The Role of the Headteacher in Developing Children Holistically

Abstract

Voluntary church schools have long been a part of the state schooling system in England and Wales. It would seem that one of their purposes is to encourage the holistic development of their pupils in the context of certain moral codes and faith traditions. In the face of an increasingly secularized, even post-traditional society, these voluntary schools (in the main, Church of England and Roman Catholic ones) remain popular with parents. This article reports on a small-scale study that sought to examine how the heads of Church of England and Roman Catholic schools see their own roles as builders of school cultures that support and encourage the spiritual and moral development of their pupils. Differences of approaches within the two types of schools were identified: the Church of England school approach incorporates a willingness to adapt to its changing context and so display both an openness and ambivalence; and the approach of the Catholic school reflected a central determination, producing a commonality that perhaps underestimates the emphasis on individuality and choice current in today’s society.