McIvor is a retired senior civil servant, with wide experience in strategic planning, finance, project management and research.
Armagh DEC
Professor Malachy Ó Néill is a Director of Regional Engagement at Ulster University and is currently Interim Director of Development and Alumni Relations. He is former Provost of Ulster University’s Derry-Londonderry Campus and Head of the School of Irish Language and Literature. He is temporary Chairperson of the Governing Body of North West Regional College and a member of the Irish Language, Literature and Celtic Cultures Committee of the Royal Irish Academy. Prof. Ó Néill is also a Director of Causeway Chamber of Commerce and Londonderry Chamber of Commerce. He was awarded a National Teaching Fellowship in 2019, the highest accolade in UK Higher Education.
Mr Brian Quinn is currently a Senior Architect with the Education Authority. He is also Chairman of the Advisory Committee on Art and Architecture to the Irish Bishops Commission on the Liturgy.
Clogher and Kilmore DEC
Mr Brian Treacy is Principal of Holy Trinity Primary and Nursery School, Enniskillen. He is also a School Governor of St Fanchea’s College, Enniskillen.
Notes to editors:
- The Council for Catholic Maintained Schools (CCMS) is a non-departmental public body established by the Education Reform (Northern Ireland) Order 1989. The Council is primarily a strategic organisation representing the needs of Catholic Maintained Schools, although it also has a significant advisory and operational responsibility in supporting Boards of Governors and schools directly, including its role as employing authority for all teachers in Catholic Maintained Schools. A primary function of the Council is to provide the Catholic Maintained sector with a unified voice in all matters relation to education policy and procedures.
- The Council also has a Diocesan dimension in respect of its policies and their implementation and the 1989 Order established a Diocesan Education Committee in each of the Dioceses of Armagh, Clogher and Kilmore, Derry, Down and Connor and Dromore. Each of the Diocesan Education Committees is supported by a team of professional officers and exercises many of the Council’s operational and representational responsibilities.
- There are 36 members in total on the Council for Catholic Maintained Schools with eight members appointed as departmental appointees by the Department of Education.
- There are18 members on each of the Armagh, Derry and Down and Connor DEC’s and 10 each on the Clogher and Kilmore and Dromore DECs. There are 16 departmental appointees in total across the five the Diocesan Education Committees.
- An open public appointments competition to fill current vacancies on the Council and its Diocesan Education Committees will shortly be launched.
- The re-appointments to the Council and Derry DEC will be effective from 30 November 2024 until 29 November 2028 and the extension to will be effective from 30 November 2024 until 31 May 2025. Members on the CCMS Council/DECs are not remunerated but can claim travel and subsistence allowances.
- The expected time commitment for members on the Council/DECs is anticipated to be approximately 1-1.5 per month with members expected to attend Council/DEC meetings, committee meetings and other ad hoc meetings.
- All members continue to bring to the Council experience in financial management and strategic planning; working with stakeholders to deliver high standards and results; and interpersonal and communication skills. All members have declared that they have not undertaken any political activity during the past five years. Two members hold other public appointments. Nuala Toman is a member of the board of the NI Museums Council for which she receives no remuneration and Mary McIvor is a member of the Board of Governors of St Dominic's Girls High School, Belfast for which she receives no remuneration. She is also a member of the RQIA (Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority), for which she receives annual remuneration of £6,640.
- These re-appointments have been made in accordance with the principles and practices of the Code of Practice of the Commissioner for Public Appointments. Appointments are made on merit and political activity plays no part in the selection process. However, the Commissioner requires the political activity of appointees to be published.