Queensland state schools embrace a multitude of cultural, religious and non-religious beliefs. Under the Education (General Provisions) Act 2006 External link, schools are to provide Religious Instruction (RI) if approached by a faith group seeking to provide RI and students of that faith attend the school.
RI informs students about the beliefs and values of a particular religion. It is delivered by volunteers of a faith group using instructional materials approved by that faith group. RI is required to be consistent with legislation and Department of Education policies and procedures.
All RI instructors must hold a blue card and participate in compulsory Student Protection and Code of Conduct training. RI instructors are only entitled to deliver the RI program outlined below. A school staff member will be present during the delivery of RI.
Participation in RI is not compulsory. Any student (except Prep students) may participate in RI if a parent has provided written instructions to the school.
Students are allocated to RI based on information provided by parents on the completed Application for student enrolment External link unless other written instructions have been provided to the school. All other students are assigned to the Values lesson groups.
Note: This consent remains in effect unless the parent informs the school otherwise in writing.
At this stage we are providing the following Religious Instruction. Local Christian Churches come together to offer Christian RI on a cooperative and non-denominational basis.
Christian Religious Instruction - Cooperative Arrangement The following faith groups are participating in RI this year. Participating faith groups:Local Christian Churches come together to offer Christian RI on a cooperative and non-denominational basis. These local churches may, amongst others, include Anglican, Baptist, Catholic, Presbyterian, Church of Christ, C3, Independent Pentecostal, Lutheran, Citipointe, Vineyard and Uniting Churches.
Authorised program:
- Connect Lower Primary
- Connect Upper Primary
Aims and goals:
Connect is a three-year Religious Education curriculum designed for use in Australian and New Zealand schools.
It is Bible-based and offers 20 lessons each semester at Infants (ages 5 to 7), Lower Primary (ages 7 to 9) and Upper Primary (ages 10 to 12) levels.
In each lesson students engage with the truths of the Bible week by week through music, drama, reading and writing, puzzle solving, drawing, and asking questions.
Within the three-year cycle Connect lessons survey the broad sweep of Bible history from creation to God's ultimate purpose for humanity. Each lesson seeks to introduce key biblical concepts, themes and major characters such as Abraham, Moses, David and Jesus in an active and engaging way, allowing students to explore the Christian faith and see how it is relevant today. The curriculum also encourages students to discover for themselves what the Bible says about the contemporary problems people face in today's world.
Included in the curriculum are teachings on the key events of Easter and Christmas as well as special lessons dealing with major issues that children face, including self-esteem, loss, caring for the environment, and coping with change.
Lesson structure:
Students attend a session once a week on a Wednesday for a duration of 30 minutes.
For further information please view the departments Religious instruction policy statement
External link.Parents of students participating in these programs will be advised if a faith group requires funds to cover the expense of materials used in RI.
Other Instruction
Students who are not participating in RI will be provided with values lessons by classroom teachers. Teachers will provide a range of lessons, experiences and activities for the weekly school wide topic. Values lessons cover topics such as friendship, inclusion, fairness, fair go, compassion, acceptance, team work, forgiveness and gratitude.
Parents will be advised of any changes to the RI and Values programs via our school newsletter to ensure they are able to make an informed decision on their child's participation.