Queensland state schools embrace a multitude of cultural, religious and non-religious beliefs. Under the Education (General Provisions) Act 2006, 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 could be allocated to RI based on information provided by parents on the completed Application for student enrolment unless other written instructions have been provided to the school. Because family circumstances can change, we garner interest and consent from parents from the year levels where it is offered.
Note: This consent remains in effect unless the parent informs the school otherwise in writing.
A description of the RI available is provided below.
Religious instruction (Christian Faith) will be offered to Year 1 to Year 6 students. Only those students whose parents have indicated their interest, via a returned consent form, will be involved.
Religious Instruction
Participating faith groups: Christian faith – Cooperative program (Anglican and Presbyterian)
Authorised program: Godspace
Aims and goals: Bring a values system based on a Christian heritage
Lesson structure: Completion of one lesson each week from the associated student workbook.
For further information, including module and/or lesson descriptors visit: https://godspace.org.au/curriculum 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 other instruction in a separate supervised location.
This instruction will relate to part of a subject area already covered in class
which is discussed and agreed to by the year level teachers and may include, but is not restricted to:
• personal research and/or assignments
• revision of class work such as writing or literacy and/or numeracy activities
• wider reading such as independent reading appropriate to the student.
Parents will be advised of any changes to the RI and other instruction programs to ensure they are able to make an informed decision on their child's participation.