First Minister Alex Salmond

Cardinal Winning Education Lecture

University of Glasgow

Saturday, February 2, 2008

Your Eminence, Your Grace, My Lords, Reverend Fathers, ladies and gentlemen.

It is a great honour to be invited to deliver this year's Cardinal Winning Lecture. I am also delighted to be able to join you in your celebration of Catholic Education Week.

Education is at the heart of your work and your mission as a Church. And it is the foundation of my Government's mission to build a modern, compassionate and just society in Scotland.

A society where we not only meet our immediate needs, but ensure that all can share in the benefits of prosperity.

And a Scotland that is ever conscious of its global responsibilities - promoting peace, supporting international development and protecting our environment.

Building this society and instilling these values in our population requires the highest standards of teaching in our education system - and a strong ethical dimension.

Tribute to Cardinal Winning
Cardinal Winning devoted his life to creating this society and community - not just within Scotland, but globally.

Education was at the heart of his work. In his thirties Tom Winning went to Rome as the spiritual director for the Scottish College, and also gained his doctorate in Canon Law.

As an archbishop and latterly as Cardinal, Thomas Winning was President of the Commission for Catholic Education from 1977 until his death in 2001.

And during this time there was no better or more passionate advocate for the role and values of Catholic education within Scottish society.

Archbishop Winning's outstanding contribution to the Church was rightly recognised when, in 1994, he was elevated to Cardinal - becoming only Scotland's second Cardinal since the Reformation.

Those of us who knew Thomas Winning would remember not the ceremony for his elevation - but the delighted, streetwise manner with which he accepted it.

And I have a particularly happy memory of a BBC programme showing the new Cardinal anxiously listening to commentary of the League Cup Final - Celtic were playing Raith Rovers - and assuring reporters that his appointment could only help Paul McStay's ability to score a penalty.

I believe I am correct in saying that while papal infallibility is assured, the doctrine of the Church says much less about the infallibility of Cardinals.

And even less about the infallibility of Paul McStay!

I also recall that having fought hard for the creation of a Scottish Parliament, Tom was not overly impressed by its early track record. Having been invited for lunch at The Oaks, I recall Tom's sceptical look at the bottle of Scottish Parliament Whisky I had brought with me.

"Why have you brought that?", he asked. "So that you can say that something good has come out of the Scottish Parliament after all."

Thomas Winning was ably succeeded by Mario Conti as Archbishop of Glasgow, and by Cardinal Keith Patrick O'Brien.

And Cardinal O'Brien has told me that his elevation proves that - in one respect at least - Scottish Cardinals are like buses.

One has to wait for four hundred years, only to have three arrive in succession!

Ties between Scotland and Catholic Church
We are delighted to have Cardinal O'Brien here with us today. His elevation to Cardinal by Pope John Paul II was fulsome recognition of his spiritual leadership.

And together with the elevation of his predecessors, Cardinals Gray and Winning - and the 1982 visit to Scotland by Pope John Paul II - this was strong testimony to special place that Scotland has at the heart of the Catholic Church.

The Church has long recognised Scotland as a filia specialis, or 'special daughter'. And in turn Scotland has much to be grateful for.

It is no exaggeration to say that the nation of Scotland owes its identity and its survival to the recognition and support of the Catholic Church.

We celebrated these enduring ties in November when marking the 500th anniversary of the Sword of State - that magnificent gift from Pope Julius II to King James IV.

Some thirteen years prior, Pope Alexander VI had given King James the Sceptre of Scotland in recognition of our statehood.

And we should all recall a very important piece of correspondence - the Declaration of Arbroath - from Scotland's 'community of the realm' to Pope John XXII in 1320.

A sign that Scots turned first to the Catholic Church when beginning their original National Conversation!
29. And Your Eminence, it was a pleasure to read from the Declaration at the ceremony in St Mary's Chapel in honour of the Sword of State. I recall the passage you suggested, drawing attention to the special place of St Andrew in the calendar of saints:

"Nor would He have them confirmed in that faith by merely anyone but by the first of His Apostles - by calling, though second or third in rank - the most gentle Saint Andrew, the Blessed Peter's brother, and desired him to keep them under his protection as their patron forever."

Faith-based education in Scotland
Your Eminence, today I would like to focus my remarks on the importance of Catholic education and values in the modern Scotland. Particularly during Catholic Education Week, this issue deserves examination and praise.

And more widely, I am particularly pleased to be able to use this lecture to make clear my unswerving support for faith-based education in Scotland.

Cardinal O'Brien is well aware that I have long been a supporter of the quality of faith-based education in this country - and a particular admirer of the contribution of Scotland's Catholic schools.

The Cardinal also understands, of course, that my advocacy for faith-based education extends beyond Catholic schools. I believe that here we are in full agreement on the tremendous role that faith schools can play in Scottish society.

And they do so by endowing our children with a strong moral foundation.

A positive and distinctive identity.

A keen sense of personal responsibility and the common good.

A strong commitment to charity - the true meaning of which is helping others.

And belief in the basic principle that each of us can and should make a positive contribution to our world.

Today I will talk particularly about the work that Scotland's Catholic schools have done to advance these noble values. And the central role that they retain in shaping a modern, compassionate and just nation.

Before I do so, let me also pay tribute to all faith schools across our country. The work of each is equally important and valuable. And together they are enriching the identity of our people. And the fabric of this nation.

When I visited St Margaret's School in Loanhead last November - to launch Scotland's first ever Winter Festival - I was struck by pride that the children took in their faith, and their identification with the ethos of the school.

These children were not just learning to be good students. They were learning to be good people.

And in December, when I visited Calderwood Lodge Primary School - our Jewish faith school - I saw that, although they had a different faith, the children had an equal sense of belonging. And strong values and ideals.

Both schools made me proud for the children they were educating. And I felt optimistic then - as I do today - about the future of these young people and their contribution to Scotland.

Catholic education and the 1918 Education Act
Let me move on to discuss Catholic education directly. I want to look first at the origins of the current framework - the 1918 Act. And of course I want to go on to consider the modern place and relevance of Catholic education and values in Scotland.

So first let us look at the background to the Education (Scotland) Act 1918 - whose 90th anniversary falls this year.

In addition to the Act's provisions on Catholic education, it was a piece of far-reaching legislation that contained several radical changes. For instance it introduced new, county-based education authorities - the precursors of what we have today; the school leaving age was raised from 14 to 15; and there were further restrictions on under-15 year olds being employed in factories, mines and quarries - nowadays we're trying to expand work experience opportunities!.

Most of these matters have been overtaken by further changes in the administration of education, or by subsequent education or employment law.

But the provisions on Catholic education remain - enshrined in our modern education system. And that is what we are celebrating today - the fact that Catholic schools are an integral and highly successful part of public education in Scotland.

The Education Bill then before Parliament sought to address what had become a two tier system of education. In 1917, the bulk of Scottish schools were "board schools" - run by the school boards. And they benefited from financial support from the local rates.

Although board schools were subject to a 'conscience clause' by which parents could opt their children out of any religious education, the Catholic community and parents chose to establish more than 200 'voluntary schools'. Prior to the Education Act these schools received some central funding, but no assistance from the rates - which of course Catholic parents still had to pay.

What did such inequalities of funding mean in practice? A graphic picture was painted during a Commons "Supply Day Debate" on Scottish finances in August 1917. We are indebted to figures provided by Mr Boland - the MP for South Kerry.

Which in itself is a reminder of the certainty of political change.

I know there are some local Headteachers here so let me give you the Glasgow figures. The salary for a "board school" Headteacher was £366 (that's per annum, not per week). Meanwhile for a Headteacher in a voluntary Catholic school, the figure was £181.

A child at a Glasgow board school had £3 and 16 shillings per annum spent on their education. A child at a Catholic school, less than half of that.

At the end of that Commons debate Robert Munro, the Secretary for Scotland (the post wasn't elevated to Secretary of State until some years later) asked whether Scotland's Catholic community was: "willing to bring schools under public control, subject to suitable safeguards both in the matter of the choice of teachers and religious instruction, and so enjoy the benefit of rate aid?"

If so, Munro went on to say, "the position of the schools would in every particular, immediately improve." He wasn't wrong!

The politics of the Education Bill
Just four months later, Robert Munro was seeking Cabinet approval for his new Bill.

Allow me a moment's indulgence to share with you the once "secret" War Cabinet Agenda for Friday 7th December 1917. Fifteen minutes was allowed for discussion of each of the following items - Censorship of Leaflets; Aircraft Warfare; Statements of the Political, Naval and Military Situations; the Position of Holland; Supplies to Russia; Drilling in Ireland (it doesn't say what for); the Rank and Titles of Officers of the Air Force; the Education (Scotland) Bill; and the Payment of Conscientious Objectors retained in the Post Office.

Alas our old files only contain an extract of the minutes concerning education: "The War Cabinet approved the Bill".

Thanks to the good sense of MPs - and perhaps some divine intervention - the reforms on Catholic education sailed through all the Parliamentary stages with minimal adverse comment or amendment.

Of course, the Education Bill was far from a one man show. Robert Munro enjoyed strong support - notably from three of his predecessors: Tom McKinnon-Wood, Harold Tennant, and Lord Balfour of Burleigh.

Also supporting the Bill were the then Lord Advocate, "Mr" Clyde - Lord Advocates in those days sat in the Commons. And Sir George Younger, the namesake of a future Secretary of State for Scotland.

There is evidence that the reforms enjoyed a great deal of public support - notably from the majority of Scotland's bishops. And the august body of the Glasgow and West of Scotland Catholic Teachers' Association.

What can we detect of the politics of the change? It is always difficult, when looking so far back, to discern the precise will of Parliament.

But let me suggest two inferences we might draw. First, there were far-sighted politicians who took an inclusive view of all the respective interests of the Scottish community.

Second, and equally important, that political establishment was faced with the determination of the Catholic community to secure a system in which the Catholic faith and tradition permeated the whole of a child's life, at school as well as at home.

What was the immediate impact of the new legislation? One senior civil servant - still serving today, though in legal services rather than education - the recalls his father - who was aged just eight in 1918 and attending a Catholic voluntary school in Edinburgh - telling him that it was "just like Christmas; desks, books, pens and pencils arrived".

I daren't think what the facilities were like beforehand!

Standing back and taking the wider view, what the 1918 Act introduced was an unprecedented concordat between church and state in the provision of education. I'm not sure that it has been paralleled elsewhere.

Although I would venture to hope that its longevity - and the way in which it has so well served the interests of all parties - augurs well for another more recent 'concordat'. One which the Scottish Government has reached with COSLA and today's local authorities.

The tradition of church working together with state (both local and national government) has been well sustained over the nine decades since that 1918 Act.

The legislation may have changed its form - and so have the administrative bodies and educational structures. But the strength of the relationship is undiminished.

It shines through in the distinctive contribution which Catholic schools now make to Scottish education as a whole. And in how effective Catholic schools are in delivering some of the highest levels of achievement and attainment.

Catholic education today
I believe, like you, that the record of Catholic schools in Scotland is second to none. For confirmation, one only has to look at the reports by Her Majesty's Inspectors and at what former pupils go on to achieve. So it is a pleasure to pay tribute today to your dedication, commitment, sheer hard work and contribution to such a sterling achievement.

I spoke earlier of a partnership between government, Catholic schools and the Church. But of course the day-to-day provision of Catholic education in Scotland is itself a broad and highly effective partnership.

First and foremost are those of you who work in schools - head teachers and teachers, classroom assistants, other staff. Daily you stand before children and young people, as role models, in loco parentis for large parts of the day - teaching, challenging, inspiring and encouraging them to give of their best.

Then there is the Catholic Education Commission, which has made a major contribution to educational developments in recent years. Not least in proposing the establishment of full-time professional support for Catholic schools in the shape of the Scottish Catholic Education Service.

Even in five short years, schools have come to rely on its support for a whole range of resources, information and advice. The 'Called to Love' programme and 'Values for Life' are prime examples.

Moving on, it is no coincidence that I am delivering this lecture in a building in the heart of the Faculty of Education, at the University which trains teachers specifically for work in Catholic schools.

I know there are many in this audience who would wish to join me in inviting the Dean and all of his Faculty and staff to take a very well-deserved bow.

Last but by no means least, let us recognise the quality of your leadership - Cardinal O'Brien and the entire church Hierarchy. Their acute interest in and commitment to all aspects of education is an example to all.

Curriculum for Excellence
I have often said that the foundation of Scotland's success - our great intellectual, social and economic flourishing - was our commitment to education. To free education for all.

That initiative of course owed an enormous amount to the Presbyterian Church. But it quickly became the Scottish invention which made all our other inventions possible.

And of course that principle of free education is one that this Government is in the process of restoring, with the abolition of tuition fees in Scotland.

We seek to build an education system that is open to all. A system that will not just benefit our economy - but will help to strengthen Scotland's entire civic and intellectual life.

That is why we place such strong emphasis on ethics and values.

And it is also why Fiona Hyslop has made clear this Government's expectation that every child should have an entitlement to be taught Scottish history - and understand Scotland's and their place in the world.

Concerning our history, I still find it instructive to contrast Scotland's first piece of social legislation - the Education Act - with that in England, the Poor Law.

It is a striking illustration of the respective priority of Scotland - education - with that of England - bread.

The 1696 Education Act ensured that Scotland was the first country anywhere to provide universal school education.

So in Scotland you were allowed to starve but had to learn to read and write. Whereas in England the poor house provided an alternative to starvation, but education was only for the privileged few.

This country has been a learning nation - first, last and always

A love of learning is a liberator for children and this Government wants Scotland to be everything it can be with opportunities for all young people to flourish.

The religious education curriculum offers a valuable contribution to these challenges and our ambitions for all our young people to be successful learners, confident individuals, effective contributors and responsible citizens.

Through religious education, our young people also learn respect for and an understanding of other beliefs and how to make a positive difference to themselves and the world by putting their beliefs and values into action.

These opportunities will be enhanced and enriched through this Government's curriculum reform programme - Curriculum for Excellence.

And of course we recognise the responsibility that the Catholic Education Commission takes for the faith content of the curriculum in Catholic schools. A responsibility which you exercise on behalf of the Bishops' Conference of Scotland - in close partnership with the Scottish Government, and with schools themselves. A responsibility most recently exemplified through your close involvement in the process for taking forward the draft curriculum for excellence guidance for religious education.

And the questions that we face together, in setting the curriculum, are how do we encourage our young people to develop their beliefs, attitudes and moral values - and to put them into action?

To help us achieve this, the curriculum should emphasise the rights and responsibilities of individuals and nations.

I can say to you today that the fostering and development of values, beliefs and attitudes will feature very clearly, and very strongly, in the draft curriculum for excellence guidance for Religious Education which will be released by Learning and Teaching Scotland in the Spring.

And when we consider the ideals - the values - that we should foster in Scotland's young people, we can think of the words inscribed on the mace of the Scottish Parliament.

Words that help describe the values for our whole democracy: justice, wisdom, integrity and compassion.

Values that are - and have always been - at the heart of Catholic education in Scotland.

Conclusion
As I said in my opening remarks, delivering a good education for all Scots is at the heart our purpose in government.

So I am proud to support Catholic education in Scotland. And continuing development of faith-based education.

The point is not merely that Catholic schools get good results. They do, of course, and that is vital.

What also matters is that children in Catholic schools gain a wider sense of responsibility and identity - and a desire to help improve the community in which they live.

This positive legacy should not be the preserve of Catholic schools - or even religious schools - alone.

Our diversity is a great source of strength and richness. All of Scotland's schools and educators can help shape and inspire our young people to learn. To build. To hope. And to share.

Today I am proud to join with you in celebrating the particular contribution of Catholic schools to our society. To our education system. And to this country.

I use the word 'celebrate' quite deliberately.

For far too long the attitude of some has been at best, grudging acceptance of Catholic education, and at worst, outright hostility.

My contention - and the central contention of this lecture - is that it is time to celebrate diversity and distinctiveness. And to openly welcome the contribution that faith based education can make to Scottish education.

From today's perspective, we can see the Education Act of 1918 as a huge positive step in the history of this nation of Scotland.
I see every reason to expect us to be celebrating its full century in another ten years' time.

I look forward to many more years of successful partnership between us.

And you know that you will always have my support - and the support of my government.

When I was representing the Bishops’ Conference of Scotland at a recent conference attended by colleagues from across Europe, I was struck by the significant variations in the ways that Catholic education is provided in many European countries. 

For instance, in Ireland almost all primary schools - well over 90% - are owned by, and managed by, the Church.  This has led to recent calls for different kinds of school provision being made available to those who do not want to send their children a Catholic school. 

In some countries, Catholic schools are provided by Dioceses and Religious Congregations as independent schools which charge tuition fees.  In others again, schools are managed by Church agencies and financed by the State to provide education for Catholic children.

In many of the countries of Eastern Europe there are encouraging signs of growth in Catholic education.  Dioceses and Religious Congregations are building Catholic schools, investing in the lives of young people, offering access to quality education and formation which develops Gospel values in the lives of young people.

Despite the differences in structures and in governance across the various systems of Catholic schools in Europe, it is clear that they face common challenges: to their mission and purpose, to their religious character and identity and to the very place of religion within the sphere of education.

In a recent document[1], published by the Vatican’s Congregation for Catholic Education and approved by Pope Benedict XVI, some of these challenges are acknowledged.  In particular, the document highlights the need for Catholic schools to provide young people with the experience of being members of a community of faith, in the midst of a world which is increasingly diverse.  It calls for “education in communion”, in which young people have a strong experience of sharing, are encouraged to search for truth and meaning, to come to know themselves and to recognise the signs through which God leads them to the fullness of existence.

Interestingly, the theme of “Forward in Communion” was adopted by the Catholic Primary Head Teachers’ Association (CHAPS) for their annual conference in September of this year.  The organising committee had recognised that their work in Catholic schools across Scotland is all about providing young people with experiences of “living in communion”.  They know that this is not easy today when society seems to encourage individualism and bombards young people with various kinds of values which conflict with notions of eternal truth, shared responsibility and the common good.

However, there is plenty of evidence to indicate that many Catholic schools and parishes are successful in providing such experiences of communion and in providing formation which helps young people to know how to spend their lives responsibly, in response to God’s call.  Teachers do this best in collaboration with parents and with the local parish, preparing children to receive the sacraments, helping them to develop a sense of belonging and encouraging them to be living witnesses of God’s love in the world.

When teachers are encouraged to develop their own understanding of Gospel values they are able to develop these same values in the lives of young people.  This requires them to address their own theological and spiritual formation as part of their ongoing continuing and professional development.  Only through such a “formation of the heart” will they themselves experience that encounter with God in Christ which they hope to offer to their students.  The Values for Life resource, recently developed by the Catholic Education Commission, encourages exactly this kind of formation.

Significant attention requires to be given to this formation of teachers - both in Initial Teacher Education courses and through in-service training.  Again, there are signs of positive developments here in Scotland, with courses being offered in Dioceses, in the University of Glasgow’s Faculty of Education and in schools themselves.  This will require the Church’s continuing commitment, through the work of the Scottish Catholic Education Service and various other groups.

Over the next few years, teachers in Catholic schools throughout Scotland will be encouraged to reflect upon the place and the nature of religious education.  As part of a major review of the curriculum in all schools, they will consider the nature of the learning experience which should be provided for young people in primary and secondary schools.  This may involve them in planning to ensure the centrality of religious education in the life of the Catholic school, and it may challenge them to reflect upon their own personal understanding of the Gospel message and of how it can be communicated to children and young people.  Throughout this journey the Church will accompany and support them.

Such support is necessary if we wish to help Catholic schools to resist the pressure from various quarters to ‘leave faith at the school gate’.  Loud secular voices are claiming that, out of respect for people of other faiths and none, it is time for schools to be prohibited from “favouring” Christianity in any way.  A recent newspaper survey suggested that only one fifth of primary schools in England would hold a Nativity play this year, out of fear of offending non-Christians.  Pressure from the secularist lobby is beginning to pay dividends, as some schools find it hard to resist calls to be “inclusive” and, as a consequence, to play down their distinctive traditions and character.

Of course, we understand that “living in communion” is not in any way an exclusive activity.  It is welcoming to all people, encouraging them to know that God loves them.  It encourages all to see, in the light of the Gospel, what is positive in the world, as well as what needs to be transformed.  It helps to form people in such a way “as to respect the identity, culture, history, religion and especially the sufferings and needs of others, conscious that we are all really responsible for all”, as the recent Vatican document says.

This is the vision - of life and of education - which should be embraced by all involved in Catholic education in Scotland and elsewhere.