The recent rise in the number of faith-based schools in Britain creates some interesting issues. On the one hand it is clear that the government, and certainly former Prime Minister Tony Blair, perceives such schools as contributing not only to choice and diversity but also to the raising of educational standards. This appears to be because of an increasingly influential theory that schools with a strong ‘spiritual capital’ (Caldwell, 2008) can raise student achievement. Spiritual capital is defined by Caldwell (2008: 241) as ‘the strength of moral purpose and the degree of coherence among values, beliefs and attitudes about life and learning’. Faith based schools would appear to fit these criteria.
Ahmed Al-Mesalati M. and Ahmed MK ( 2004) Introducing the Qur’an: The Book of Allah. Ahmed.
2.
Caldwell BJ ( 2008) ‘Reconceptualizing the Self-Managing School’, Educational Management, Administration and Leadership36 (2): 235-252.
3.
Catechism of the Catholic Church (1990) Vatican: Holy See, Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
4.
Charmaz K. ( 2000) Grounded theory: objectivist and constructivist methods . In: Denzin NK and Lincoln YS (eds) Handbook of Qualitative Research , 2nd edn. Thousand Oaks, CA : SAGE, 509-535.
5.
Cottrell S. ( 2006) ‘Statement to Annual Conference of IPPN’. Reported in Irish Examiner 31 January.
6.
Department of Education and Science (DES) ( 2000) Social Personal and Health Education: Junior Cycle. Dublin: Stationery Office.
7.
Douglas N., Warwick I., Kemp S. and Whitty G. ( 1997) Playing it Safe: Responses of Secondary School Teachers to Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Pupils, Bullying, HIV and AIDS Education and Section 28. London: Institute of Education.
8.
Government of Ireland (1998a) The Education Act. Dublin: Stationery Office.
9.
Government of Ireland (1998b) The Employment Equality Act. Dublin: Stationery Office.
10.
Government of Ireland (2000-2004) The Equal Status Acts. Dublin: Stationery Office.
11.
Gravissimum Educationis (1965) Vatican: Holy See, Congregation for Catholic Education.
12.
Inglis T. ( 1999) Lesson in Irish Sexuality. Dublin: UCD.
13.
Irish Bishops’ Conference (1997) Developing a Policy for RSE in Catholic Schools. Maynooth : Irish Bishops’ Conference.
14.
Lambeth Conference (1998) Statement on homosexuality from the Anglican Bishops. Available at: http.//www.lambethconference.org/resolutions/1998/1999-1-10.cfm (accessed 27 October 2008).
15.
Martin M. ( 2006) School Matters: The Report of the Task Force On Student Behaviour in Second-Level Schools. Dublin: Department of Education and Science.
16.
Morgan M. ( 2000) Relationships and Sexuality Education: An Evaluation and Review of Implementation. Dublin: Department of Education and Science.
17.
Norman J. ( 2003) Ethos and Education in Ireland. New York: Peter Lang.
18.
Norman J., Galvin M. and McNamara G. ( 2006) Straight Talk: Researching Gay and Lesbian Issues in the School Curriculum. Dublin: Department of Education and Science.
19.
O’Donnell L. ( 2005) Dáil statement on the Ferns report. Dáil Record 9 November.
20.
O’Fathaigh D. ( 2003) An examination of the experiences of gay teachers in Ireland . Unpublished MA thesis, University College Dublin.
21.
Ratzinger J. ( 1986) Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church on the Pastoral Care of Homosexual Persons. Rome: Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
22.
Robson C. ( 1993) Real World Research. Oxford: Blackwell.
23.
Tough S. and Brooks R. ( 2007) School Admissions: Fair Choice for Parents and Pupils . London: Institute for Public Policy Research.
24.
Tovey H. and Share P. ( 2003) A Sociology of Ireland. Dublin: Gill and MacMillan.
25.
Williams K. ( 2005) Faith and the Nation. Dublin: Dominican Press.
