Organisations: Special Religious Education
GREEK ORTHODOX ARCHDIOCESE OF AUSTRALIA
SPECIAL RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
Participation in Special Religious Education (SRE)
Special Religious Education is a voluntary program in State Schools in New South Wales. There are also similar programs in some other States.
The details on this page are provided at the request of the New South Wales Department of Education and Communities.
Special Religious Education (or Scripture as it is better known) complements the general education of Greek Orthodox children. Scripture classes focus on an Orthodox way of life and identity.
The lessons include much more than Bible knowledge. These are not classes on ethics.
They help develop the religious sense of each child. For instance, they are shown how to pray, how to make the sign of the Cross and the importance of the Sacraments in our life.
Children are taught the hymns of the Church. They are acquainted with the Liturgy and Feasts of the Orthodox Church.
The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia encourages all its members to be involved in Special Religious Education to enrich local school communities.
Participation is free and entirely voluntary and only at the discretion of the parents or guardians.
The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia is a Department of Education & Communities approved provider for 2014 and is also a member of The Inter-Church Commission on Religious Education in Schools (NSW).
Modes of delivery
The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia authorises approved, trained volunteers to deliver an approved curriculum.
Teachers must have the appropriate Working with Children Check and evidence of their clearance is kept on record in the parish.
A system is in place to ensure that all special religious education teachers attend initial and ongoing training in classroom management and child protection issues.
The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia has authorised the material and pedagogy used by teachers. This is the curricula of the Pantanassa Monastery. A copy of the curriculum is provided to the public on website: http://www.pantanassamonastery.org/resources.html
There may be minor variations in the delivery of the program across schools due to timetables.
Other sites of assistance in understanding curriculum issues are ICCOREIS the Inter-Church Commission on Religious Education in Schools (NSW) Inc.
Parents and caregivers are very welcome to view the lessons that their child is taught by consulting their local priest.
For more information contact (Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia http://www.greekorthodox.org.au/general/ or your local parish). If you wish to make a complaint about a specific teacher, or the material being taught, or any other issue, please use the complaint procedure provided below.
HOW TO MAKE A FORMAL COMPLAINT:
Our complaints process is designed to encourage the fast and efficient resolution of your issue. For non-urgent matters we encourage that you send us an email explaining your complaint, if this is not possible, or if it is urgent, please call the Archdiocese as soon as possible.
During the course of your complaint, we will aim to tailor any proposed resolutions to provide a fair and reasonable outcome to all parties involved. We will aim to deliver our mutually agreed resolution to you within 10 business days, or 2 business days where the complaint is urgent.
Please follow the steps below to raise your complaint. In the event that you require assistance with making a complaint, please do not hesitate to call us.
• NON-URGENT COMPLAINTS
If your complaint is of a non-urgent nature, then please send us an email explaining the situation to email@example.com
You may do this by using your own email client, or you may wish to use our website's email service located at:
Please fill out your Full Name, Email Address, and the State and Area that you reside in. For Subject, please indicate that it is related to "Special Religious Education (SRE)".
In the message, please provide a detailed description of the complaint, including the date and time, the school or place, and the people involved. The more information we have, the easier and quicker the complaint will be processed and resolved.
• URGENT COMPLAINTS:
If you believe your complaint is urgent, please call the Archdiocese directly, or visit us, as soon as possible.
ARCHDIOCESAN DISTRICT OF N.S.W. & A.C.T.
242 Cleveland St., Redfern, N.S.W. 2016
Tel.: (02) 9690 6100, Fax: (02) 9698 5368