What are Catholic schools for? Sean Whittle, an academic and RE teacher, explains why they need to change the traditional means by which they understand the philosophy or theory of Catholic education Deep-seated concerns have been reignited about the potential harmful effects of faith-based schools following the Trojan Horse affair. Under the guise of a faith-based education, five Muslim schools in Birmingham were found to have been infiltrated by hardliners and were allowing the radicalisation of Muslim pupils. Catholic schools, in spite of evidence to the contrary in Ofsted reports, are also viewed with suspicion in some quarters. They are depicted as firmly “confessional” by critics who assume that one of the primary goals of a Catholic school is to nurture pupils in the C