Faith-based schools have been characterized as the “phenomenon of our times” (Johnson, 2005, p. 155). This ‘phenomenon’ has been brought about by a changing mindset of national governments and society to support faith-based schools. This support has enabled faith-based schools to expand to such an extent, both in number and in diversity, that in several international contexts this sector now educates a substantial proportion of their students (Crump & Slee, 2005; Sullivan, 2006).

Worldwide, investigations of faith-based schools have been conducted within the field of education (Johnson, 2005). Many of these studies have emphasized areas such as school effectiveness and academic outcomes (Grace, 2003). Other studies have consisted of policy studies (Walford, 2001) or descriptive analyses (Hewer, 2001).

Within the field of educational leadership there has been a tendency to place the faith-based school sector on the periphery of empirical investigations (Grace, 2009). That said some studies relating to the context of faith-based schools do exist. A report by the National College for Leadership of Schools and Children’s Services (National College of School Leadership, 2005) identified three themes for future research:  leadership of faith schools; leadership and spirituality; and the development of leadership in faith schools. More empirically-based work includes Grace’s (2002) examination of English Catholic headteachers. The findings of this research have highlighted how Catholic school leaders’ perspectives of leadership are influenced by contextual factors relating to the school’s culture (Grace, 2002). In Australia, Cranston, Ehrich, & Kimber (2006) has found faith-based school leaders practice can be underpinned by personal and professional values. Such studies reinforce the value of conducting investigations of leadership within the distinctive contexts of faith-based schools and how their perspectives are influenced by contextual factors.

Considering that leadership is such an important aspect of schools and helps to determine their development and effectiveness (NCSL,  2005) the perspectives of faith-based school leaders can broaden our understanding of how a religious ethos can influence leadership orientations. This is especially the case because conceptions of educational leadership tend to be restricted to secular perspectives rather than from those of a more spiritual nature (Luckcock, 2007). As a result, an investigation of how educational leadership is understood and practised within the distinctive context of different faith-based schools can advance knowledge within the field.

The purpose of this study was to examine how educational leadership is understood and practised by the members of three different faith-based school management teams located in Perth, Western Australia. Informed and guided by the interpretive research approach the study’s central research question was as follows: How do the members of management teams in different faith-based schools understand and practise educational leadership? Three guiding questions were formulated to give shape and direction to the research process. These questions focused on uncovering the participants’ understandings of educational leadership, how their understandings influenced their practice, and to what extent their understandings and practices varied between different faith-based schools.  This paper will examine one of three school cases, the Catholic school case.

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