Religious Education Policy

Scope: This policy applies to all Catholic kindergartens, schools and colleges conducted by Catholic Education, Diocese of Rockhampton (referred to as CEDR in the document).

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Diocesan Education Council Policy Number: 2020/09 DMS: D19/8094 Version: 04 Approval Date: 13 November 2020

Description

“Children and young people grow in awareness of themselves and search for meaning and purpose in their lives and in the world around them. Children begin this journey enabled by the nurturing love of parents and families. The parish seeks to support families in this endeavour.” (NCEC, p. 5).

The Religious Education curriculum enables students to engage with the Catholic Christian tradition in the context of their personal experiences and contemporary culture, so they are critical and effective participants in their own faith communities and in society.

“Religious Education is a learning area with a formal curriculum for the classroom learning and teaching of Religion. It is a distinct learning area, “a scholastic discipline with the same systematic demand and the same rigour as other disciplines.” … Religious Education is responsive to … the religious experiences of the students… all students have an entitlement to learning in Religious Education that seeks to develop deep knowledge, understanding and skills.” (NCEC p. 6).

The aim of Religious Education in Australian Catholic Schools is to develop “students’ knowledge and understandings of Christianity in the light of Jesus and the Gospel, and its unfolding story and diversity within contemporary Australian and global society. It expands students’ spiritual awareness and religious identity, fostering their capacities and skills of discerning, interpreting, thinking critically, seeking truth and making meaning. It challenges and inspires their service to others and engagement in the Church and the world.” (NCEC p. 7).

Catholic Education in the Diocese of Rockhampton:

1. approves the use of the Diocesan Religious Education Curriculum P-10, Study of Religion QCAA General Syllabus, Religion and Ethics Applied Senior Syllabus QCAA, Certificate III and Certificate IV in Christian Ministry and Theology from IFE (Institute of Faith Education).

2. provides regular and ongoing professional learning opportunities in the area of Religious Education to support teachers to deepen their specialist knowledge and pedagogical skills.

3. supports teachers of Religious Education to gain or maintain accreditation for this role in accordance with the requirements outlined in the Accreditation to Teach Religious Education in a Catholic School policy.

4. monitors the teaching of Religious Education through regular conversations with school leaders.

The School/ College Leadership:

5. prioritises Religious Education through appropriate staffing, time allocation, timetabling, resource provision, professional learning, evaluation and improvement processes.

6. ensures students complete a minimum of 40 hours of Religious Education each semester

7. Sources regular and ongoing professional learning opportunities to support teachers’ effective implementation of the Religious Education curriculum

8. genuinely welcomes and respects the diverse religious worldviews of students and their families, encourages dialogue and supports students to grow in their knowledge and understanding of their own faith tradition and the Catholic Christian tradition.

Classroom Teachers of Religious Education:

9. comply with the principles, processes and approaches of the Diocesan Religious Education Curriculum

10. plan, teach, assess and report on Religious Education using the same academic rigour and processes applied in other subject areas

11. select and use effective and appropriate pedagogical practices to engage and empower learners to reflect on and dialogue with Catholic understandings, culture and their own experience

12. support opportunities for students to develop their spirituality to complement and enrich learning in Religious Education.

CATHOLIC EDUCATION OFFICE POLICIES AND DOCUMENTS

• Religious Education website

• Accreditation to Teach Religion in a Catholic School 2018/08

• Catholic Education Diocese of Rockhampton (2019) Defining Features of Catholic Schools in the 21st Century

• Catholic Education Diocese of Rockhampton. (2020) Mission and Vision Statement

RESOURCES

• National Catholic Education Commission (2018) Framing Paper: Religious Education in Australian Catholic Schools