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 f or student enrolment (4191KB) 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.
Religious instruction occurs on in Term Two and Term Four for a 30-minute period.
The list of faith groups that provide religious instructors to deliver an authorised program is published for parents annually. The 2021 list is shown below:
Arrangements for Program
| Participating Faith Group/s
| Program of Instruction authorised by the Faith Group
| Aims and Goals of the Program |
Cooperative Program
| ECUMENICAL: All Christian denominations | "Beginning with God" - Year 1
"Godspace" Program - Years 2-6 | To enable understanding of the Christian faith and values. To experience skills in reading and understanding the Bible. To deepen students' experience of the life and love of God revealed in Jesus Christ. |
Single Program
| Catholic
| "Christ: Our Light and Life" Program | To create a deepening awareness/knowledge of Jesus Christ through scripture and tradition. To present beliefs and practices of Christianity in the Catholic tradition. To encourage students to understand and reflect on the Gospel values of love of God and of neighbour, in terms of daily lives. |
Parents of children 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 numeracy activities
- 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.