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 (PDF,515KB) 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
Participating faith groups: Local Christian Churches come together to offer Christian religious instruction (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.
Title of Authorised Program: Christian Cooperative Program The providers of Christian RI use authorised program resources and are committed to best-practice programs that have been reviewed by independent curriculum experts. Christian RI program resources in use in Queensland state schools are: Connect, Beginning with God and Big Questions (all published by Christian Education Publications), GodSpace (published by Burst Christian Resources) and Love Out Loud.
Aims and goals: To ensure that every child and young person in years 1-12 in Queensland state schools is given the opportunity to question and explore faith, values and their cultural expression, in a safe and supportive environment. RI is contributing to the holistic development of students. (From QCRIN)
Lesson structure: Using approved class teaching workbooks and activities to explore life and faith from a Christian faith perspective over a 30 minute class lesson.
For further information, including module and/or lesson descriptors visit: https://www.qcrin.org
Other Instruction
Students who are not participating in RI will be provided with alternative supervised instruction in a separate location.
This instruction will relate only to learning that has already been taught in class and will not introduce new curriculum content. Activities may include:
• personal research and/or assignments
• revision and consolidation of previously taught class work, including creative writing, literacy and numeracy activities
• wider reading and independent reading appropriate to the student's age and learning needs
These activities are designed to reinforce and practise existing knowledge and skills.