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.
At North Rocks Public School, SRE and SEE is delivered on Tuesday for half hour sessions. Year 2 and Stage 2 attend from 9:05-9:35, Stage 3 from 9:40-10:10 and Year 1 and Kindergarten from 10:15-10:45.
On enrolment parents/carers will be given the SRE and SEE participation letter (2023 SRE Participation letter.doc) to complete and return. After the initial enrolment, notification of changes to a child's enrolment in SRE/SEE should be given to the school office, in writing or by email.
The following SRE classes are offered at North Rocks Public School:
- Catholic
- Protestant
- Islamic
All teachers are authorised and trained by approved providers.
Catholic SRE is provided by volunteers from Christ the King Catholic Church, North Rocks, through the Catholic Diocese of Parramatta. The Catholic SRE curriculum is developed in liaison with religious education experts. Lessons include activities that are fun and inclusive for students, whilst also providing them the opportunity to critically explore in depth their faith and to pray and reflect. For more information about Catholic SRE, including the authorised curriculum scope and sequence, please visit the following website https://ccd.sydneycatholic.org/publications/curriculum-resources/.
Protestant SRE is provided by volunteers from a range of local churches – Baptist, Uniting Church and Anglican. The Protestant curriculum is based on learning the key elements of our Christian life and culture. Protestant SRE engages students in conversations as they question life, explore values and discover faith. Learning materials come from Godspace. Please visit their website for further information https://godspace.org.au/curriculum/.
Islamic SRE is provided by volunteers from the Islamic Council of NSW. For more information about Islamic SRE, including the authorised curriculum scope and sequence, please visit the following website https://www.isre.org.au/scope-k-6/.
From Term 2, 2023, it is anticipated that NRPS will also begin to offer Hindu scripture. Further information will be distributed about this, as soon as it becomes available.
SEE is provided by Primary Ethics. Classes support children to develop a life-long capacity for making well-reasoned decisions about ethical issues. Through balanced argument students learn to disagree respectfully, to challenge ideas and to support their arguments with considered evidence. Our volunteer SEE teachers use lesson materials which present a range of stories, scenarios and questions to generate discussion. SEE teachers are trained to impartially facilitate student discussions, helping students develop their critical thinking and collaborative inquiry skills. For more information about SEE, including the authorised curriculum scope and sequence, please visit the Primary Ethics website
https://primaryethics.com.au/.
During the time that SRE/SEE classes are being held, students not attending will be located in a separate space and will participate in meaningful activities such as reading and completing unfinished classwork. In line with Departmental guidelines, no formal lessons will happen during this time.