Catholic Schools

There is growing recognition of the success of Catholic schools internationally. In England the fact that the Prime Minister and his wife have committed their children to Catholic schools has had great symbolic and public relations significance. Catholic schools, in many societies, are oversubscribed with students from both the Catholic community and the wider community. Despite the rising profile of Catholic schooling it is still relatively under-researched. In this ground-breaking research study Gerald Grace explores 'the secret garden of Catholic education' with the help of historical, theoretical and documentary sources and fieldwork interviews conducted with sixty Catholic secondary headteachers in schools serving deprived urban communities in London, Liverpool and Birmingham. The 'successes', 'failures' and 'uncertainties' of Catholic schooling are vividly illuminated as are the dilemmas facing Catholic schools in an increasingly secularist, consumerist and market-driven milieu. These dilemmas relate to the challenges of spiritual, moral and personal formation; to the Catholic meanings of academic success; to the tensions between market values in schooling; to the many threats to the mission integrity of Catholic schools and to the role of Catholic schools as exemplars of the principles of 'the common good'. The challenges for Catholic school leadership are highlighted throughout the book. This book will be a val;uable resource for Catholic educators internationally and also for all those who want to understand Catholic schooling culture more deeply. At a time when the British government favours an increase in the number of faith-based schools, this book has much contemporary relevance for educational, political and policy debates.