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Abstract
This article offers a critical policy analysis of the curriculum within English Catholic maintained schools. It highlights one of the policy challenges faced by the Catholic Church in England, that is to say, the reconstruction of a ‘Catholic’ curriculum. Drawing on the author's research it outlines the historical context of policy development in regard to the curriculum in Catholic schools, both in State legislation and Church policy, noting the contradictions and pragmatic difficulties in arriving at such policies. It proceeds to articulate a view of the assumptions and principles underlining what might represent the goals of a ‘Catholic curriculum’ based on Church teaching. This is contrasted with the secular context and liberal ideology that dominates modern schooling in England. The article reviews the realities of current practice in curriculum policy development in Catholic schools and contrasts these with some international examples of good practice. It argues that the curriculum in English Catholic schools has effectively been de-Catholicised through a process of internal secularisation. It concludes that today's typical English Catholic school curriculum is almost indistinguishable from its secular counterpart and that increasingly those who teach in and attend Catholic schools have no particular commitment to the official vision of Catholic education.
Notes
1. Selby (Citation1974)
2. Phillips (Citation1990, 7).
3. Catholic Education Council Report, Citation1956.
4. Catholic School (1977, para 49).
5. Catholic School (1977, para 19).
6. The Religious Dimension of Catholic Education (1988), para 51. A full discussion of these issues is contained in Arthur (1995a).
7. The Religious Dimension of Catholic Education (1988), para 51. A full discussion of these issues is contained in Arthur (1995a).
8. Walsh (Citation1983, 4–19).
9. Kelly (Citation1987, 10).
10. The Religious Dimension of Catholic Education (1988, para 56).
11. This is one of the major arguments contained in Arthur (Citation1995a).
12. Eagleton (Citation1967, 8–10).
13. Higgins (1979, 1).
14. Higgins (1979, p. 13).
15. Department of Education and Science (Citation1985).
16. Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales (1988, 11).
17. The Catholic School (1977), op. cit. The draft report was called ‘Evaluating the Distinctive Nature of a Catholic School’ (1990).
18. The Catholic School (1977, para 33).
19. Between 1989 and 1991, the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales Department for Catholic Education and Formation produced a number of draft papers on the National Curriculum which included Health Education, Technology, Science, Mathematics, Economic and Industrial Relations and English.
20. Between 1989 and 1991, the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales Department for Catholic Education and Formation produced a number of draft papers on the National Curriculum which included Health Education, Technology, Science, Mathematics, Economic and Industrial Relations and English.
21. Between 1989 and 1991, the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales Department for Catholic Education and Formation produced a number of draft papers on the National Curriculum which included Health Education, Technology, Science, Mathematics, Economic and Industrial Relations and English.
22. Between 1989 and 1991, the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales Department for Catholic Education and Formation produced a number of draft papers on the National Curriculum which included Health Education, Technology, Science, Mathematics, Economic and Industrial Relations and English.
23. Curriculum Matters: A Resource for Catholic Educators, Institute for Catholic Education, 1996; Writing Curriculum for Catholic Schools: A Framework, Institute for Catholic Education, 1996; Ontario Catholic Education and the Corporate Sector, Institute for Catholic Education, 1997; Educating the Soul: Writing Curriculum For Catholic Secondary Schools, Institute for Catholic Education, Toronto, 1998; Ontario Catholic Education: Ongoing Adult Faith Formation: The Key To Educating The Soul: Successful Practices, Institute for Catholic Education, 2000; Curriculum Support for Catholic Schools: Using the Ontario Catholic School Graduate Expectations, Scripture and the Tradition of the Church: A Resource for Catholic Educators, Eastern Ontario Catholic Curriculum Cooperative and Institute for Catholic Education, 2002; Learning From Assessment, Catholic Curriculum Cooperative, Central and Western Region, 2002; Monitoring Curriculum Implementation in Catholic Schools, The Catholic Principals’ Council of Ontario/ACCEL, 2003; Teaching for Deep Understanding: Towards the Ontario Curriculum That We Need, OISEUT and ETFO, 2004.
24. 1999, Statement on the Philosophy of Education of Catholic Schools in the Archdiocese of Westminster on its website.