Cathal BarryCathal Barry takes a look at a new key document on inclusivity in Catholic schools
The vast majority of primary schools in Ireland (89%) are under the patronage of the Catholic Church. This means that the ethos or characteristic spirit of the school is informed by the teachings and the traditions of the Catholic faith.
The Catholic Schools Partnership (CSP), headed by Fr Michael Drumm, has set out to prove that Catholic schools are caring and inclusive communities precisely because they are Catholic.
A new booklet, published by the CSP, claims that Catholic schools have “adapted to demographic change” with significant net migration into Ireland and “led the way” in integrating migrants into local communities.
“They have been leaders in areas such as social inclusion, special needs and Traveller education,” the CSP states, referencing various studies and data to back up their claim.
Catholic Primary Schools in a Changing Ireland: Sharing Good Practice on the Inclusion of all Pupils is essentially a resource for Catholic schools in developing policies and in sharing best practice.
It is published in response to the report Forum on Patronage and Pluralism in the Primary Sector: Progress to date and Future Directions which was issued by the Department of Education and Skills in 2014.
Issues
Part one deals with foundational issues, including a vision of what a Catholic primary school strives to be:
“Catholic schools in Ireland are a living expression of a long and varied tradition of education inspired by the life of Christ as lived in the Church. Such schools emphasise the dignity of the human person as a child of God called to work with other persons in creating an inclusive community in service of the common good; where knowledge is sought and respected while faith is nurtured and challenged.”
Among other issues, the first part of the document deals with diversity in schools.
It is now commonplace that among the students who attend Catholic schools in Ireland are those who do not come from Catholic families.
In many cases, the document notes, parents “opt for this type of education” and “welcome the ethos and values” which underpin such schools.
However, in other cases, parents may have little or no choice but to send their child to a Catholic school, raising the question of opting out of some classes.
Catholic schools “respect and acknowledge the right of parents who require that their children be excluded from religious instruction”, the booklet definitively states.
The CSP’s document also draws on the new religious education curriculum which will be introduced in schools from September.
The new curriculum, according the CSP, has among its objectives the need to “prepare young children for living in contact with other Christians and people of other religious faiths, affirming their Catholic identity, while respecting the faiths of others”.
“While the intercultural and inter-religious dimension will be embedded in the programme and explored thematically, the curriculum further proposes that children will have formal study of faiths other than Christianity in each year,” the document states.
Part two of Catholic Primary Schools in a Changing Ireland provides examples of good practises with regard to the holistic education of all pupils in Catholic primary schools and advises schools to adapt them to their local circumstances.
Regarding a school’s mission statement, the CSP advises that applicant parents should understand that the ethos underpinning the school “permeates the whole school day” and states that in offering an understanding of the ethos “the policy should be positive about diversity and inclusion”.
“The presence of children from diverse backgrounds can enrich the life of the school community,” the CSP observes.
The document also points out that issues around inclusion and diversity are best addressed at a pre-enrolment meeting, at which any issues parents may have in relation to their child’s spiritual welfare may be addressed with the principal.
In order to ensure that parents from both Christian and other faith traditions understand the nature of religious education in Catholic primary schools, the CSP lays out sample information that they recommend be provided to prospective parents:
“As a Catholic school, religious education is provided for pupils in accordance with the doctrines, practices and traditions of the Catholic Church. Catholic children will be provided with religious experiences that will help them to develop their faith, such as prayer and sacramental preparation. In addition to these activities, all children will also learn about and from the beliefs, teachings and practices of the great religious traditions of the world, with particular focus on Christianity.
This type of learning is open to, and inclusive of, all children, regardless of their faith background. Children from all faiths and none are therefore welcome to participate in the religious education programme that the school provides.”
In addition to setting out an overview of the religious education programme and how it is managed, the CSP advise that schools should also set out a procedure for dealing with any requests made for ‘opt out’ from religious education.
This information should also advise of the options the school can provide for children when a request for ‘opt out’ from religious education is made.
The CSP state that children of other faiths should be “invited but not obliged” to attend all Catholic religious celebrations in the school.
However, parents “may decide to excuse their child from school for the duration of any of these celebrations”.
The document goes on to note that while involvement in the preparation of Catholic children for the Sacraments of First Reconciliation, First Communion and Confirmation is an “integral part” of the life of a Catholic primary school, children whose parents do not wish them to receive these sacraments can opt out of the programme.
However, it makes provision for pupils who may wish to participate in choirs, art, drama and other aspects of school support for the sacramental programme.
Concluding, the document notes that a holistic education includes religious education “as part of a dialogue that opens up some of the most important questions in human life”.
“Each school will need to adapt these concrete suggestions to local circumstances,” the CSP states.