NSW public schools offer special religious education and special education in ethics, delivered by approved providers wherever available.
During enrolment, you can choose a special religious education option for your child from the school’s available approved providers. You can withdraw your child from special religious education by selecting alternative meaningful activities, or special education in ethics if it’s available.
You can update your preference by writing to the school or through the online form available at participating schools.
Visit the department’s website for more information about religion and ethics.
Catholic SRE (Scripture) lessons include activities that are fun, engaging and inclusive for students, whilst also providing students with the opportunity to critically explore their faith and beliefs, and to pray and reflect. Students look at real life scenarios and explore how Jesus would deal with life situations. Lessons are age-appropriate and taught with sensitivity. Lessons consider morals and ethics and are brought to life through age-appropriate bible stories, digital resources, song, dance, craft, drama, puzzles, mime, drawing, and many other teaching strategies. Children are provided with a colourful student activity book containing learning resources which complements the teaching material. Catholic SRE teachers (also known as Catechists) are authorised by the local parish and trained by the Catholic Diocese of Broken Bay. The Catholic SRE curriculum has been designed by religious education experts and authorised by the Bishop of the Diocese. For more information about the Catholic SRE curriculum Walking with Jesus Pathways of Discipleship visit: https://www.bbcatholic.org.au/parish-community/ministries/ccd/curriculum
Combined Christian Education - The Christian Education Program (CEP) curriculum seeks, with SRE teachers from local churches, to broaden each student’s education by exploring the bible and helping them develop their understanding and knowledge of biblical principles, to build skills which will enhance their overall learning ability and to form an understanding of values and attitudes of faith, culture and what is means to be a Christian in the world today. Lessons are age-appropriate, fun and inclusive.
You can now also select Baptist Union NSW as well as Anglican as part of "Combined Christian".
CEP curriculum aims to draw on current research on the way students think and learn and apply these principles into the realm of how we teach children about God. Each curriculum is designed to cater for different learning stages, with language, content and activities written with the needs of each child in mind.
In each curriculum, importance is placed on:
- teaching concepts in a way that is appropriate for the age and developmental stage of the students.
- relating all that is taught to their experience.
- providing discussion and activities that encourage students to reprocess information and make it their own.
- CEP uses a range of teaching and learning strategies to engage the intellectual strengths and preferred learning styles of your child.
For more information about the Christian Education Program, please visit our website; https://cepconnect.com.au/about
Combined Christian SRE is provided by teachers who are authorised and trainined by the following approved providers:
Anglican Diocese of Sydney whysre.com.au and Baptist Union of NSW https://godspace.org.au/
Their curriculums can be viewed at BeginningwithGod-Connect-GodSpace.pdf (iccoreis.asn.au)
Special Education in Ethics classes support children to develop a life-long capacity for making well-reasoned decisions about ethical issues. Through the give-and-take of reasoned argument students learn to disagree respectfully, to challenge ideas and to support their arguments with considered evidence rather than according to habit or peer pressure. Our volunteer ethics teachers, which are trained members of the school and broader community, use detailed lesson materials which present a range of stories, scenarios and questions to generate discussion. Ethics teachers are trained to impartially facilitate student discussions, helping students develop their critical thinking and collaborative inquiry skills. Ethics teachers support student learning by:
· modelling the inquiry process – by asking questions and encouraging discussion
· showing genuine curiosity and interest in the questions being discussed
· staying neutral – ethics teachers are trained to keep their own views out of the discussion
· creating a positive learning environment – by allowing students time to think, and encouraging students to share ideas and give reasons
The Special Education in Ethics program is provided by Primary Ethics. You can find out more information about the program or how to become an Ethics Teacher by emailing elanoraheightsethics@gmail.com and the Primary Ethics Website.