Challenges faced by a faith-based school in a rural, predominantly secular setting: Implications

© 2016, Western Australian Institute for Educational Research Inc. All rights reserved.A new, independent Catholic school in rural Australia has had to face significant challenges in relation to its distinct Catholic ethos and curriculum. The challenges have included resistance from parents of the School with regard to the weekly time allocation for Religious Education, the nature of the faith-based curriculum, and the way in which it is taught. Resistance to the School in general has also been demonstrated from further afield and higher up, including the ‘systemic authorities’. The various forces of resistance have created challenges for the School on both a small and large scale. This paper presents the types of challenges met by the School’s Directors and Principal. It also presents how the challenges were tackled and explores the implications for the School, at the time and in the future. The implications may also be relevant to other faith-based schools in similar settings.