CATHOLIC scHoots are training students to be citizens that "are actively concerned about the world around them and want to play a full part in the democratic process when they are adults", according to a study published this week.
The report, by the Centre for Faith in Society at the Von Hugel Institute, suggests that Catholic schools can be seen as centres of "civic inclusion" whose pupils value dialogue with people of other faiths as well as social justice. Forty per cent of the 1,409 respondents from 19 secondary schools reported regular Church attendance. Pupils were also asked about attitudes towards religious and ethnic diversity, and 60 per cent agreed that religious education has made an important contribution to their understanding of different faiths.