Parents and carers in public schools have the right to have their child receive instruction in their preferred religious persuasion, where authorised teachers of that persuasion are available.
Write to the school if you wish to withdraw your child from special religious education. Special Education in Ethics is an option for your primary-age child if you withdraw them from special religious education. For more information, visit Religion and ethics.
Special Religious Education and Special Education in Ethics
At Oatley Public School, Special Religious Education (SRE), sometimes known as scripture, and Special Education in Ethics (SEE) are delivered on Wednesday mornings from 9.20-9.50am for Years 3-6 students and from 9.50-10.20am for Years K-2 students. Approved providers deliver these programs, where available.
On enrolment parents/carers select an SRE/SEE preference for their child. After the initial enrolment, any notification of changes to a child's enrolment in SRE/SEE throughout the year should be given to the school office, in writing.
The following SRE/SEE classes are currently offered for all K-6 students at Oatley Public School:
Catholic
Combined Christian
Greek Orthodox
Islam
Ethics
Please note: the enrolment capacity in SRE/SEE is very dependent upon volunteers and numbers of students in each group.
To select or change your child's SRE/SEE preference, please download the form below and, once completed, return to the school office or scan and email it to oatley-p.school@det.nsw.edu.au
Catholic SRE
Catholic SRE is provided by volunteer SRE teachers who are authorised by the local parish and trained by the Diocese of the Catholic Church. At Oatley Public School, the local co-ordinating parish is St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, Oatley. For more information about Catholic SRE, including the authorised curriculum, “Christ Our Light and Life”, please visit the Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney website: https://ccd.sydneycatholic.org/publications/curriculum-resources/.
Combined Christian SRE
Combined Christian SRE is provided by volunteer SRE teachers who are authorised and trained by the Anglican Diocese of Sydney, The Presbyterian Church of Australia and The Australian Christian Churches. At Oatley Public School, the local co-ordinating parish is Oatley Anglican Church. For further information about Combined Christian SRE, including the authorised curriculum, “Connect”, please visit the following website: https://whysre.com.au/sre-curriculum/cep-curriculum-overview/
Greek Orthodox SRE
Greek Orthodox SRE is provided by volunteer SRE teachers who are authorised and trained by the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia. At Oatley Public School, the local co-ordinating parish is The Resurrection of Christ Greek Orthodox Church, Kogarah. Details of the authorised Greek Orthodox SRE curriculum, “Christ in Our Midst”, can be viewed at: http://www.greekorthodox.org.au/?page_id=3854
Islamic SRE
Islamic SRE is an educational program offered through The Islamic Council of NSW (ICNSW) and taught by volunteer SRE teachers who are trained and authorised to deliver lessons. The program is non-sectarian and provided to all Muslim students, regardless of their sectarian groupings. More information about Islamic SRE, including the authorised curriculum, can be viewed at: https://www.isre.org.au/
Special Education in Ethics (SEE)
Special Education in Ethics (SEE) is provided by Ethics teachers who are authorised and trained by Primary Ethics. At Oatley Public School, trained parent volunteers from our school community support children to develop a life-long capacity for making well-reasoned decisions about ethical issues. For more information about the Special Education in Ethics authorised curriculum, please visit the Primary Ethics website: https://primaryethics.com.au/about-ethics-classes/our-curriculum/
Please note: Ethics classes are capped at 22 students and the school can only provide Ethics classes if we have sufficient parent volunteers willing to undergo the necessary teacher-training. If we do not have sufficient volunteer teachers to take groups or if classes are full, students will be placed in Non-Scripture. If you are interested in volunteering to be an Ethics teacher, more information can be found at: https://primaryethics.com.au/volunteer/
During the time that SRE/SEE classes are being held, there will be no academic instruction delivered or formal school activities. Children will, therefore, not miss any classwork by attending SRE classes.
Non–Scripture: Students who are not attending SRE/SEE classes will be supervised in a separate space and will participate in other meaningful, non-key learning area related tasks and activities.