Tacoma Public School

"Do for others what you want them to do for you."

Telephone02 4353 1154

Emailtacoma-p.school@det.nsw.edu.au

Religion and ethics

NSW public schools offer special religious education and special education in ethics, delivered by approved providers wherever available.

During enrolment, you can choose a special religious education option for your child from the school’s available approved providers. You can withdraw your child from special religious education by selecting alternative meaningful activities, or special education in ethics if it’s available.

You can update your preference by writing to the school or through the online form available at participating schools.
 
Visit the department’s website for more information about religion and ethics. 

Special Religious Education Program (Scripture)

SRE

FAQs about Scripture at Tacoma Public School.

What is SRE?

SRE stands for Special Religious Education. This means education in one specific religion rather than an overview on all world religions. At Tacoma SRE covers non-denominational Christianity as well as catering specifically for the Catholic faith. 

Who teaches SRE?

People who volunteer from local Christian churches. All Scripture teachers have mandatory working with children checks and ongoing training in child protection. They also have training in classroom management, lesson preparation and what is appropriate for the age they teach. 

What work will my child miss out on if they do SRE?

Core work is not completed in time-tabled classes while SRE is on. This is so students who choose SRE don’t miss out or get left behind in any way. This is DoE policy, to ensure students do not have a conflict of choice.

What will my child be taught? 

SRE at our school is taught from the WBCEA Discovery Curriculum, which is approved by the NSW Baptist Association or CONNECT which is an Anglican publication or the authorised Catholic curriculum. To learn more and to read a program outline please visit https://nswactbaptists.org.au/.  Please be assured that sensitive political and ethical issues are not addressed in SRE and SRE teachers must always abide by DoE policy regarding sensitive topics.

Children are encouraged to explore, question and discover more about their Christian faith

by looking at the Word of God, church teaching and the faith of other Christians.

Christian SRE begins with the understanding that we were created by a loving God who has provided a picture of himself in the person of Jesus. Children are encouraged to see themselves as God sees them with the potential to be a force of immense goodness in our world. This positive, realistic self image and identity helps to build resilience in your children and supports the core values endorsed by your school.   

 Should my child go?

It’s completely up to you as a parent/carer. However, any student is welcome in SRE regardless of their faith or religious observance at home. SRE aims to give students an opportunity to ask meaningful questions about how faith impacts a person’s beliefs, values and identity.  

And the content and method of presentation is carefully crafted to be age-appropriate

You can visit www.christiansre.com.au for further information.