Stephen McKernan
School Principal
Stephen McKernan is an accomplished educational leader with more than 20 years of award-winning experience in school leadership across Northern Ireland, England, and the Republic of Ireland.
He began his leadership journey as the Founding Principal of Phoenix Integrated Primary School in Northern Ireland-an ambitious cross-community initiative that made a meaningful contribution to peace and integration. The school recently celebrated its twentieth anniversary as a thriving and respected school.
He began his leadership journey as the Founding Principal of Phoenix Integrated Primary School in Northern Ireland-an ambitious cross-community initiative that made a meaningful contribution to peace and integration. The school recently celebrated its twentieth anniversary as a thriving and respected school.
Appointed in 2004 as the youngest principal in Northern Ireland, Stephen went on to serve for a decade as Headmaster of the Preparatory School at St Edward's, Cheltenham. Under his leadership, the school advanced from "good" to "excellent" across three consecutive inspections and won national awards.
Stephen expanded the school's provision, introduced a coaching-based leadership programme for middle leaders, and achieved a 20% increase in enrolment within a single year through implementation of the Franklin Covey 4DX model.
His tenure was further distinguished by curriculum innovation, professional growth, and excellent pupil outcomes. Among his most celebrated initiatives was the creation of the first UK primary 1-12 agricultural science programme featuring alpacas, kunikuni pigs, goats, and poultry. The success of the program was widely praised by inspectors and local leaders for its creativity, inclusivity, and vision.
Beyond his school leadership roles, Stephen has advised numerous primary and secondary schools on strategic growth, leadership development, and inspection readiness. Between 2013 and 2025, he served as Team and Compliance Inspector with the UK Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) and held the post of National ISA Chair of Inspections for four consecutive years. He holds a Master's in Educational Leadership, the PQH NI (Headship) and NPQEL (Executive Leadership, University College London), and is a Chartered Member of the UK College of Teaching.
In 2025, Stephen was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA) and appointed an Honorary Member of the Independent Schools Association in recognition of his distinguished contributions to the sector over more than a decade.
A passionate advocate for academic excellence, innovation, and entrepreneurship in education, Stephen became the first principal in Ireland to introduce the world-renowned High Performance Learning (HPL) framework, with Castle Park School achieving the status of Ireland's only HPL World Class School in 2025.
