The Challenge for School Leaders in Catholic Primary Schools: to Maintain Catholic Distinctiveness in the Face of a Changing Demography in Teaching Staff

This dissertation is written in the context of Catholic School Leadership in the 21st Century. The aim of this research project is to explore the challenges that Catholic School Leaders face in maintaining Catholic distinctiveness in their schools, in the light of a changing demography, with fewer practising Catholic staff available to recruit and to consider the implications of this in terms of training needs and practices in schools. The research begins with a review of some of the available literature on the subject and this is followed by a small scale research project based within one diocese. The methodology employed, involves interviewing Senior Leaders from 3 schools (including my own) and surveying teachers’ views from those 3 schools via a questionnaire. The findings have then been analysed in the light of the literature reviewed. What emerged from the research was that the key element to maintaining Catholic school distinctiveness and to developing staff understanding of it was the input given and the example shown by the School Leaders. It was clearly evident too that people’s own faith practice had a significant influence on their work. The research showed that Continuous Professional Development, in a variety of forms, was important. The findings also suggested that support for the planning and preparation of Collective Worship was well received. In conclusion, I have made some recommendations for implementation in my own school to further improve practice in maintaining Catholic school distinctiveness, despite the challenges faced. It is hoped that these may prove useful for consideration for others too.