If you have a complaint in regard to SRE we will address it within a reasonable time as per our policy.
SRE Special Religious Education (SRE) is taught in public primary and high schools across the Diocese with paid and volunteer workers. SRE is provided in Public Schools under Section 32 of the Education Act 1990 which requires that: ‘in every government school, time is to be allowed for the religious education of children of any religious persuasion’.
This means there is a historical and legal basis for the provision of Special Religious Education as part of the education of children and young people in New South Wales Public Schools. For information about the Policy and Procedures governing this provision, click here.
The department has worked collaboratively with the NSW Consultative Committee for SRE to revise the SRE procedures in line with recommendations from the 2015 review of Special Religious Education and Special Education in Ethics in NSW government schools.
The Bathurst Diocese is an Approved Provider of Special Religious Education in NSW.
Any Person who wishes to teach Special Religious Education or be an SRE helper at a NSW Government Primary or High School must be authorised to do so. Authorisation, undertaken by the diocese annually, requires the following:
In addition SRE teachers need to have completed the ICCOREIS SRE Basic Training Modules.
Once a teacher has been authorised to teach SRE, the Diocese will provide to the school a letter which will include the name of the authorised teacher, date of birth and contact details. This letter will be updated annually before the start of Term 1 and as required.
The Department of Education and Communities (DEC) requires all curricula authorised for use in SRE (Special Religious Education) to be made available to view online.
The Diocese is committed to ongoing review of the curriculum used to deliver SRE and will review the appropriateness of the curriculum every five years, with the next review to take place in 2028.