Between ethos and practice: are Ireland’s new multi-denominational primary schools equal and inclusive?

Abstract

This article explores the ethos of multi-denominational primary schools in the context of increasing cultural and religious diversity in the Republic of Ireland. In particular, it investigates how the official ethos is played out in day-today school interactions. The mixed-methods study draws on data collected from 11 community national schools focussing on the perspectives of principals, teachers and pupils. The data indicates while schools' formal ethos sets out guiding principles and standards, a closer look reveals the specific identity of each individual school within the broader formal framework. The article presents a new perspective on school ethos research by exploring the extent to which it guides the promotion of diversity and tolerance in a multi-faith context. While the study is carried out in Ireland, it is also of interest to other jurisdictions where schools are faced with increasing religious diversity among their student population.

Substantive equality of refugee children in Education Acts of Finland and Norway

“…According to Darmody, Smyth and McCoy (2012) parents of migrant backgrounds are more likely to choose to enrol their children in multidenominational schools and they are more likely to be involved in parentteacher meetings and develop a relationship with teachers in these schools compared to Catholic schools. As in other contexts, language has been identified as a significant barrier in home-school partnerships in Ireland (Faas, Smith and Darmody, 2019;Horgan et al, 2021;McGinnity, Darmody and Murray, 2015). Support not only for 'host language' but also for 'home language' and 'linguistic diversity' have been recognised as important elements in "facilitating migrant children's integration" (Horgan et al, 2021, p. 12) and sense of belonging in school and wider society.…”

Perspectives on Transitions in Refugee Education

“…According to Darmody, Smyth and McCoy (2012) parents of migrant backgrounds are more likely to choose to enrol their children in multidenominational schools and they are more likely to be involved in parentteacher meetings and develop a relationship with teachers in these schools compared to Catholic schools. As in other contexts, language has been identified as a significant barrier in home-school partnerships in Ireland (Faas, Smith and Darmody, 2019;Horgan et al, 2021;McGinnity, Darmody and Murray, 2015). Support not only for 'host language' but also for 'home language' and 'linguistic diversity' have been recognised as important elements in "facilitating migrant children's integration" (Horgan et al, 2021, p. 12) and sense of belonging in school and wider society.…”

Examining the experiences of students, teachers and leaders at Educate Together second-level schools

“…The study focused on better understanding the multi-denominational primary sector in Ireland across dimensions including school choice, student profile and school profile, with a focus on Educate Together Schools. In 2018, the ESRI published a number of papers with a focus on better understanding different characteristics of Community National Schools, including on the role of principals in creating inclusive school environments (Faas et al, 2018a), children's agency in multi-belief settings (Faas et al, 2018b), and variations in school ethos among schools within the same (multi-) denominational mission (Faas et al, 2019).…”