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Abstract
Globally, many Christian organizations seek to serve communities by providing schooling and education for children and young people who are not necessarily Christian. This article may inform the work of such Christian organizations as it reports findings from a funded research project that investigated three schools in England with a Christian ethos that provide education for largely secular students, many of whom live in areas characterized by social and economic deprivation and also educational underachievement. Analysis of findings from observations, transcripts of focus groups with students, and an anonymous survey of more than 500 children age 14 years and more than 300 teachers in three schools are reported. Drawing on this data, an assessment is made of the value of Christian ethos schooling for students who are, in this case, predominantly secular. Answers are sought to questions concerning how such schools can legitimately provide comprehensive, rather than limited, approaches to moral and character education. This article evaluates the central place of the core values and character education of the schools described here, which are widely endorsed by their secular students and also underpinned by Judeo-Christian sources.
Acknowledgments
This article draws upon findings from a funded research project that ended in December 2008. A grant of £52,000 was awarded from the ESRC/AHRC Economic and Social Research Council/ Arts and Humanities Research Council of Great Britain (80%) and the University of Leeds (20%). The author was the principal investigator.