Religious Instruction
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 are 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.
Note: This consent remains in effect unless the parent informs the school otherwise in writing.
Religious instruction (RI) is typically offered for 30 minutes per week at the school for years 1 to 6. A description of the RI available is provided below.
Christian Religious Instruction
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, Australian Christian Churches, Baptist, Catholic, Churches
of Christ, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Salvation Army and Uniting Churches.
Godspace
The providers of Christian RI use authorised program resources and are
committed to best-practice programs that have been reviewed by independent
curriculum experts. The most popular Christian RI program resources in use in
Queensland state schools are: Connect, Beginning with God and Big
Questions (all published by Christian Education Publications) and GodSpace
(published by Burst Christian Resources).
GodSpace curriculum is currently used in Hervey Bay/Maryborough area.
GodSpace comprises a three year curriculum for children aged 4 to 12 years
and is designed to introduce the Bible and the core beliefs common to all
mainstream Christian denominations. GodSpace is presented across four age
groups engaging children through games, puzzles, memory verses, use of
puppets and singing:
Explorers, for children ages 4-6 years
Adventurers, for children ages 6-8 years
Navigators, for children ages 8-10 years
Voyagers, for children ages 10-12 years.
Outline of your Faith Group’s Aims and Goals
The aim of Christian RI is to inform students about the basic beliefs of the
Christian faith from a non-denominational perspective.
Outline of lesson structure
Christian RI may involve a variety of up-to-date teaching methods including
storytelling, prayer, music, drama, craft, activity books, games, quizzes, video
clips and puppet shows. Program resources are written by professional
educators and are age-appropriate.
Amount of time for lesson per week
Typically 30 minutes per week
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. Other instruction must relate to part of a subject area already covered in class and may include, but is not restricted to:
- personal research and/or assignments
- revision of class work such as creative writing or literacy and/or numeracy activities which could include online programs currently accessed by the students Sandy Strait State School
- 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.
Christian RI Brochure
Covid 19 Safe Christian RI Guidelines released 8th February 2021