‘His spirit will continue to animate the
schools he founded’.
Handing on the
specific Josephite spirit to future generations.
FR MARTIN ASHCROFT CJ
Dissertation in partial fulfilment of the
MA in Chaplaincy Studies.
St Mary’s
October 2005.
Canon Constant William van Crombrugghe
(1789-1865)
Founder of the Congregation of the Josephites.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to thank my Josephite
confrères for giving me the time and space to undertake this study. My thanks
and appreciation must also go to those who have participated in this research,
particularly the six members of staff at St George’s whose willingness to be
interviewed enabled this study to be completed. Furthermore, I would like to
acknowledge the wonderful welcome and enriching experience I enjoyed while
staying at St Ignatius College, Riverview at
Abstract
Since its original foundation in 1869,
In the past, the ethos of
Against this background, the Introduction starts
by emphasising the importance of the underpinning ethos for a school’s success.
It then establishes leadership formation as a raison d’être of Josephite schools and highlights the move towards
a more collaborative approach to ministry in schools in keeping with Vatican
II’s communio ecclesiology. The
second chapter articulates the specific attributes of Josephite educational ethos,
highlighting the importance of ‘family spirit’. The third chapter describes the
evolution of the research question and methodology while the fourth chapter highlights
the outcome of the interviews and offers a considered response to the research
question: ‘To what extent is the Josephite ethos being maintained at
Abstract Page 3
Contents Page 4
Chapter
1 Introduction
The aims of the study 5
The
importance of a school’s underpinning ethos 6
The
Josephites and their involvement in education 10
Collaboration 16
The
educational importance of this study 19
The
research question 20
Summary 20
Chapter
2 Articulating the Josephite Ethos
Identifying
the founding Josephite educational ethos 22
The Josephite educational ethos in the 21st century 31
Concluding remarks 33
Chapter
3 The research methodology
Establishing the
research question 36
The Methodology 37
Summary 42
Chapter
4 Analysis
The Data 44
The
extent to which the Josephite ethos is being maintained 53
Chapter
5 Conclusions 57
Bibliography
61
Chapter
One Introduction
This chapter starts by identifying the study’s
aims after which it establishes the importance of a school’s underpinning ethos
as well as the pivotal role teachers exercise in maintaining a school’s
distinctive ethos and culture. The chapter then moves on to outline the
specific historical context of the Congregation of Josephites as a teaching
order of Roman Catholic priests and brothers. The third part of the chapter highlights
the importance of collaboration, an issue religious orders are having to
address in respect of the governance and management of their (former) schools.
This is set against the background of the move towards a more collaborative
approach to ministry in the Roman Catholic church that finds its roots in the communio ecclesiology of the second
Vatican Council. The final part of the chapter identifies educational
importance of the study and the agreed research question.
The aims of the study
The aims of the study are to articulate
the Josephite educational ethos and establish the extent to which the staff are
maintaining this specific ethos at
The importance of a school’s
underpinning ethos
As a result of a number of recent studies,[1]
there is a growing consensus about the meaning and the importance of a school’s
underpinning ethos. A school’s ethos can be described as:
‘The
fundamental spirit of the school that gives orientation to the energies of the
school. Ethos is the touchstone for the character of the curriculum and the
culture of the school’ (Treston 2001:17).
Canavan and Monahan offer a similar
definition:
‘Ethos
refers to the unique set of values that drives all aspects of a school’s
culture’ (2000:2.27).[2]
The origin of a school’s specific ethos
can usually be found in the school’s own history. As a consequence, although schools
have to look to the future in order to survive and flourish, an appreciation of
the school’s past stories and historical traditions are essential to understanding
the evolution of its present underpinning ethos.[3] Therefore the quest to re-discover a school’s
founding ethos is much more important than Brien and Hack assume in their own
quest to emphasise, ‘What are we yet to become?’ rather than ‘Who founded us?’
and ‘What have we become?’ (2005:81).
A school is only as good as its ethos (Brick
1999:88) and for a school’s ethos to permeate the entire life of a school, there
must be a process of recognition and reflection (Gallagher 2003:196). To be
neutral or indifferent about the school’s moral or spiritual ethos will inevitably
generate an ethos of individualism, functionalism and ultimately fragmentation
(Williams 2003:1). Furthermore, this process of reflection needs to involve all
staff as it is they, rather than the pupils, who will maintain and reinforce
the individual school’s underpinning ethos and culture.
There are, however, a number of challenges
to the ethos of the Catholic school. Although Roman Catholic schools in England
have been revisiting their ethos to make it more explicit and transparent, many
teachers still lack a full understanding of the distinctive nature of the Roman
Catholic school ethos and, consequently, any commitment to live it out (§66 The Catholic School 2004:36).
Another challenge to the ethos of Catholic
schools is the increasing multi-faith culture of contemporary post-Christian
‘It is not always easy to bring these two aspects into harmony; the task
requires constant attention, so that the tension between a serious effort to
transmit culture and a forceful witness to the gospel does not turn into a
conflict harmful to both’ (§67 Church
Documents 2004:167).
The traditional ethos of independent
Catholic schools is being challenged by market forces and league tables
especially as Catholic parents are no longer automatically choosing Catholic schools
for their children, but those schools most likely to guarantee academic
results.[5]
Catholic schools that fail to reflect continually on their underpinning ethos
can end up becoming little more than ‘examination factories where position in
league table becomes their new raison
d’être’ (Brick 1999:103) under pressure from parental expectations and the
need simply to survive.[6]
Where this occurs, it will probably also have a negative affect on the Catholic
school’s prime commitment to religious, spiritual and moral interests (Grace
2002:181) as well as affecting its policies of admission and retention.[7]
Linked to this is the effective school movement that challenges the Catholic
schools’ ethos through a constant quest for ‘efficiency that is often given
precedence over issues of social justice’ (Spry 2000:125). Catholic schools also
need consider messages they are giving out about their ethos. For example, what
statement is being made when, after a string of academic and sporting awards, no
or only one award is given for Christian leadership? (cf Brien and Hack 2005:79).[8]
While ‘there is no one right way to live
out one’s Christian faith’ (Sullivan 2001:5), there is a direct linkage between
teacher relationships and a school’s ethos and, as a result, schools differ because
of these relationships (Rosenholtz cited by Angelides and Ainscow 2000:150). In
the ideal world, a Catholic school would be:
‘Permeated
by an ethos of prayer and moral virtue: this would, of course, depend on the character of the teachers
themselves. The integrating force behind the curriculum of such a school
would be love; love for creation, love for humanity, love for God – and finally
love between pupils and teachers’ (Caldecott 2005:40 - emphasis added).[9]
Finally, the on-going recovery of the past
at
The Josephites and their
involvement in education
It needs to be remembered that the
ecclesial, cultural and socio-political circumstances in 1817, when Constant
van Crombrugghe founded the Brothers of Mary and Joseph – the precursors of the
Josephites, were significantly different from those prevailing at the start of the 21st
Century.[10]
Furthermore, van Crombrugghe was an ultramontane, conservative priest[11]
who belonged to a Roman Catholic Church that saw itself as the societas perfecta, in other words, ‘the
perfect society - visible, hierarchical, and juridical’ (Hume 1988:66) in which
the few were ‘the custodians of power and truth’ (Cooper 1993:24). Moreover, at
the time, European culture was still overwhelmingly Christian in outlook and
practice albeit exhibiting nationalist tendencies.
It was on 1st May 1817 that Constant
van Crombrugghe, at the time a Canon of Gent Cathedral and Headmaster of Le
Collège d’Alost, founded a Roman Catholic Religious Order known as the
Brothers of Mary and Joseph that later became known as The Congregation of
Josephites.
Van Crombrugghe had humanitarian and
religious motives for the establishment of the Brothers of Mary and Joseph. He
wanted to alleviate the suffering and hardship caused by famine and the aftermath
of the Napoleonic wars. Van Crombrugghe also sought to protect the moral lives
of the young children from poor homes since he was convinced these children might
be forced, by their parents, into stealing food in order to survive and, as a
consequence, the children would fall away from their religious practices.[12]
Initially, the Brothers of Mary and Joseph were sent to van Crombrugghe’s own home
town of Grammont in West Flanders, now part of present day Belgium, where they
established work schools for the children.[13]
In setting up these work schools, van
Crombrugghe established the founding raison d’être for the Josephites and their schools: ‘The
evangelisation and education of young people’.
By the end of 1834, the Brothers of Mary
and Joseph were involved in the running of four schools in
During 1839 van Crombrugghe began to
conceive the idea of adapting the curriculum offered at Melle so that it might
better suit the needs of the new ruling classes and the socio-economic needs of
the country while not, at the same time, denying pupils the benefits of a
traditional Christian humanistic education. The following year, the revised
curriculum at College Melle introduced courses in Italian, German, Natural
Sciences, business and commercial law.[18]
In 1841, the Melle prospectus was published in English, German and Spanish and
emphasised this new curriculum. In 1843 Melle was given a new title: L’Institution
commerciale, industrielle, littéraire et scientifique de Melle. This
exciting and successful venture was brought to a premature end seventeen years
later due to new government regulations for entry to higher education. The
story of College Melle does, however,
illustrate the willingness of van Crombrugghe to radically adapt his schools to
changing circumstances.
The
final stage of the development of the Josephites and their schools, during the
life of van Crombrugghe, came with the acceptance of the offer made in 1842 by
Cardinal Archbishop de Sterckx of
Finally,
even though van Crombrugghe founded no more schools after
In 1869 the Josephites established a boys’
boarding school in
In 1989 the decision was taken to close
the boarding facility at the College and sell ‘Barrow Hills’, the boarding
preparatory school run by the Josephites since 1950, to the parents. In
September 1992, the Junior School of St
George’s College, located in the grounds of the College, opened an Infants
Department for boys that proved to be an immediate success. In September 1994,
girls were admitted into the Nursery at the
Furthermore, in another defining moment,
on
Collaboration
Since the second Vatican
Council’s Decree Perfectae Caritatis on
the renewal of Religious Life, members of religious orders have been
undertaking a process of rediscovering the original, founding charism of their
religious orders.
Running parallel with this
renewal has been a reappraisal of the relationship existing between consecrated
religious and the laity. This was precipitated, in part, by the post-Vatican II
ecclesial image of the Church as fellowship or communio. The Trinitarian
underpinning of communio, or koinonia as it is also called, is found
in §4 of Vatican II’s Lumen Gentium
where the universal church is
described as ‘a people made one from the unity of the Father, the Son and the
Holy Spirit’. Theologically speaking, collaborative ministry involves the
entire ‘People of God’ – laity, religious, priests and bishops – sharing their
common priesthood, working together in the Church’s mission and ministry as a
consequence of their Baptism (The Sign We
Give 1995:28).[22]
In addition, it is more than simply working as a team since to be considered as
collaborative ministry, five criteria need to be satisfied:
·
It must express the koinonia of the Church.
·
It must be an ecclesial activity.
·
There must be a commitment to values and
convictions.
·
There must be a desire to work together
because ‘we are called by the Lord to be a company of disciples, not isolated
individuals’.
·
It must be a ministry committed to the
mission of the Church (TSWG 1995:17).
Furthermore collaborative ministry, being
rooted in communio, is also a witness
and sign to others of ‘the inclusiveness of the Church’ (TSWG 1995:28).[23]
Since, therefore, a key feature of any authentic Catholic school is its existence
as a ‘community within the Church’ (Battams 2003:64), all Catholic schools should
have a spirit of collaboration as a distinguishing feature.
The
Sign We Give offers two
further important insights about collaborative ministry. First, it has to be a
consciously chosen commitment by all those involved since it will not function
when people are compelled to engage in it against their will (TSWG 1995:28).[24]
Secondly, because of its very nature, collaborative ministry requires a lengthy
process of skill development[25],
supported by group prayer and reflective theological practice (TSWG 1995:30),
and all must believe they have a meaningful and valued contribution to make (Slater
2004:4).
Communio ecclesiology and collaborative ministry have
significant implications for leadership within Catholic schools. Such schools
need special leadership because ‘they are special places that must respond to
the unique realities they face’ (Sergiovanni 2000:165). While Catholic schools
will never be democracies, they must embody a leadership spirit of collegiality
based on communio and subsidiarity,
which is the willingness to distribute discretionary decisions down to the
appropriate level, and a genuine sense of mutual trust throughout the entire
school community.
A third factor since the second Vatican
Council has been the dramatic decline in the number of consecrated religious
involved in education.[26]
The 2002
‘No difficulty should remove
consecrated men and women from schools and from education in general, when the
conviction of being called to bring the Good
News of the
Despite this injunction, some religious orders have already abandoned
their schools. Those orders, however, that are maintaining a presence in their
(former) schools are having to address issues of governance and management. As
a consequence, Josephites are no longer asking the traditional question, ‘How can
others help us?’ but rather ‘How can we help others at
The educational importance of
this study
The educational importance of this study is
grounded in the belief that a school’s ethos plays a pivotal role in establishing
the school’s culture and, therefore, the ultimate success or failure of a
school (Flynn 1993:7, Prosser 1999:3, Brick 1999:88).
Furthermore, the study should provide a
basis for others to build on in the future; a process that will also be able to
make considerable use of good practice already taking place in other schools
run, or formerly run, by religious orders.[28]
More specifically, this study is
undertaken in the belief that a role of school chaplains is to be ‘the court
jesters of old’ who remained outside the management line, but able to tell the
truth to those in authority without fear of losing their heads (Cameron
2000:12). In imitating Jesus, it is part of the prophetic role of school
chaplains to highlight incongruence between the school’s mission statement and
its ethos although the responsibility for upholding the school’s ethos should
not fall solely on the chaplains (Hayes 2002:134). It is also the responsibility of schools chaplains:
‘To
enable people to enter into the theological reflection required to ensure the
school environment, at both personal and institutional level, reflects gospel
values’ (CES 2004:12).[29]
In addition, chaplains need to ensure all
discussion about the school’s ethos values other people, respects their dignity,
and promotes dialogue and discussion rather than confrontation; since the ‘way
things are done is often more important than the end result’ (CES 2004:14).
The research question
It is because the staff in a school are so
crucial for maintaining the ethos of a school that this study seeks to ascertain
how well the staff are maintaining the Josephite educational ethos at St
George’s College, by asking the following research question: ‘To what extent is
the Catholic, Christian, Josephite ethos being maintained at St George’s
College today?’ Furthermore, it does so in the belief that, in the future, the
number of committed (practising Roman Catholic) teachers prepared to support the
school’s Catholic, Christian and Josephite ethos will be more critical for the
long term maintenance of this ethos than the percentage number of Roman
Catholic pupils attending the school.
Summary
The number of Josephites at
The next chapter seeks to articulate the
core aspects of the founding Josephite ethos using primary and secondary
sources relating to Constant van Crombrugghe.
Chapter 2 Articulating the Josephite educational ethos
After identifying van Crombrugghe’s founding vision for Josephite
schools, this chapter articulates and analyses the core aspects of Josephite educational
ethos.[30]
Identifying the founding Josephite educational ethos
It is possible to trace the roots of the
Josephite ethos back to the time van Crombrugghe spent as a boarder at the
Le Collège St Acheul at
‘I felt as though I had entered another family…The teachers, my friends,
rather than my professors, will remain models of holiness, of vigilance, of
fatherliness, of gentleness towards their students….in reality, this was the
beautiful ideal of a Christian boarding school… charity and union among all’
(Cited by Garcia 1980:21 and T Clements 1983:29).
In 1808, van Crombrugghe wrote to his
father making a tentative enquiry to see if he would support the idea of allowing
Sister Julie Billiart to set up an orphanage in Grammont similar to the one she
was running in Montdidier.[33]
In the end the idea came to nothing but was indicative of Constant’s concern
for the plight of the poor and disadvantaged.[34]
During his last year at
Figure 1 Part of the revised rules for the choristers at
In September 1814, just two years after
his ordination, van Crombrugghe sent by his bishop to be headmaster of Le
Collège d’Alost.[36]
He arrived to discover the school had just five pupils and the previous headmaster
had not been a Roman Catholic. When van Crombrugghe left in 1825, Le Collège
d’Alost had become one of the most sought after schools in Flanders and
equal in stature with Le Collège St Acheul at
It was while at Alost that van
Crombrugghe began to formulate his vision
for education as the process for forming L‘honnête
homme et parfait Chrétien.[38]
‘The goal which one proposes in this house is to cultivate the mind and
heart of young people….the young people admitted to the College receive a
careful and complete education, adapted to all states of life. It is therefore
education’s task to form the good man and to prepare him for society;
consequently its task is to form in youth both the heart and the mind, to
perfect reason and to adorn the imagination’.[39]
At
‘The teacher shall so train the youths entrusted to the Society’s care
that they may acquire not only learning but also habits of conduct worthy of a
Christian. He should endeavour both in the classroom and outside to train the
impressionable minds of his pupils in the loving service of God and in all the
virtues required for this service’.[41]
The stress was on
formation rather than information and the aim was the development of the
character as well as the skills necessary for learning through the integration
of the spiritual, moral and intellectual aspects of education.[42]
The attitude of the Jesuit teacher to the pupil was as ‘father
to son’. Extra care and attention was to be given to those who appeared to be
struggling while discipline was firm but sensitive.[43] As with
the Jesuits, van Crombrugghe believed religion
underpinned everything in education.
‘The fear of the Lord is the
foundation of wisdom. There is no good education which is not founded on
religion and piety towards God. Since religion is the foundation of the
building on which we are working, it must be and always will be the principal
object of our efforts and of the care we dedicate to our pupils’ (Règlement du Collège d’Alost cited by Powell 2003:39).
Furthermore, for van
Crombrugghe, education of the whole person was more concerned with the heart than
mind; with virtue than knowledge.[44]
The idea that Jesuits were
to be ‘God’s instruments’ came initially from Ignatius of Loyola and later
adapted by van Crombrugghe with the result his teachers were ‘to be instruments
of God’s mercy’.[45] For van
Crombrugghe, ‘being an instrument of God’s mercy’ complemented the Josephite
understanding of fatherhood that required teachers to be ‘as compassionate as their
heavenly father’ in dealing with others.
Three individuals exerted considerable influence
on his ideas concerning education; Bishop Charles Rollin, Francis de Sales and
John-Baptiste de la Salle.
Rollin’s importance is stressed
in a letter sent by van Crombrugghe to the
‘The
head teacher in his school is to be like a father in his family. He must always
have the vigilance and the gentleness of a father to ensure the health of the
children which is the foundation of everything else’ (1793:579) [47].
During his life, van Crombrugghe closely identified
with the life, and the spirituality, of Francis de Sales.[48]
Furthermore, Francis de Sales had a significant influence on Don Bosco, the founder
of the Salesians. It is not surprising therefore that the Josephites and
Salesians share a number of common approaches to education inherited from Francis
de Sales. As with van Crombrugghe, the principal aim of Don Bosco’s educational
vision was to ‘inspire young people to be both good Christians and honest
citizens’ (Lydon 2001:7); while also important for the Salesians and Josephites
are ‘family spirit’ (Lydon 2001:20) and Douceur or ‘Gentleness’ (Wright 2004:56). Furthermore, neither the
Salesians nor the Josephites have found an adequate English word to translate
the rich meaning of Douceur that reflects
the gentleness of Jesus towards others in Matthew’s version of the Beatitudes.[49]
Van Crombrugghe was considerably taken by
the educational ideas of St Jean-Baptiste de la Salle who founded the Brothers
of the
Despite the difficulties in translating Douceur and Politesse into meaningful English, there can be no denying their
importance for van Crombrugghe:
‘I want
the Brothers to do what they can, so that they are loved by the pupils and that
they carry out their duties with greater certitude, for God and for the
children. Politesse and Douceur are always essential’.[53]
and
‘I
especially recommend that you live together in friendship and politeness, and
that you should be, without exception, gentle and compassionate towards the
children; without these four things you will never have a good community and
you will never have good disciples’.[54]
The Josephite educational ethos
in the 21st Century
The most common expression used
to describe the distinctiveness of the Josephite educational ethos is ‘Family
Spirit’. Van Crombrugghe wanted this ‘Amiens-inspired’ family ethos to exist
among the teachers themselves and in their relationships and attitudes towards
the children. Stanislas de Haeck, who later became the third Superior General
of the Josephites, highlighted this understanding of the Josephite educational ethos
in his Circular 49 of 26th September 1857:
‘Try to maintain among the pupils a true family spirit,
working for their happiness with sincere devotion, demonstrating at all times a
prudent affection for them, showing how happy we are to be useful to them:
giving them thousands of those small signs of attention which enlightened
charity allows and inspires; and, especially, avoiding curtness and rudeness
towards them’ (as cited in Powell 2003:189).
The commentary on §4 of the 2001 Josephite
Constitutions explains that the Josephite ‘Family Spirit’ is closely associated
with the Holy Family of Joseph, Mary and Jesus and entails cultivating an attitude
of selfless charity and sharing towards others within the spirit of the Gospels
by:
1. Proclaiming
God as Father.
2. Being
obedient to the Father’s will in imitation of Jesus’ own obedience.
3. Imitating
the obedience shown by Jesus to Mary and Joseph.
4. Imitating
the service and love shown by Jesus to the community of disciples. (Hamilton
2003:11).
There has, however, been some recent
debate as to whether ‘Family Spirit’ is still meaningful today for describing
the Josephite educational ethos. Powell considers any notion of ‘Family Spirit’
based on the Holy Family of Nazareth as simplistic especially, he argues, ‘as there
is no empirical evidence to support its presumed family values and domestic
harmony’ (2003:184). Furthermore, Powell believes ‘Family Spirit’ should be
subsumed into Politesse, which he considers to be of much greater
importance, rather that allowing ‘Family Spirit’ to be identified as the core
aspect of the Josephite educational ethos (2003:184). Nevertheless, Powell agrees
that the ‘Family Spirit’ which van Crombrugghe originally wanted in his Josephite
schools is the same family spirit van Crombrugghe had experienced with the
Fathers of the Faith at
Another challenge to ‘Family Spirit’ is
the increasing number of children whose experience of family and fatherhood is largely
dysfunctional. Given so much negativity in contemporary society about
fatherhood, Josephites have sought to re-affirm that their understanding of
fatherhood is not rooted in any particular socio-political model but in the
very relationship between Jesus and his own Father.[56]
The Heads of Josephite schools must, therefore, exercise their ‘fatherhood’ not
in a spirit of power and domination but in one of gentleness, service, and
pastoral support.
Finally, the Josephite educational
ethos requires teachers to have certain personal dispositions that were
articulated by van Crombrugghe in his 1818 Rule of the Brothers of Joseph and
Mary.[57]
These are in addition to Douceur and Politesse
and his already noted wish that teachers should love the pupils as ‘fathers and
mothers’.
Concluding remarks
This chapter has sought to
highlight and analyse the core aspects of the Josephite educational ethos. It
is important, however, to realise that
Although the
socio-political and educational circumstances of the 21st century
are not the same as those in previous centuries, any contemporary articulation
of the Josephite educational ethos, in order to remain faithful to the founding
‘Family Spirit’ based on van Crombrugghe’s experience at Le Collège St
Acheul, must be:
1.
Holistic but giving priority to the heart and virtue over mind
and knowledge.
2.
Rooted in religion.
3.
Owned by teachers who are ‘Instruments of God’s mercy’.
4.
Characterised by attitudes of Politesse and Douceur.
5.
Adaptable to the needs of the epoch and the children.
Two months after van Crombrugghe died, La
Revue Catholique carried a lengthy ten page obituary on the life and work
of van Crombrugghe making explicit reference to the underpinning educational
ethos of his Josephite schools:
‘All
those who knew the headmaster of the Collège
d’Alost know the gentleness of his administration. His boarding school was
all about being a family…the fraternal relationships between the pupils
themselves and their filial affection and regard for their teachers and their
headmaster enabled them to discover in a real way a gentleness within the
school….The Josephites have based their own system of education on the same
ideas of their Founder…Their boarding schools are truly like families.. The
superior is the father and where the most genuine affection unites all…Holiness
flourishes there but without affectation….the studies serious but varied, the
discipline precise but without having excessive rigour…(and finally)...his
spirit will continue to animate the schools he has founded’.[60]
Finally, although the underpinning
ethos of a Catholic, Christian and Josephite school may not be unique, it is
distinctive and pupils should always feel they are ‘Coming Home to School’.[61]
Following this
critical retrieval of the distinctive Josephite ethos, the next chapter outlines
the methodology used to establish and answer the study’s research question.
Chapter
3 Research Methodology
This chapter traces the establishment of
the agreed research question and its methodology.
Establishing the research question
The original proposal for this study sought to establish a programme
through which the Josephite educational ethos could be handed on within the
wider school community at
Further reflection about collaborative ministry and inculturation,
however, raised important questions about the original research proposal. Since
Vatican II, as already shown, there has been an emphasis on religious and laity
collaborating together. It seemed inappropriate, therefore, to start researching
a new programme without first taking into consideration the extent to which the
Josephite ethos was already understood and being maintained at
The Methodology
It is beyond the scope of this study to
justify in depth the ontological and epistemological assumptions underpinning
its chosen research methodology. Nevertheless the study has sought to avoid the
practice of ‘methodolatry’ that occurs when research questions are fitted into
a pre-selected research method instead of putting the questions first (Punch
2005:20, Holliday 2002:22).
In seeking to answer the agreed research
question, the original intention was to employ a small scale quantative
methodology involving written questionnaires. However, while such questionnaires
have considerable merit in their ability to sample a greater number of people,
doubts were raised about individual responses reflecting aspirations for the
ethos rather than its reality. In addition, questionnaires do not naturally
lend themselves to the in-depth answer the research question is seeking, even
when open-ended questions are used. More positively, the findings of quantative
methodologies are achieved independently of researchers who remain neutral and
detached from the situation (
In deciding to use a qualitative approach,
consideration was initially given to an ethnographic survey often used by
researchers studying and interpreting culture and patterns of behaviour
(Descombe 2003:86-7). Its advantages include a focus on what people do and say
as well as rituals and myths (Creswell 1998:59). However, the timeframe for the
study precluded the necessary long term observation.
In the end it was decided to adopt an
interpretive, phenomenological qualitative methodology as the research question
sought to analyse the detailed views of the interviewees (Creswell 1998:15). The
advantages of this methodology include adaptability and the ability to develop
and clarify answers otherwise not possible in written responses to a
questionnaire (Bell: 1999:135). In choosing an interview-based method, it is
recognised there is a danger of anecdotalism, and a lack of objectivity as researchers
can bring to the investigation their own pre-conceptions and value systems. A
more serious concern was that the validity of the final outcome would only be based
on a small representative sample (Grix 2004:121). Notwithstanding these
concerns, it was decided that this methodology offered the best compromise solution
for the study especially given the time constraints of the study.
Researchers using a qualitative approach
have the option of three styles of interviews; unstructured, semi-structured
and structured. Each of these have strengths and weaknesses. While open-ended
unstructured interviews offer the greatest flexibility, their outcomes can be
more difficult to analyse. Furthermore the researcher needs considerable skill
and training to conduct these interviews (Punch 2005:172). Structured
interviews provide an easier framework for analysis but the interview process
is less flexible, being totally controlled by the interviewer’s predetermined
agenda (Wellington 2000:75). Semi-structured interviews start with a number of specific
questions but offer a degree of flexibility that allows unexpected responses to
be pursued during the course of the interview. For the purposes of this study,
it was decided semi-structured interviews offered the best approach.
Two pilot studies ensured the final eleven
interview questions were clear and effective in elucidating meaningful answers.[62]
The opening question was deliberately framed to be non-threatening and easily
answered. Question two sought to establish whether the College was an inward or
outward looking school community. Questions three, four and six were included
because of van Crombrugghe’s insistence on the importance of religion and
adaptability in education. All the other questions sought to establish the level
of understanding about school ethos, either generally or specifically for
As the research methodology involved interviewing
staff at
Choosing people to participate in research
is ethically problematic (Busher 2002:78) and clear criteria are needed.
Furthermore, given the time constraints of the dissertation, it was necessary
to limit the interview process to a small but purposeful sample comprising six members
of staff.[63] To
guarantee a balanced but representative cross-section of staff, the following
criteria were chosen for the selection of the interviewees:
1. a member
of the Senior Management Team;
2. a member
of the School Chaplaincy Department;
3. the Head
of a major Academic Department;
4. a recently
appointed member of staff;
5. a member
of the Religious Education Department;
6. a member
of the support staff.
The final group of participants were chosen
from among those offering to take part to reflect:
·
the demographic balance of the staff;
·
the male and female staff ratio;
·
the balance between long and short serving
members of staff;
·
a representative cross-section of
curriculum subject areas.
Religious affiliation was not used as a
criterion for selection. The six members of staff eventually selected against
these criteria were informed and all agreed to take part in the semi-structured
interviews.
After the interviews had been transcribed,
significant statements about the ethos were extracted, clustered and coded
while acknowledging that coding risks de-contextualising the data. Finally an analysis
of the significant statements was undertaken to establish if there was a degree
of congruence with the Josephite educational ethos. The outcome of this process
was then used to answer the research question.
As it is not good practice to rely just on
one method of inquiry (Grix 2004:126), a comparison of the outcomes from the interview
data was made with the school’s recent 2005 Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI)
Inspection Report,[64]
the Governors’ recent 2005 Policy Review Document, and the school’s Mission
Statement[65] for
triangulation purposes in order to enhance the validity of the research
findings (Punch 2005:241).[66]
Summary
While the need to articulate the Josephite
educational ethos has remained, the original research proposal proved to be
inadequate due to its failure to address issues concerning collaboration and
inculturation. Further reflection on these issues caused a radical reappraisal
of the research question and a consequential shift from a quantative to a
qualitative methodology. Having chosen an interpretative interview method,
rather than an ethnographic survey, the questions were piloted and interviewees
chosen against strict selection criteria. The interview data was analysed to
assess the extent to which the ethos is being maintained. Moreover to ensure a
greater degree of validity, these results were tested by a basic triangulation.
Finally this chapter has shown the study fully complied with all ethical issues
and the requirements of the Ethics Committee at St Mary’s.
Chapter
4 The Analysis
The first part of the chapter identifies
the main findings arising from the six interviews. This is followed by an
evaluation of these responses against the five articulated aspects of the
Josephite educational ethos. This evaluation is used to answer the agreed
research question: ‘To what extent is the Catholic, Christian, Josephite ethos
being maintained at
The Data
1. The
main strengths of
All the responses to the perceived main
strengths of
Table
One. The main strengths of the College.
|
|
|
Josephite Ethos |
Family / Community |
Staff Relationships |
|
WA02 (see
below[67]) |
|
|
Yes |
Yes |
|
WA03 |
Yes |
|
Yes |
Yes |
|
WA05 |
|
Yes |
Yes |
|
|
WA07 |
Yes |
Yes |
|
|
|
WA08 |
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
WA11 |
Yes |
|
Yes |
Yes |
A sense of family was referred to explicitly
by five of the six interviewees and implicitly by the sixth who stated:
‘We are a Catholic, Christian and Josephite school. That is our
fundamental strength. It underpins everything and we translate it today into
the different areas of our school – academic, sporting and cultural’.
Typical of the other five interviewees are
the following comments:
·
Most definitely the family atmosphere.
·
I think it is a very family orientated
school.
·
The sense of family.
·
It is very much a community.
·
As a member of staff I feel I belong to
·
The relationship between the staff is a
particular strength.
Only one interviewee specifically referred
to the academic performance of the school as a strength of
2. Links
with local community
Table 2.
Links with the Local Community.
|
|
Local Parishes |
Local Schools |
SVP/Kennedy Club |
Other |
|
WA02 |
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
|
WA03 |
|
Yes |
Yes |
Local Industry |
|
WA05 |
|
Yes |
Yes |
|
|
WA07 |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
|
WA08 |
|
Yes |
Yes |
|
|
WA11 |
|
Yes |
Yes |
Local Sports Clubs |
‘I think the fact that the place is alive at the weekends including the
chapel speaks volumes for the fact that the school is an integral part of the
community’.
and
‘During
my time here, the College has always been an integral and significant partner
in the local community’.
3. Christian
formation and development of staff
This was seen very much as a
weakness, although all six interviewees thought school liturgies were
opportunities for staff Christian formation and development. The overall
impression given was one of genuine sadness and regret that not more was being
done for the staff coupled with the desire for a greater commitment by the
school to the Christian formation of the staff. For instance, one interviewee
was very keen for staff retreats to take place.
Any formation that did take
place was largely felt to be by default or accidental. For example, Group
tutors going on retreats with their tutees, or prayer meetings organised by the
staff themselves on an ad hoc basis. As
one interviewee commented:
‘If you are talking in terms of a formal
structure there is nothing similar to what goes on in a Jesuit school and the
sharing of the Ignatian spirit’.
The role of the chaplain,
however, was appreciated and the recent introduction of the weekly Wednesday
morning Mass welcomed. Three interviewees could remember staff colleagues being
received into the Roman Catholic Church at the College. Finally, a number of
interviewees commented that recent tragedies at the school had been
opportunities for the Christian formation of staff as well as the pupils.
4. Christian
formation and development of pupils
This was reasonably positive,
with the recognition that the Christian development and formation of the pupils
was being helped through:
1. the
Religious Education programme.
2. the
school liturgies.
3. the
retreat programme.
4. the
daily prayer that takes place every morning in the tutor group.
There was a clear wish for
more to be done for the pupils. For example, two of the interviewees wanted the
school to become pro-active in preparing pupils for Confirmation, while recognising
the difficulties this might cause in the local parishes.
Several felt in recent years
the number of chapel based liturgies had declined and made specific reference
to the absence of class-based Masses. One was very keen for the reintroduction
of services of reconciliation although recognising the majority of pupils were
not Roman Catholic.
It was felt that the pupils
were offered good opportunities to live out the demands of their Christian
faith through the St Vincent de Paul Society, the Kennedy club, and the Sixth
Form trip to
5. The
general ethos of
The responses were very similar to those
for question one and again highlighted the sense of community and family within
the school. Others referred to the school’s Mission Statement and the values of
respect, tolerance, courtesy, and forgiveness. One specifically referred to the
need for teachers ‘to love their pupils’:
‘The other thing that
comes to mind is the Josephite ideal of love in education.[69]
You know it is an extraordinary statement to make ‘to love the children’. I
find it quite humbling but that is at the heart of it’.
Another comment summed up much of what the
other five expressed:
‘Within
a week of being here you would realise that you were among people who cared
about you’.
Some concern was expressed, however, that
the increased size of the school was placing tensions on the sense of family. In
addition reference was made to the lack of any indoor space where the whole
school could regularly gather together.
6.
Adaptation to change
There was almost universal
praise for the way the school had successfully adapted to the changes since
1992 especially as one interviewee noted:
‘the College was perilously close to
extinction in the early nineties’.
Although some had expressed
initial anxieties about ‘The Move’, involving
However a number of concerns
were raised. The relocation of the
7. Understanding
school ethos
All six interviews offered a
clear understanding of what was meant by school ethos and its importance in
underpinning the school’s culture.
Descriptions of a school’s
ethos included:
·
The way we try to live out what we
understand the school to be.
·
The guiding principles by which we wish to
operate.
·
What is special and different about
8. Passing on the school ethos
Table 3.
Passing on the school ethos.
|
|
Induction |
Liturgies |
Staff Meetings |
School Assemblies |
|
WA02 |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Occasionally |
|
WA03 |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
WA05 |
No |
Yes |
No |
Occasionally |
|
WA07 |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
WA08 |
No |
Yes |
No |
Occasionally |
|
WA11 |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
All six interviewees agreed
school liturgies helped to pass on the school ethos. Apart from this, there was
no consensus about staff induction, meetings or assemblies although two interviewees
stated all four aspects helped.
9. Priorities for the future
Looking to the future, most
interviewees wanted something done to keep the Josephite educational ethos
alive. Apart from this, there was little unanimity among the interviewees. Among
the diverse opinions expressed were:
·
the need to improve communication as this
supports relationships.
·
the need to continue nurturing the individual.
·
the promotion of the well being of all at
the school.
·
the provision of a wider range of worship
experiences.
·
a need to continue developing an awareness
and service of others.
Reference was made to the
increasing number of other Christians being admitted into the school rather
than Roman Catholics. Concern was also expressed about a lack of time for reflection
and discussion available for the staff.
Comments about the financial
priorities of the College tended to relate to its long term financial survival.
Only one interviewee expressed any concern about the influence of market forces
and league tables and their juxtaposition with the school’s underpinning
Josephite ethos. No mention was made by any of the interviewees of the need to
create a fund to provide bursary support for pupils in the future.[70]
10. Responsibility for maintaining the ethos
Although it was recognised
that the Josephites, Governors and Head had the privilege of articulating the
ethos and, while the Headmaster was perceived to have the most powerful
influence over the inculcation of the school’s distinctive ethos, there was a
positive acceptance by four interviewees of the staff’s responsibility for the
maintenance of the school’s ethos. One interviewee believed it was the
responsibility of the Josephites while another thought it was the role of the
Senior Management Team. Despite this there was common agreement that the ethos
‘had to be believed in’ and, as two members of staff explicitly stated, ‘it was
what the staff had to buy into while working at the College’.
However, there was a clear requirement
expressed by the interviewees for the need of additional help in understanding Josephite
educational ethos. As one interviewee observed:
‘I cannot think of one quote from van Crombrugghe that runs naturally. I
would like quotable quotes that are short, snappy, simple and which capture the
information. Expressions such as: ‘meeting each one where they are’. We need to
put the ideas such as politesse and douceur into current language. So we
need a language that captures those things we hold dear’.
11. Other comments about the ethos of
Only one significant comment was
made:
‘The
totally changed nature of the background of so many of our Catholic children
where there is little evidence of their being Catholic. They may define
themselves as being Catholic, or practising Christians, but in reality it is
extremely limited. That is a challenge’.
The extent to which the Josephite educational ethos
is being maintained
The essential attributes of
the Josephite educational ethos needing to be recognised in the evaluation
process, alongside the interview responses, were already articulated in Part
Two of this study.[71]
The most positive and encouraging outcome
of the analysis is that the founding ‘Family Spirit’ is alive and well at the
College; having been explicitly or implicitly identified by those interviewed
as the main strength of St George’s.[72]
Furthermore the existence of the ‘Family Spirit’ and its importance to the
College was confirmed in the 2005 ISI report:
‘The school by its arrangements, very
effectively encourages pupils to relate positively to one another, to take
responsibility and to participate fully in the school community. The school
stresses strongly its corporate family life’ (2005:§6.5).
The evidence from the
interviews was much less explicit in supporting the holistic value-driven
approach to the Josephite educational ethos although this is referred to in the
school’s Mission Statement, while the ISI report stated:
‘The
school is committed to providing a broad education, including a good quality
extra-curricular programme of games and activities, and to an ethos which
promotes Catholic Christian family values’ (2005:§1.1).
The religious formation of
both staff and pupils is an area in need of further development. There is,
however, a commitment to the pupils’ retreat programme and issues of social
concern and justice as shown by the involvement with the ‘RE in Schools’ programme,
the SVP, Kennedy Club and the annual trip to
There is also evidence of
close links with local community and the ISI report corroborated this: ‘Links
with the local community are very good’ (2005: §1.17).
While the expression ‘instruments of God’s
mercy’ was not used by any of the interviewees, there was some awareness
typified by the wish ‘to go on nurturing the pupils’. The ISI report also noted
that:
‘Pupils
are well known by teachers and tutors, and enjoy very good relationships with
them, based on mutual respect and trust’ (2005:§1.2).
A very encouraging outcome was the
recognition by some of the staff of Douceur
and Politesse during the interviews,
despite difficulties in translating their meaning. Again to quote the ISI
report:
‘[Pupils] show courtesy to each other and to the adults in the
classrooms, in the dining area, and in the playgrounds. The respectful and
considerate use of the premises demonstrates the school’s ethos of family
togetherness very well’ (2005:§4.8).
Another aspect of the
Josephite ethos which enjoyed a positive outcome was the way the College had adapted
to meet new needs especially since 1992. This was very favourably commented on by
the interviewees while the ISI report noted the ‘successful merger with the
neighbouring Catholic girls’ school’ (2005:§7.1).
Finally, the ISI report
acknowledges the lay leadership of
It is possible, therefore, to
conclude there is enough empirical evidence, taken from the interviews and the
ISI inspection report, to suggest that the Josephite educational ethos is being
maintained to a much greater extent than might have been expected given the
lack of any explicit and direct inculcating of the ethos during the last ten or
so years. The ‘Family Spirit’ and the ability to be adaptable come across strongly.
Other areas, however, need to be worked on and developed, especially the
Catholic, Christian formation of the staff and pupils.
Chapter 5 Conclusions
For most of its history,
The study has emphasised the importance of
a school’s ethos. As Brick asserts, ‘a school is only as good as its ethos’. In
addition, it has been shown how important it is for the staff to own and
support a school’s underpinning ethos. The outcomes of the interviews indicate
that there is a genuine wish to do this at
While staff relations are very good, there
was little evidence of any collaborative ministry being undertaken. Collaboration
was identified as an important issue in this study given the contemporary communio ecclesiology of the Roman
Catholic Church to which
The study has established the specific raisons d’être of Josephite schools as
the ‘evangelisation and education’ of Catholic Christians who will be future
leaders. The education offered in Josephite schools must be rooted in religion and
holistic so each pupil has every chance of becoming a true,
committed Christian (L’honnête homme et
parfait Chrétien). This style of education favours values formation over
acquisition of knowledge. Furthermore Josephite schools are supported by a specific, although
not unique, school ethos that comprises a distinctive ‘family spirit’ as well
as Douceur, Politesse and
adaptability with members of staff being ‘instruments of God’s mercy’ towards
each other and the pupils.
The
outcome of the qualitative research established the Catholic, Christian, Josephite ethos is being
maintained at
The
authenticity and the academic rigour of the research outcomes of this study would
have been enhanced by additional questions, including one dealing with
leadership within the school, as well as longer interview times. In particular,
concerns can be legitimately raised over the limited number of interviewees and
their ability to be an objective, representative sample of the much larger
school community. However, it has been possible to corroborate some of the
findings of the interviews using the 2005 ISI inspection report that preceded
the interviews.
As
a result of the interviews, the study offers four recommendations:
- The
dissemination of information about Constant van Crombrugghe, the
Josephites, and the underpinning ethos of St George’s to all members of
the extended Georgian family, governors, staff, pupils, parents and former
pupils, in an appropriate style and language.
- The
provision of an ongoing formation for staff about the ethos of
- The
school should offer more formal opportunities for staff to develop their Christian
formation.
- This
study is used in the process of reviewing the school’s
It
is recognised there are time and cost factors associated with these recommendations
but they do address issues that are at the very core of
There
are grounds for considerable optimism that three of the four recommendations
will be acted upon in the immediate future. However, the commitment to a more
formal ongoing Christian formation of the staff will need a longer lead time to
ensure it is carefully planned and presented given the ecumenical background of
the staff. A process of induction for new staff about the Josephite educational
ethos is already underway. Furthermore, the Josephites have agreed to undertake
the process of disseminating information about their tradition in a more
‘person-friendly’ manner. Finally, confirmation has been offered by the Head of
Two
potential research projects emerge from this study. One is to identify current
good practice in schools similar to
Finally,
while recognising the limitations of the research methodology, the academic
value of this study lies in its re-articulation of Josephite educational ethos
of
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<http://www.ncsl.org.uk/media/F7B/9A/randd-relig-charac-pre-1-04.pdf>.
Independent Schools’
Inspectorate (ISI) Report on
Other
Material
The 2005 Policy Review Document of the
Governors of
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