Durham E-Theses Catholic schooling - a crisis revisited: a discussion of the key challenges confronting catholic schools today in the light of their history with particular reference to county Durham McCormack, Leo How to cite: McCormack, Leo (1996) Catholic schooling - a crisis revisited: a discussion of the key challenges confronting catholic schools today in the light of their history with particular reference to county Durham, Durham theses, Durham University. Available at Durham E-Theses Online: http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/5184/ Use policy The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in Durham E-Theses • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. Please consult the full Durham E-Theses policy for further details. Academic Support Oce, Durham University, University Oce, Old Elvet, Durham DH1 3HP e-mail: [email protected] Tel: +44 0191 334 6107 http://etheses.dur.ac.uk 2 CO "Catholic Schooling - A Crisis Revisited". "A discussion of the key challenges confronting Catholic schools today in the light of their history with particular reference to County Durham". The copyright of this thesis rests with the author. No quotation from it should be pubUshed without his prior written consent and information derived from it should be acknowledged. June 1996. Leo McCormack. 15 AUG 1998 "Catholic Schooling - A Crisis Revisited". "A discussion of the key challenges confronting Catholic schools today in the light of their history with particular reference to County Durham". Since the Second relief Act of 1791 the Cathohc Church in England has placed exceptional rehance upon its schools to ensure the continuation of the faith. Througliout this period the Church has displayed an extraordinary ability to adapt to, and equal, the external challenges that have consistently confronted its schooling policy. The various manoeuvres that it has been forced to make over the past 200 years provide testament to its resolute resistance to the potential loss of control of its schools; Without doubt the manner by which the Church has responded to past challenges has had a profound effect upon the nature of Catholic schooling today. Under close examination it becomes evident that many of the issues that currently dominate today's education debate have existed throughout the last two centuries and remarkably, while the Church has persevered with its schools policy, it has failed to detennine any real schooling philosophy. The Church authorities at both national and local level have been so engrossed with meeting the demands of external threats that no clear vision or coherent policy has emerged and consequently much conflision remains as to the purpose and nature of Cathohc schooling today. Despite all the sacrifices and advances made, recent government legislation bears tlie potential to provide the greatest challenge yet to the Church's policy while raising a serious question mark against the very continuation of Catholic schooling. In this study I shall attempt to explore the key influences that have shaped the development of Catholic schooling and to examine today's crisis in an historical perspective as illuminated by the educational advances made by the Cathohc community within Durham county. Leo McCormack. June 1996 "Catholic Schooling - A Crisis Revisited". "A discussion of the key challenges confronting Catholic schools today in the light of their history with particular reference to County Durham". Contents. Introduction Local Foundations, pi Church V State. p21 Catechesis. p98 Conclusion. pl21 Thesis submitted for the qualification of M. A. Theology department, School of Education, Durham University. June 1996. Leo McCormack. This is an original piece of research and as far as I am mvare no part of such work has been submitted for a degree at this or any other university. "The copyright of this thesis rests with the author. No quotation from it should be published without prior written consent and information derived from it should be acknowledged". INTRODUCTION INTRODUCTION Over the past two hundred years a unique system of Catholic schooling has developed in England. A system founded upon the hopes and aspirations of Catholic priests at the beginning of the 19th century and systematically built upon by subsequent generations. The early development of Catholic schooling was given formal direction and subsequent control by the Catholic bishops during the middle of that century. Until recently this direction has served the children of the Catholic faithful well. Today new challenges, have, emerged that have threatened the very existence and continuation of Catholic schooling. Recent Conservative legislation, in an attempt to wrestle the stranglehold of Local Education Authority control from what it regards as "looney left" Labour councils, has also, perhaps inadvertently, placed Catholic schooling under direct threat. The culmination of recent government initiatives is that parents are being asked directly to determine the future of all state controlled schools including the voluntary aided Catholic sector. In the past the Catholic, Church placed the utmost dependence upon its.schools to guarantee its future, and how it responds to the current crisis may directly affect the continuation of its schools' programme. Perhaps more importantly, any decisions at this juncture could well determine the faith of future generations of young Catholics which, in itself, could threaten, the very continuation of Catholicism in this country. The latest danger cannot be said to be unique, for evidence suggests that the Church has met many similar threats to its schooling in the past. While there is a certain urgency about , today's crisis the church cannot afford to divorce today's INTRODUCTION difficulties from similar past challenges. In this respect the present lure of short term gains must be viewed from the historical perspective of the last two hundred years. If the Church, through the parents and local based clergy, chooses to ignore its previous campaigns it is in danger of rejecting its heritage and hard won traditions. In considering those challenges many parallels and contrasts can be drawn which may provide indicators for the Catholic Church as to how the present crisis might be faced. A REGIONAL STUDY. Ever since the early nineteenth century the Catholic Church, has placed great dependence upon its schools; not only to educate, but also to provide its future members. It is difficult to define with any great certainty the original vision that the Church held of its schools except to say that they were places which were expected to produce "good practising Catholics". One of the aims of this study therefore will be to consider to what lengths the Church, along with a number of influential individuals, were prepared to go in an attempt to realise that goal. The original intention of this study was to examine the development of Catholic schooling in the region coupled with an empirical study of the effectiveness for, the Catholic Church in developing its schools programme. Chiefly for two reasons this approach had to be forsaken. Firstly, while examining local, developments it. quickly became apparent that following the 1852 Westminster Synod's 'schools first' declaration a pattern emerged which was extremely repetitive and, to quote . my supervisor, led to "One damn thing after another". The empirical study had to be abandoned because two of the Durham Catholic comprehensive schools,, refused to take part. Never-the-less the educational developments of 19th century within the Durham region are of great, significance to the history of Catholic schooling for they provide an insight of the Catholic community's INTRODUCTION determination to educate its children in the faith, whatever the cost. Unless this historical background is appreciated it is difficult to view today's resistance in perspective. The county itself provides us with a unique area whose geography and industrial potential at the turn of the 19th century offered a catalyst for great social and religious development. Within a relatively short period Catholicism developed from being the faith of a small minority group to a dominant religious force which was to play a significant role in a rapidly expanding, industrial climate. Interestingly this religious congregation emerged at a time when the other established religions were experiencing great difficulties and rapidly losing members at an alarming pace. Most importantly, the region retains many Catholic traditions. The rich heritage left by the endeavours of the early 19th century priests and parishioners is very evident today in the schools and churches. Despite the.many social and industrial advances a large Catholic community remains in Durham enjoying the fruits of their forebears' labour and continuing to display a real commitment to the faith. This is no more evident than in the current education debate where the parents of the Durham district have been almost totally united, against the government's attempt to take control of Catholic schools through the implementation of Grant Maintained status. Throughout this study a number of recurrent issues emerge which, in reality, are still evident in today's education debate in some shape or form. They are presented in the following manner:. INTRODUCTION 1. The control of Catholic schools. Since the middle of the nineteenth century the Church has consistently conducted a campaign to protect its own vision of education. The key to the Church's ability to establish and retain its schools lies in the fact that throughout the intervening period it has successfully managed to maintain control of its schools despite a number of serious threats.