EDS5001: Themes in Education

Nicole Rapa
MTL First Year
0155301L

On the basis of your school-based evidence and using the concepts you have been
introduced to, describe the school’s culture in terms of its ethos and its instrumental and
expressive orders. What evidence in the ethos and the orders is there of a caring
community?
___________________________________________________________________________
The word ethos encompasses ‘the distinctive range of values and beliefs, which
define the philosophy of an organisation,’1 it is ‘a formal expression of the authorities’ aims
[…] for an organisation.’ 2 The educational ethos conditions people to act in a certain manner
which is agreeable with the values and beliefs of the school. Therefore, it can be said that
ethos creates a community via social interaction as people – educators, parents,
headteachers, etc. – work towards a common and specific aim. At the school I was assigned
to, Immaculate Conception School in Tarxien, the aforementioned sense of community is
ever-present and it seems to affect the school is various ways.

Although Immaculate Conception School is a Church school, its ethos is not Catholic
per se as they usually tend to be. Their ethos states: at school we learn to love and love to
learn. The ethos stems from the school’s history specifically from the Sisters of Charity who
follow the steps of their patron St Jeanne Antide Thouret. The ethos is built on the idea that
‘education should be especially in favour of those who are most vulnerable’ 3 and this is
quite evident in the school. The school’s ethos creates a sense of belonging due to its focus
on love. The building itself is very welcoming to students. It has wall boards or displays of
quotes by famous people such as Kiera Knightley, Orlando Bloom, and Winston Churchill
that comment on dyslexia and other learning difficulties. Furthermore, students that are
rejected from other Church schools due to certain issues and learning difficulties are
accepted at Immaculate Conception and given the help they need. In fact, there are quite a
few Learning Support Educators for such a small school. However, LSEs not only help and
assist those students with whom they are assigned to, but they also help students that are
not statemented but clearly need educational support. Furthermore, students whose
parents cannot afford to buy books and/or uniforms are provided with these things by the

1
Caitlin Donnelly, 'In Pursuit of School Ethos', British Journal of Educational Studies, 2.48, (2000), 134-154 (p.
134).
2
Donnelly, p. 135
3
https://www.stjeanneantidecollege.com/
 EDS5001: Themes in Education
Nicole Rapa
MTL First Year
0155301L

school. Interestingly, this care is extended to the external community which includes mainly
the parents through the St Jeanne Antide Foundation which is next door to the school. This
foundation works hand in hand with the school to support parents who are going through
social, psychological, and/or financial problems by providing help in the form of groceries
and even services such as psychiatric nurse, etc. This shows that there is a caring community
within the school that not only provides inwardly for its students but also outwardly for the
parents and guardians which reinforces the idea that schools are communities of learning.

At Immaculate Conception both the instrumental order as well as the expressive

order are valued. The instrumental order encompasses the assessments, the curriculum,
and the acquisition of specific skills and bodies of knowledge; while the expressive order
encapsulates the discovery of talents, gives importance to religious beliefs and to the
creative arts. The school gives importance to all its students’ successes and makes sure to
provide ‘an atmosphere of love within which the students can aspire to excellence.’ 4
However, it also supports the search and discovery of talents and it does so through the
yearly concert where students can showcase and explore their talents. The school also
participates in the School Management for Inclusive Education (S. M. I. L. E) programme
where during some days, the lessons are shortened by ten minutes so the last hour is
dedicated to students and their interests. During such days, a book club, a sports club, and
even a Japanese club (amongst many more) are created where the students can actively
participate in and perhaps distance themselves from the mundaneness that school life
brings with it. Moreover, this programme makes the school more inclusive as it aims to
include everyone’s interests. This reinforces the idea that the school is a caring and inclusive
community that puts the student at the centre. As a Church school, Immaculate Conception
also gives importance to religious beliefs and thus at least once a term, the school organises
a mass for the students. However, unlike other Church schools the students do not miss any
lessons because of mass, instead, lessons are shortened by ten minutes so as mass does not
take the place of any other lesson. Therefore, this suggests that the temporal rule frame
also reflects the ethos of the school. It shows that the school does not prioritise mass over
lessons and other academic duties.

4
https://www.stjeanneantidecollege.com/
 EDS5001: Themes in Education
Nicole Rapa
MTL First Year
0155301L

In conclusion, the ethos is reflected in a myriad of ways by the school community. By

doing so, the school makes itself more welcoming and inclusive to students whose life may
perhaps be burdened by certain problems. The ethos based on love is bound within the
school’s community and thus every member of such community has to work towards
maintaining it.