diff --git a/docs/conf.py b/docs/conf.py
index 0337c1e6b6..c88d52b31f 100644
--- a/docs/conf.py
+++ b/docs/conf.py
@@ -31,11 +31,7 @@ sys.path.insert(0, os.path.abspath('..'))
 
 # Autodoc may need to import some models modules which require django settings
 # be configured
-from django.conf import settings
-
-if not settings.configured:
-    from wagtail.tests.settings import SETTINGS
-    settings.configure(**SETTINGS)
+os.environ['DJANGO_SETTINGS_MODULE'] = 'wagtail.tests.settings'
 
 
 # -- General configuration ------------------------------------------------
diff --git a/runtests.py b/runtests.py
index eea280431f..ed8f99d454 100755
--- a/runtests.py
+++ b/runtests.py
@@ -6,11 +6,10 @@ import shutil
 from django.conf import settings
 from django.core.management import execute_from_command_line
 
-from wagtail.tests.settings import SETTINGS, STATIC_ROOT, MEDIA_ROOT
+from wagtail.tests.settings import STATIC_ROOT, MEDIA_ROOT
 
 
-if not settings.configured:
-    settings.configure(**SETTINGS)
+os.environ['DJANGO_SETTINGS_MODULE'] = 'wagtail.tests.settings'
 
 
 def runtests():
diff --git a/wagtail/tests/settings.py b/wagtail/tests/settings.py
index 26a0de8515..5cee3d6d81 100644
--- a/wagtail/tests/settings.py
+++ b/wagtail/tests/settings.py
@@ -7,11 +7,93 @@ WAGTAIL_ROOT = os.path.dirname(__file__)
 STATIC_ROOT = os.path.join(WAGTAIL_ROOT, 'test-static')
 MEDIA_ROOT = os.path.join(WAGTAIL_ROOT, 'test-media')
 
-try:
-    import elasticsearch
-    has_elasticsearch = True
-except ImportError:
-    has_elasticsearch = False
+
+DATABASES = {
+    'default': {
+        'ENGINE': os.environ.get('DATABASE_ENGINE', 'django.db.backends.postgresql_psycopg2'),
+        'NAME': 'wagtaildemo',
+        'USER': os.environ.get('DATABASE_USER', 'postgres'),
+    }
+}
+
+SECRET_KEY = 'not needed'
+
+ROOT_URLCONF='wagtail.tests.urls'
+
+STATIC_URL = '/static/'
+STATIC_ROOT = STATIC_ROOT
+
+STATICFILES_FINDERS = (
+    'django.contrib.staticfiles.finders.AppDirectoriesFinder',
+    'compressor.finders.CompressorFinder',
+)
+
+MEDIA_ROOT=MEDIA_ROOT
+
+USE_TZ = True
+
+TEMPLATE_CONTEXT_PROCESSORS = global_settings.TEMPLATE_CONTEXT_PROCESSORS + (
+    'django.core.context_processors.request',
+)
+
+MIDDLEWARE_CLASSES = (
+    'django.middleware.common.CommonMiddleware',
+    'django.contrib.sessions.middleware.SessionMiddleware',
+    'django.middleware.csrf.CsrfViewMiddleware',
+    'django.contrib.auth.middleware.AuthenticationMiddleware',
+    'django.contrib.messages.middleware.MessageMiddleware',
+    'django.middleware.clickjacking.XFrameOptionsMiddleware',
+
+    'wagtail.wagtailcore.middleware.SiteMiddleware',
+
+    'wagtail.wagtailredirects.middleware.RedirectMiddleware',
+)
+
+INSTALLED_APPS = [
+    'django.contrib.contenttypes',
+    'django.contrib.sessions',
+    'django.contrib.auth',
+    'django.contrib.messages',
+    'django.contrib.staticfiles',
+    'django.contrib.admin',
+
+    'taggit',
+    'south',
+    'compressor',
+
+    'wagtail.wagtailcore',
+    'wagtail.wagtailadmin',
+    'wagtail.wagtaildocs',
+    'wagtail.wagtailsnippets',
+    'wagtail.wagtailusers',
+    'wagtail.wagtailimages',
+    'wagtail.wagtailembeds',
+    'wagtail.wagtailsearch',
+    'wagtail.wagtailredirects',
+    'wagtail.wagtailforms',
+    'wagtail.contrib.wagtailstyleguide',
+    'wagtail.tests',
+]
+
+# Using DatabaseCache to make sure that the cache is cleared between tests.
+# This prevents false-positives in some wagtail core tests where we are
+# changing the 'wagtail_root_paths' key which may cause future tests to fail.
+CACHES = {
+    'default': {
+        'BACKEND': 'django.core.cache.backends.db.DatabaseCache',
+        'LOCATION': 'cache',
+    }
+}
+
+PASSWORD_HASHERS = (
+    'django.contrib.auth.hashers.MD5PasswordHasher',  # don't use the intentionally slow default password hasher
+)
+
+COMPRESS_ENABLED = False  # disable compression so that we can run tests on the content of the compress tag
+
+LOGIN_REDIRECT_URL = 'wagtailadmin_home'
+LOGIN_URL = 'wagtailadmin_login'
+
 
 WAGTAILSEARCH_BACKENDS = {
     'default': {
@@ -19,86 +101,18 @@ WAGTAILSEARCH_BACKENDS = {
     }
 }
 
-if has_elasticsearch:
+try:
+    # Only add Elasticsearch backend if the elasticsearch-py library is installed
+    import elasticsearch
+
+    # Import succeeded, add an Elasticsearch backend
     WAGTAILSEARCH_BACKENDS['elasticsearch'] = {
         'BACKEND': 'wagtail.wagtailsearch.backends.elasticsearch.ElasticSearch',
         'TIMEOUT': 10,
         'max_retries': 1,
     }
+except ImportError:
+    pass
 
-SETTINGS = dict(
-    DATABASES={
-        'default': {
-            'ENGINE': os.environ.get('DATABASE_ENGINE', 'django.db.backends.postgresql_psycopg2'),
-            'NAME': 'wagtaildemo',
-            'USER': os.environ.get('DATABASE_USER', 'postgres'),
-        }
-    },
-    ROOT_URLCONF='wagtail.tests.urls',
-    STATIC_URL='/static/',
-    STATIC_ROOT=STATIC_ROOT,
-    MEDIA_ROOT=MEDIA_ROOT,
-    USE_TZ=True,
-    STATICFILES_FINDERS=(
-        'django.contrib.staticfiles.finders.AppDirectoriesFinder',
-        'compressor.finders.CompressorFinder',
-    ),
-    TEMPLATE_CONTEXT_PROCESSORS=global_settings.TEMPLATE_CONTEXT_PROCESSORS + (
-        'django.core.context_processors.request',
-    ),
-    MIDDLEWARE_CLASSES=(
-        'django.middleware.common.CommonMiddleware',
-        'django.contrib.sessions.middleware.SessionMiddleware',
-        'django.middleware.csrf.CsrfViewMiddleware',
-        'django.contrib.auth.middleware.AuthenticationMiddleware',
-        'django.contrib.messages.middleware.MessageMiddleware',
-        'django.middleware.clickjacking.XFrameOptionsMiddleware',
 
-        'wagtail.wagtailcore.middleware.SiteMiddleware',
-
-        'wagtail.wagtailredirects.middleware.RedirectMiddleware',
-    ),
-    INSTALLED_APPS=[
-        'django.contrib.contenttypes',
-        'django.contrib.sessions',
-        'django.contrib.auth',
-        'django.contrib.messages',
-        'django.contrib.staticfiles',
-        'django.contrib.admin',
-
-        'taggit',
-        'south',
-        'compressor',
-
-        'wagtail.wagtailcore',
-        'wagtail.wagtailadmin',
-        'wagtail.wagtaildocs',
-        'wagtail.wagtailsnippets',
-        'wagtail.wagtailusers',
-        'wagtail.wagtailimages',
-        'wagtail.wagtailembeds',
-        'wagtail.wagtailsearch',
-        'wagtail.wagtailredirects',
-        'wagtail.wagtailforms',
-        'wagtail.contrib.wagtailstyleguide',
-        'wagtail.tests',
-    ],
-
-    # Using DatabaseCache to make sure that the cache is cleared between tests.
-    # This prevents false-positives in some wagtail core tests where we are
-    # changing the 'wagtail_root_paths' key which may cause future tests to fail.
-    CACHES = {
-        'default': {
-            'BACKEND': 'django.core.cache.backends.db.DatabaseCache',
-            'LOCATION': 'cache',
-        }
-    },
-    PASSWORD_HASHERS=(
-        'django.contrib.auth.hashers.MD5PasswordHasher',  # don't use the intentionally slow default password hasher
-    ),
-    COMPRESS_ENABLED=False,  # disable compression so that we can run tests on the content of the compress tag
-    WAGTAILSEARCH_BACKENDS=WAGTAILSEARCH_BACKENDS,
-    WAGTAIL_SITE_NAME='Test Site',
-    LOGIN_REDIRECT_URL='wagtailadmin_home',
-    LOGIN_URL='wagtailadmin_login',
-)
+WAGTAIL_SITE_NAME = "Test Site"