The Values of Faith-Based Schooling - A Case-Study.

Christian Parent Controlled (CPC) schools which currently enrol over 22 000 students commenced in the 1960s as a result of the post-war influx of European migrants to Australia. Amongst the Dutch migrants was a group whose allegiance to Reformed Christianity and whose experience of Christian schooling in their homeland led to a determination that Christian schools directed by parents be established. In the first part of the study upon which this paper is based, the foundational values of these schools were identified. These were that: parents' should control the education of their children; the focus of the school should be on the needs of Christian families, including affordability and the importance of a protected environment; the curriculum should be thoroughly Christian, guided by the Bible with Christ at the centre of all school activities; and courses should be developed and taught by Christian teachers. This paper explores the current practices of these schools in relation to these foundational values. The paper finds that prevailing practices in CPC schools generally give faithful expression to these foundational values, however, there are a number of areas where these schools struggle to consistently realize these values.