When I Was at School

This paper reports on research conducted with Australian Catholic secondary school religious education teachers and trainee religious education teachers aged 24 to 40 years. The research has focused on investigating the target group's experiences of their own secondary school religious education. Understanding the educational background of this age group has implications for professional development as well as documenting an important recent period in the history of Catholic education. Forty‐four participants were interviewed using a semi‐structured technique and a number of key response categories were established. A short questionnaire was also completed. Participants identified a lack of academic focus as one of their key recollections of secondary school RE. Responses to this lack of focus were classified as negative or ambivalent. School retreats were identified as a positive experience and the school culture was recognised by participants as playing an important role in how RE was experienced. Respondents reported a generally favourable experience of their time in Catholic secondary schools.