GRACE Conference- January 2024

The current situation in Catholic education in Ireland is complex and there is an urgent need to make changes to our system in order to stay relevant and impactful. For example: Challenges:

• A need for a common, shared vision of Catholic education;
• An increasingly secular society;
• The rapid pace of societal and technological change;
• Uncoordinated and diffuse use of limited resources;
• A need for a more robust initial and ongoing formation of school staff at all levels;
• The number of schools with Catholic patronage particularly at primary level;
• The commitment to the reconfiguration of primary patronage;
• The need for a more cohesive structure of support for schools at a regional level.

Opportunities:

• To have a shared vision of Catholic education, simply articulated, understood by all stakeholders and rooted in Christ;
• To build a sustainable, coordinated Catholic education system on an all island basis;
• To learn from other contexts with similar challenges;
• To collaborate and develop future partnerships nationally and internationally;
• To gather relevant data in a systematic way to inform future decision making and monitor progress;
• To build on the strong tradition of community in an increasingly polarised society;
• To audit and review the current stakeholders and identify strength and consolidation of resources

The study trip was designed as a joint project by GRACE and ACE Ireland as a formation experience for system and emerging system leaders from Ireland. The aim of the visit was to deepen knowledge, develop skills and learn new ways to revitalise Catholic education in Ireland. Catholic Education Western Australia (CEWA), serving the four large dioceses of Western Australia (WA), provides a model of excellence in practice on how to structure, coordinate and foster Catholic ethos in the life of their schools.

CEWA acknowledges, with gratitude, the many Irish priests, sisters and brothers that enabled the development of their school system.

The Croí Group studied CEWA’s whole systems approach to Catholic education with a focus on

• A Shared Vision and Language for Catholic Education,
• Living the Shared Vision in Schools
• School Culture/Ethos
• Formation Pipelines/ Accreditation - Formal and Informal

• Governance & Finance Structures
• Teaching and Learning
• Religious Education
• Wellbeing at Every Level of the System.

Croí engaged with system leaders, schools, principals, teachers, 3rd level researchers and other stakeholders in both CEWA and the University of Notre Dame, Australia. A key component of the engagement involved visiting both primary and post-primary schools within the CEWA system. The group was supported and facilitated by key members of staff in both CEWA and the University Of Notre Dame, Australia.

The Global Researchers Advancing Catholic Education (GRACE) inaugural conference took place in the University of Notre Dame, Fremantle between 17 - 19th January, 2024.

The theme for the conference was ‘Head, Heart and Hands: Together in Faith’. In the presentations Irish practitioners and researchers were well represented. The practical relevance of research informing best practice for Catholic education was manifest.

Note: There is further detail on GRACE and its research in Ireland in the appendix to this document.

Croí summarised their findings under the following headings:

• Ongoing Formation and Accreditation:
• Leadership Development;
• Teaching and Learning;
• Governance and Structures;
• Finance.
  1. Ongoing Formation and Accreditation

Catholic Education Western Australia (CEWA) has established appropriate and supportive, yet rigorous pathways for the preparation and ongoing professional learning and formation of staff.

These pathways are achieved through the professional learning programme outlined in the Accreditation Framework. When appointed to positions in Catholic education, staff members need to gain an understanding of the Catholic faith, tradition, and practice. The purpose of this is to ensure that all staff appointed to positions in Catholic education receive Accreditation appropriate to their level of responsibility. Croí believes that such a process would enrich Catholic education in the Irish context. A necessary, parallel process is that of invitational faith

formation (head/heart/hands), such as that outlined in A Framework for Formation for Mission in Catholic Education¹ (2017) from the National Catholic Education Commission of Australia.

1. Leadership Development

The accreditation process is further supported by a suite of invitational leadership programmes that are scaffolded, intentional and structured and available at every stage of their career. The courses are organised under their leadership framework Everyone Leads and are based on four leadership pillars from the Quality Framework Document: Catholic Identity; Education; Community and Stewardship. Catholic ethos and culture is interwoven throughout each of the programmes. Croí believes that Ireland should develop similar approaches as outlined the following documents Quality Catholic Education framework² and Everyone Leads,

1. Teaching and Learning

Croí’s engagement with CEWA demonstrated the importance of viewing all elements of any curriculum framework through a Catholic lens. The commitment to using effective practices and contemporary pedagogy through the Catholic lens should inform continuing professional development with all our staff.

• A good Catholic school is a good school striving for excellence in teaching and learning.
• The Catholic vision of education is integrated into all teaching and learning within the school.
• The teaching of RE needs to be central to the work of the Catholic school. Formation in faith is invitational and propositional.
• Teaching and learning in a Catholic school is Christ-centred and student-focused, encouraging each student to find her/his own voice.
• The Catholic school acknowledges the interdependence of faith and reason and therefore appreciates the value of each and every subject on the curriculum, developing critical thinking skills, and reflection in the pursuance of truth.
• the need for a coordinated strengthening of the Catholic presence at third level.
  1. Governance and Structures

The Bishops of Western Australia mandate, Bishops’ Mandate³, informs the Catholic Education Commission of Western Australia (CECWA) in fostering the continuous development and improvement of Catholic schools in Western Australia, and in acting on behalf of the Catholic community for the benefit of all Catholic school-aged children, be they in Catholic schools or not.

The Catholic Education Commission of Western Australia (CECWA) was established in 1971. Its purpose was to ensure the implementation of standard policies that would incorporate the optimum use of the available funds. Before this time, Catholic schools operated mainly

¹ https://ncec.catholic.edu.au/resource-centre/a-framework-for-formation-for-mission-in-catholic- education/

² https://mct.cewa.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/2021.08_QCE-Framework-Expanded-A3.pdf

³ https://www.cewa.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Bishops-Mandate-2009-2015.pdf

independently of each other, and as such, there were few opportunities for formal leadership formation.

Croí was struck by the contrast with the distributed governance model in Ireland. The establishment of the Catholic Education Partnership (CEP) structures, including the Association of Patrons and Trustees of Catholic Schools (APTCS) and the Secretariat of Secondary Schools (SSS) marked an important step towards greater coherence. The primary sector remains to be integrated into this structure. Croí notes the separate structures within N. Ireland, including the Catholic Schools Trustee Service and the Council for Catholic Maintained Schools and the All Ireland links provided through the Council for Education and Council for Catechetics. Croí identified the need for a coordinated strengthening of the Catholic presence at third level.

Croí believes that the true potential of the CEP structures will only be fully realised by the achievement of a common agreed vision and framework, informing the strategic direction for Catholic education as a whole. Further work is required to achieve greater coherence, unity of purpose, and communication within the CEP structure, ensuring the efficient use of resources through coordinated collaboration between the various bodies, patrons, and trustees.

Croí were struck by the effectiveness of the centralised nature of the CEWA Office where all functions and offices were housed in the same building, We believe colocation of all the agencies in the Irish Catholic Education system would be beneficial. The establishment of regional Diocesan Education Offices serving multiple dioceses would also help secure the future quality of Catholic education.

The present CEP structures are solely intended to address Catholic education in the Republic of Ireland. Working relationships and collaboration with Catholic education structures in Northern Ireland are presently on an informal basis. Croí believes that many of the challenges and opportunities identified above should be addressed on an all-island basis and that these informal working relations between both civil jurisdictions within Ireland should be structured on a more formal basis.

1. Finance

CEWA Catholic schools funding model is based on a formula of 80% state/federal government funding with the remaining 20% coming from parental fees. This is a very different model to that operating in Ireland. CEWA provides services to all of the state which encompasses four Dioceses. This model reduces duplication and pools resources to maximise impact. The Croí group believes that a pooling of our existing resources and alignment of services can be achieved within the Irish context.

Croí recommends;

• The establishment of a working group to progress the;
  • drafting of a shared vision for Catholic education;

• a quality framework for Catholic schools;
• an accreditation and formation pathway for all staff in Catholic education;
• development of suite of leadership development programmes for Catholic schools;
• greater cooperation and coordination at provincial and diocesan levels to facilitate the better use of existing resources;
• colocation of all the agencies in the Irish Catholic education system;
• development an enhanced internal and external communication strategy;
• the need for a coordinated strengthening of the Catholic presence at third level
• The development of a shared services strategy with the DE to support Catholic schools in areas such as HR, Finance, Procurement and ICT.

Croí expresses profound thanks for the hospitality shown by Catholic Education Western Australia, the University of Notre Dame, Australia and the Archdiocese of Perth. Many individuals from these bodies gave generously of their time to share their knowledge and expertise, working with Croí to assist us in our reflections. A note of particular thanks to the CEWA schools, principals and staff, who hosted us during their Christmas break. Croí also expresses deep gratitude to the University of Notre Dame, Indiana, who through ACE Ireland invested significantly in this project.

This study group would not have happened without the vision, and commitment of GRACE’s Catherine McCormack and Daniel O’Connell, and ACE Ireland’s Angela Mitchell. Their enthusiasm, careful planning, and prayerful and reflective leadership were vital to the group’s endeavours.

Croí participants express their gratitude to their sponsors, dioceses, employers, and families, who made it possible for them to engage with this study programme. In particular, Dr Amalee Meehan expresses gratitude to the Mater Dei Centre for Catholic Education, the Mater Dei Scholarship and Grant Committee, the Institute of Education, Dublin City University, and ACE Ireland for their generous support.

Note on GRACE research, Ireland:

‘Identity and ethos in Catholic primary and secondary schools in Ireland: Exploring the attitudes and behaviours of stakeholders’.

This is the most extensive piece of research (mixed methods) into Catholic school (primary and secondary) education that has been done in the state. Quantitative data has been gathered on the general profile of the various stakeholders (almost 4,000 respondents)—boards of management, principals, teachers, religious education teachers and staff—on their religious identity, their understanding of Catholic ethos and its manifestation in their schools, along with professional development in this area. Qualitative data includes interviews with 52 stakeholders.

The reports will be published at the end of April 2024, organised by themes such as: Report 1                       Leaders and Staff in Catholic Schools, Demographics and Religious Profile Report 2                       Training, Knowledge and Support

Report 3         Faith development and religious practices Report 4                       Principal as Leader

Report 5         Religious Education

Report 6         Responsibility, Oversight and Governance

Report 7         Findings, Recommendations and Future Research

The next GRACE conference will be hosted in St Mary’s College, Twickenham in July 2025