What do people think of Catholic schools? 

As part of the process of setting up new Boards of Management for Primary Schools, the Catholic Schools Partnership published research conducted with principals, teachers, priests, pupils and pastoral council members. 

The findings of the research can be summarised as follows:

• The Catholic primary school is still valid and valued today and its ethos and values remain relevant in modern Ireland.

• While it is accepted that there will be fewer Catholic schools in the future, there is still a strong desire to preserve the Catholic school identity.

• A clear definition of the Catholic school that fits with a modern and sophisticated society needs to be articulated.

• Parents should have a choice in the type of school they send their children to and this right applies equally to parents wishing for a Catholic education for their children.

• The more pertinent question in respect of parental choice was how that choice might be provided.

• Participants believed that a stronger, more committed Catholic school could emerge as a result of greater diversity of education provision.
  

Challenges

While articulating their firm commitment to and vision for the future of Catholic primary schools, participants' conversations also highlighted many issues that needed attention if this was to be realised. The main challenges that lie ahead for both the Church and the Catholic school were identified as follows;

• The need to adopt a strategic, coherent plan that will address the difficulty of reduced clergy numbers and also involve the laity fully in parish management was considered to be of urgent concern.

• Systemic weakness at parish level is putting the relationship between the school and parish under considerable strain. The implementation of sustainable systems at this level should be addressed as a matter of priority.

• Sacramental preparation in schools and parishes is viewed as problematic. Many principals and teachers feel over-burdened and unsupported in the task of sacramental preparation.

• Some parents are not taking responsibility for their children's faith formation. If structures were put in place in the parish, measures could be taken to tend to adult (parent) faith development, which might go some way to addressing this issue.

• Concern was expressed at the depth of teachers' knowledge of the faith in respect of the sacraments and in particular, the Sacrament of Confirmation.