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.
Religion classes are offered dependent on the number of students identifying to participate in the specific faiths, and whether we have a faith teacher available. Currently, we have faith teachers in Christianity (Ecumenical), Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism and Islam. All religion classes are taught in separate spaces. Participation is voluntary and if the student does not attend then he/she will remain in class continuing learning practice. No new teaching will occur during religion class periods. Classes will be held for 30 minutes on a Wednesday afternoon.
A description of the RI available is provided below.
Christianity (Ecumenical) religious instruction
Participating faith groups: Combined Christian
Authorised program: Christian Education Publications and GodSpace materials (Department approved).
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.
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.
For further information, including module and/or lesson descriptors visit:
https://godspace.org.au/curriculum/
Hinduism religious instruction
Participating faith groups: Hinduism
Authorised program: Hinduism RI
Aims and goals: The aim of Hinduism RI is to introduce students to the basic knowledge of Hinduism. Lessons aim to develop and preserve moral values. There is a focus on preserving our cultural heritage and passing it on to the next generation. Lessons also provide guidance to children about what our goals should be in life and how to achieve them.
Lesson structure: Hindu concept-related videos and activities including, puzzles, quiz, memory games aiming 30 minutes per class in a week
- Introduction to Hinduism and Hindu Gods
- Hindu beliefs, Eternal duties related to moral values
- Hindu festivals, Ethnicity,
- Basic Hindu mantras (prayers) - worship
- Great Epics - Ramayana and Mahabharata
- Yoga and Pranayama - health related
Islam religious instruction
Participating faith groups: Islam
Authorised program: Islamic RI
Aims and goals: To introduce students to the basics of the Islamic faith.
Lesson structure: The Islam Syllabus contains the basics of Islam. Teaching is based on Sunni Belief. The content includes Allah the Creator; Allah: All Knowing, All Seeing; The Five Pillars of Islam; The Five Daily Prayers; Istinjaa; How to Perform Wudhu; The Masjid; Al-Adhan (The Call to Prayer); The Tashahhud; The Faith of a Muslim; The Angels; The Books of Allah; Dhikr and Du’aa; Surahs from the Qur’an; Prophet Muhammad. These topics are taught in the context of occasions that occur during the Hijri year and according to the children’s pace.
Judaism religious instruction
Participating faith groups: Judaism
Authorised program: Naomi Miller, overseer of Judaism in Queensland schools
Aims and goals: To introduce students to the basics of Judaism.
Lesson structure: Jewish religion classes offer students the basic understanding of Judaism including festivals, holidays, customs, language, ethics and culture. Our Jewish RE teacher brings a joyful and fun atmosphere to learning and understanding what it means to be Jewish.
Buddhist religious instruction
Participating faith groups: Buddhism
Authorised program: BESS Program
Aims and goals: To introduce students to the basics of the Buddhist faith.
Lesson structure: Buddhism classes focus on the life of Buddha, loving kindness, compassion, sharing, generosity, gratitude, respect and tolerance, morality and Buddhist festivals. Please note that Buddhist classes are offered to students in Years 3-6.
For further information, including module and/or lesson descriptors visit: https://www.bessqld.org/
Bahá’í religious instruction
Participating faith groups: Any
Authorised program: Bahá'í Program for the Spiritual Education of Children
Aims and goals: To develop within the students the knowledge, skills, understandings and attitudes required to be world citizens and to embrace the equality of all peoples regardless of race, religion, nation, class, or gender.
Lesson structure: Students are instructed in the principles and teachings of Bahá'u'lláh, founder of the Bahá'í Faith with an emphasis on learning to think, reflect and apply spiritual laws to the life of the individual and society. Especially during the early years, great attention is given to the development of spiritual qualities such as love, compassion, justice, joy, trust, etc. and to those beliefs, habits and behaviours that constitute the essential attributes of a spiritual being.
The class teachers are trained in the Ruhi Institute Curriculum, “Teaching Children's Classes" and students explore ways in which they may be able to contribute to the betterment of society and serve humanity. These classes are open to all students regardless of their cultural or religious background subject to parental approval.
For further information please visit https://brisbane.bahai.org.au or https://bahai.org.au/index.php/what-bahais-do/building-vibrant-communities/spiritual-education-children/bahai-classes-in-state-schools/
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:
- personal research and/or assignments
- revision of class work such as creative writing or literacy and/or numeracyactivities which could include online programs currently accessed by the students of that school (i.e. Mathletics, Reading Eggs)
- 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.