Some 60 Lasallian headteachers and educationists from all over Europe gathered in Ipswich at the end of March for the annual Congress of ASSEDIL - Association Européenne des Directeurs díEtablissements Lasalliens. The main thrust of the gathering was to explore ways in which we can ensure that all the fine things we say about Lasallian schools and Lasallian ideals of education will get turned into concrete reality in the daily life of our schools and that we are seen to be practising what we preach. There was a calculated dynamic to the programme which moved from the general to the specific, from the theory to the practice.

The starting point was the document entitled "Five Axioms of Lasallian Education", which is a summary statement of the traditional characteristics of a Lasallian school found in many previous sources. The method chosen to turn these axioms into actions was that of the analysis of indicators and the development of actions plans with which schools in Britain have become familiar in the wake of action plans. The application of these techniques to the intangible notion of ìschool ethosî was something quite new, and it made for a very interesting conference.

Things began with an outline of the OFSTED phenomenon for the sake of our overseas guests. This was done very competently by Ted Dunphy, a lead inspector with a good insight into the special nature of Catholic schools. He stressed among other things that one of the main benefits of an OFSTED inspection is the way it stimulates self-analysis and self-critique. In particular, it brings to light the differences between what a school says about itself in its mission statement and official documents and what the people in the school actually do. This is at the heart of the question of a Lasallian ethos in a school.

The baton was then taken over by Alan Murphy of St Maryís College Strawberry Hill, who gave a fine analysis of the indicators that should accompany the Five Axioms as evidence that the ideals embodied in them are taken seriously in the life of the school. In the discussion groups that followed, people from different countries and educational systems were able to share their experiences of trying to develop the Lasallian ethos of a school. The feedback session indicated that the discussions were rich and varied and provided an excellent opportunity for the ìsharing of best practiceî, which is one the main values of such international gatherings.

The third stage of the programme came in the form of a presentation by Paul Byron, former head of De La Salle School St Helens, of the system of action plans and school development plans, with models of the accompanying schemes and schedules. After that people divided into ìworkshop groupsî in which they attempted a simulation exercise of taking one aspect of Lasallian ethos for which they were to construct a model ethos. Some were learning about action plans for the first time. Others were learning to apply a familiar method to a new area. Everybody ended up with something worthwhile to take home.