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 Positive Notice 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 consent.
Students are allocated to RI based on information provided by parents on the enrolment form 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.
A description of the RI available is provided below.
Christian Religious Instruction
Authorised program: Connect - Beginning with God (year 1)
Aims and Goals: Beginning with God introduces students with little of no prior knowledge of the Bible to the God of all creation, the people in his unfolding plan and he Son, Jesus.
Lesson structure: The lessons are timetabled for 30 minutes per week and provide activities, stories and songs to help children understand key teachings from the Bible in a developmentally appropriate and relatable way.
Authorised program: GodSpace (years 2, 4, 5, 6)
Aims and Goals: GodSpace aims to engage kids and help them explore the Bible and Christian life so they can make up their own minds about it.
Lesson structure: The lessons are timetabled for 30 minutes per week and provide activities to help the children experience acceptance and love in the learning environment while pointing to Jesus and a relationship with him. The stories and activities have been written so that they are age appropriate in an educational setting for children ages 4 to 12.
Authorised program: Connect (year 3)
Aims and Goals: Connect aims to help primary aged students develop the skills to explore the nature and context of Christian faith and triune God as presented in the Bible.
Lesson structure: The lessons are timetabled for 30 minutes per week and provide activities, stories and songs to help children understand key teachings from the Bible in a developmentally appropriate and relatable way.