Code of Canon Law: Canon 796 §1
“Among the means to foster education, the Christian faithful are to hold schools in esteem; schools are the principal assistance to parents in fulfilling the function of education.”
This network is for parents who choose to send a child/their children to a regular, Catholic school. We fully respect, however, and affirm the right of parents to choose a public, home or other type of denominational education for their children.
In relation to Catholic education, we call for respect and support among the Catholic community for the different and equally valid choices that each Catholic family makes regarding the schooling of their children. Each system or type of Catholic education has its own unique advantages and disadvantages. Objectively speaking, there is no ‘one right way’, ‘one best way’ or ‘one better way’ when it comes to the different types of Catholic schooling (e.g. Catholic homeschooling is not superior to regular, Catholic schooling), it is up to parents to discern with wisdom what is best for their own situation and for their own children.
The following are some advantages (non-exhaustive nor necessarily exclusive to regular Catholic schooling) that parents who send their children to regular, Catholic schools have spoken about in relation to their own families:
Children are learning about their Catholic faith through the Catholic school’s Grow in Love religious education programme at primary level. Click here to view the primary school religious education curriculum (on which the Grow in Love programme is based) which is endorsed and promoted by Archbishop Eamon Martin, Primate of All Ireland. The standard and quality of religious education will vary across schools, we discuss which schools uphold and promote the Catholic faith well and how best to support schools and families in situations where the Catholic ethos is not promoted as much as it could be.
Children have opportunities for prayer, to attend Mass, to learn about their Catholic faith and to develop their relationship with God in their local Catholic school. Here is a list of 20 faith initiatives that are currently taking place in primary and secondary schools across the country which help schools to promote their Catholic ethos.
Children have the benefit of hearing the Gospel message from people other than their parents, this reinforces what is being taught at home and in their local parish.
A child from a faith background learns from an early age to share and apply their faith in real life situations. Thus when a child leaves school to pursue further studies or work, they are already well equipped with much experience of how to weave faith and life together successfully in the outside world.
Catholic schools in Ireland are very diverse, each child is mixing with children from a variety of different ethnic, religious and socio-economic backgrounds, contributing to a broad life experience. Our children have friends with the same beliefs and some with differing beliefs, which gives them confidence to develop solid friendships with anyone throughout life.
The Irish curriculum is very broad, it includes the Irish language, Irish history and Irish geography as integral parts of the curriculum. Some jobs e.g. primary school teaching and some honours degree programmes have Irish as a core entry requirement that is satisfied by completing the Higher Level Irish exam in the Leaving Certificate.
Catholic education is esteemed around the world for its emphasis on high quality teaching and learning. Regular inspections take place in schools to make sure that high standards of education are maintained. Children in Ireland have the benefit of free Catholic education, unlike other countries e.g. USA.
Children are well equipped to transition easily into secondary school, university life and the world of work after receiving a well rounded and broad Catholic education surrounded by a diverse friendship base. The discipline of getting to school on time, following the school rules, being accountable to others, helping other pupils (e.g. through peer tutoring) and in turn receiving help from others (e.g. buddy reading) will stand to them in their future lives. The challenges that children will inevitably face in school will help build resilience and virtues such as courage, honesty, responsibility, commitment, reliability and perseverance. The ability to deal with challenges will become a blueprint for their future lives.
Parents who value a Catholic education want to support the work of regular, Catholic schools to ensure these schools continue to grow and flourish into the future. This will help to ensure that their grandchildren and future generations of Irish children will receive the benefits of a Catholic education that their own children received.
Parents who send their children to a regular, Catholic school have the benefit of receiving an education from a trained professional, often with many years experience, who knows not only how your child is doing academically and socially but also how they are doing in relation to their peer group. This gives the parent a full understanding of the capabilities and challenges that their child may face. A qualified teacher is also trained to quickly spot any learning difficulties or issues that a child may have and both home and school can work together to help the child in these particular areas through a school support plus plan.
Parents can focus on developing a close bond with their child as a parent which is a different relationship to that of teacher. Having the formal education undertaken by a professional eases the stress and pressure that undertaking formal education can bring to familial relationships.
Parents who have young children in the critical 0-3 age range can focus on meeting their specific needs, safe in the knowledge that their older children are being well cared for in their Catholic school. Parents whose children are in school can focus on their God given vocational/career paths or volunteer work in the community, using their gifts and talents for the benefit of others.
Through attending Continuous Professional Development (CPD) courses teachers keep up to date with the latest in pedagogical approaches, methodologies, resources etc. which feed into their daily teaching approach. Each teacher brings their own expertise in different subjects into the classroom, this exposes children to a wide variety of subjects for which a teacher has a passion, this can help to ignite the God given individual gifts and interests that each child has.
Through communication from the school, meetings both informal and formal with the class teacher, newsletters, school website etc. and most particularly homework, parents are kept well informed about what is being taught in their child’s school and are regularly given opportunities to participate in the life of the school. Parents can become members of the Board of Management of the school and the Parents’ Association, thus contributing to the shaping and promotion of the Catholic ethos.
Homework is the time where school and home intersect on a daily basis. Parents can reinforce what the teacher has taught in the classroom at home with their child. The child’s self esteem is boosted when both teacher and parent help a child to grasp and understand a topic. Parents and teachers work collaboratively to bring about the best outcome for each child.
Differentiation (where each child can access the curriculum at their own level) is a key component of the school curriculum in Ireland. This allows children who are fast finishers to continue to learn and excel at their own pace and for those who are struggling to access any extra help that they may need.
Integration is another key component in the Irish curriculum. Links are made both within the same subject and across other curricular areas to help integrate the knowledge students receive.
Catholic schools foster a great sense of community, where the school, parish and home come together. No one is seen as ‘other’ or separate but all work together for the benefit of families and children alike. In Evangelii Gaudium Pope Francis warns about insular apostolic efforts: some are even no longer content to live as part of the greater Church community but stoke a spirit of exclusivity, creating an ‘inner circle.’ Instead of belonging to the whole Church in all its rich variety, they belong to this or that group which thinks itself different or special. (EG 98)
Parents have plenty of time outside of the school day to enjoy quality family time where bonding takes place over shared reading, trips to museums, baking, playing board games, gardening, having fun, trips to the library, walks in parks, arts and crafts activities, sports and learning new skills.
Parents remain the primary educators of their children in the Catholic faith and in objective truth. However, as Pope Pius XI said in his Encyclical on Christian Education (DIVINI ILLIUS MAGISTRI) : “… the family is an imperfect society, since it has not in itself all the means for its own complete development”. Parents do not fulfil the task of Catholic education on their own, they are assisted in this regard by schools. Parents build on what their children receive in the Catholic school through family prayer and family catechesis. We distribute resources that parents use in their home to help children build their own personal relationship with God. Children can also attend the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd programs for children, camps, family days etc.
There are over 50 curriculum subjects available at Leaving Cert level in Ireland (depending on the school). These include Religious Education as an exam and a non-exam subject. The curriculum also include Humanities subjects such as Classical Studies, Latin, Ancient Greek and many more languages. Social subjects such as PE, Home Economics, Geography and ‘Politics and Society’ are included. The Irish curriculum also has practical subjects such as Engineering, Technology, Construction Studies and ‘Design and Communication Graphics’ along with science subjects such as Computer Science, Applied Maths and Agricultural Science. Business subjects such as Accounting, Business and Economics are available as well as Music and Art (including History of Art and Appreciation). There are few curricula that can match the breadth of the Irish curriculum. The breadth of the curriculum ensures that students experience a broad range of subjects and can then choose particular subjects they enjoy and excel in at exam level. Experiencing a broad range of school subjects will help students when it comes to choosing third level courses and future career paths.
As well as the traditional Leaving Certificate exams, Catholic schools may offer a Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme (LCVP) and a Leaving Certificate Applied Programme (LCAP) which develop skills and competencies fundamental to both academic and vocational success. They are available to students who wish to follow a practical programme with a strong practical and vocational emphasis.
Children attending school also have the opportunity to work together as a team e.g. relay running at the annual Santry athletics competitions, participating in sports teams such as soccer, rugby and GAA and also working together as part of the school’s choir. School sports days, school tours and other communal spiritual activities such as First Holy Communions and Confirmations build a sense of community which cannot be achieved in isolation.
The 4th year (or Transition year) programme in regular, Catholic schools offers students a unique opportunity to explore beyond the academic sphere. Students can try out different career paths through work experience placements, set up a business through the Student Enterprise Programme, act in a school musical, participate in volunteer work in the community, go on foreign exchanges and trips and a host of other activities e.g. Gaisce award / participation in the Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition etc. There are modules on Ireland’s legal system; computer programming; debating, communication and oral presentation skills. These initiatives are facilitated by the school and the teachers assist the students in developing and exploring their individual talents and gifts. Many schools also participate in the John Paul II award.
There are, of course, challenges in our Catholic education system. Many schools uphold, defend and promote their Catholic ethos. Some schools do not do this to the extent that we would like. There can be individual issues regarding what the children are not being taught e.g. with regard to the Religious Education programme and sometimes there are issues with what the students are being taught that may be contrary to their Catholic faith. Sometimes the Catholic ethos is paid lipservice by schools or undermined consciously or unconsciously by others. Teachers and Principals may not fully appreciate the beauty of the Catholic faith or have had bad personal experiences of Catholics and pass on those personal negative feelings towards the faith to their students.
What do we do in these situations? We take St. Francis of Assisi as our guide. He was asked to ‘rebuild my Church’. He rebuilt the Church by praying for it and actively seeking ways to restore it from within. This is what we aim to do at the Catholic Schools Parents’ Network.
Firstly, we pray for our children’s teachers and the teachers and management that teach at our children’s school.
Next, we encourage parents to get involved in their school in both faith based and ordinary day to day initiatives e.g. helping to organise uniform sales, fundraising events, by helping with the sacramental programme, getting involved in Catholic Schools Week, choirs and extra curricular faith activities such as Children of the Eucharist.
If there are issues with what is or is not being taught we can approach the teacher in a respectful way and in a spirit of understanding, aware that our child may or may not have picked things up correctly. A respectful and calm dialogue with the teacher and others if necessary leads to a satisfactory outcome for parents. Some schools may simply be unaware that certain programmes or content is contrary to Catholic teaching. We are mindful of the Education Act 1998 section 30 subsection 2 (e) which states: “ … shall not require any student to attend instruction in any subject which is contrary to the conscience of the parent of the student or in the case of a student who has reached the age of 18 years”.
We also encourage parents to get involved in consultation processes with educational bodies e.g. the NCCA, to have their input into any future curricular changes.
As parents whose Catholic faith is important to us, we meet, discuss and chat about how to meet the challenges we face, about the good Catholic schools that we do have and we promote activities, faith camps and resources that help our children meet and build friendships with other young people their own age who have faith.