In the summer of 2014, a number of principals of voluntary secondary schools applied to the Department of Education and Skills to be relieved of their positions and re-integrated as teachers into the staff of the school. Indeed the sharp increase in the rate of attrition among such principals is becoming a matter of concern for trustee and managerial bodies charged with their appointments. And it raises the question of what can be done to support them as persons and professionals. The need for support applies in a particular way to principals – the leaders of teaching and learning. So much depends on the person of the principal and how they understand the role.