Meet your trainer

John Madden

John Madden is the Principal of Roddensvale School, Larne since 2003. Upon joining Roddensvale School, he oversaw the building of the new school in 2005, before many more extensions were added to accommodate rising pupil numbers. He was awarded a BEM in 2018 for services to special education and charity. John started his career as a PE teacher in England, moving to Northern Ireland where he taught in post-primary and then in MLD units in the Causeway Coast and Glens area. He took on the Vice Principal role in Loughan School in Ballymena, working there for a number of years before taking up the role of Principal in Roddensvale School. His passion for cycling is brought into the school, with many fundraising activities involved. In 2024 he was awarded an MBE for services to education. Roddensvale School is at the fore of Trauma Informed Practice (TIP) and they were not only the pilot school for TIP, but were also the first school in Northern Ireland to be awarded a Silver Attachment and Trauma Sensitive School Award from Jenny Nock Consultancy. While John has commenced a phased retirement, his passion for special education has not diminished and he continues to be at the fore of special education in Northern Ireland.