When planning for staff formation, it is essential to recognise the diversity of staff members’ faith journeys, cultural backgrounds, life experiences and relationships with the Church. The National Catholic Education Commission’s Life to the Full (2024) acknowledges the increasingly diverse religious and social backgrounds of Catholic school communities, declining involvement in parish life, and the need to strengthen formation for staff in all roles. It also recognises that, for many students, families and staff, the Catholic school provides their principal—and sometimes only—experience of Church and Catholic life. These circumstances call for formation that begins with people’s lived experiences and offers opportunities for dialogue, prayer, reflection and participation in the Church’s mission. (NCEC, 2024, pp. 3, 6–7, 10)

Recent scholarship also highlights the importance of helping religious educators develop religious literacy, deepen their understanding of the Catholic tradition, and connect faith with their professional practice. Together, these publications suggest that formation should be ongoing and responsive to differing starting points, supporting staff to deepen their understanding of, and contribution to, the mission of Catholic education. (Poncini, 2024) Michael Buchanan (2022), in Catholic Teacher Formation in the Land Downunder, suggests that as the first contact for faith for most staff, schools must be a context for teacher formation.

Teacher formation within a school can take many forms, implicit and explicit. It is implicit within a staff culture and community shaped by the quality of Christian witness and relationships. The explicit forms include activities such as staff prayer, staff retreats and school and system-wide formation programs. The SPIRITUS International Leaders Network is a crucial platform for delivering and resourcing staff formation within a system or school.