School values and ethos : how Catholic faith schools communicate their purpose and mission with others

Abstract

The purpose of this mixed method research was to find out how local Catholic Schools express and transmit their purpose and mission. The study tried to bring to the fore the views of various stakeholders in Church Schools offering a good insight into how the ethos and values of Catholic Schools are transmitted in the everyday life of these schools. The study revealed that there are many similarities among Catholic Schools in the manner they communicate their purpose and mission with others. Nine common themes emerged reflecting the manner by which such an ethos is transmitted, promoted, and maintained within local Church Schools. This was seen in the manner they witnessed the Gospel Values, the emphasis they put on character formation, personal development and responsible citizenship, through the way they value people via ongoing open communication and pastoral care, and by promoting acceptance and maintaining a Catholic Culture and community spirit. Moreover, the findings reveal that despite their individual charisma, all the five schools in the study adopt a very similar approach in the way they transmit their values. One can argue that the ethos of these schools, is faithful to the teachings of the Catholic Church guided by its beliefs and values. The findings emerging from this study suggest, that despite the unique character of each of these five schools and the differences in the way each individual school presents itself, at their core, they share the same perception and value of the human person. It can be therefore argued, that this universality and commonality of Catholic Schools and their values, presents the person of Christ at the very centre of everything they do. This goes beyond the educational characteristics they share with other educational institutions. Their mission is a religious one, underpinned and distinguished by a Catholic legacy they uphold.