Under the Education Act 1990, public schools in NSW provide two kinds of religious education:
- General religious education – taught by teaching staff at the school and part of the normal curriculum.
- Special religious education – taught by people who represent their faith, are authorised, trained and may be voluntary or paid.
CRC Churches International is committed to best practices when it comes to its members through their local church volunteering to teach children in a school setting through Special Religious Education.
The NSW Government through the Department of Education has now set minimum standards which must be met by all volunteers (paid or unpaid). This includes a process of authorising each person to ensure they are properly trained and endorsed. The information below sets out the steps required by all parties to obtain authorisation as a SRE Teacher. No person should teach unaccompanied in a school until they have met all the requirements and been authorised by the NSW CRC State Secretary and receive a SRE Teacher Card identifying them as an endorsed person.
CRC Churches NSW
CRC Churches NSW is an authorised Special Religious Education Provider by the NSW Department of Education.
CRC Local Churches
By virtue of association all CRC Churches located in the state of NSW are authorised to provide volunteers to teach Special Religious Education in NSW schools. It is the responsibility of the local church to ensure all requirements of the individual are met PRIOR to nominating them. Once all requirements listed below are met then the Senior Minister is to sign off on the SRE Authorisation Form and send the paperwork including supporting documents to the NSW State Secretary, PO BOX 946, Griffith NSW 2680 or scan and send to office@lifesourcechurch.org.au
Proposed SRE Teacher
Every person who desires to teach SRE in a school setting MUST undertake mandatory training and provide a Working with Children Check number. They must also submit a SRE Authorisation Form to the State office and receive authorisation prior to being able to take a class. (NOTE: a person who is assisting an authorised teacher on a temporary basis will still be required to provide a Working with Children Check and the approval of the Senior Minister of the church they represent and the school principal).
To obtain authorisation a person must:
- Apply for a Working with Children Check number
- Read CRC Duty of Care Document – Code of Practice for Interactions with Children, Youth and the General Public
- Submit an SRE Authorisation Form and await confirmation of their authorisation prior to commencing classes
- Submit a passport type photograph (electronic or hard copy) for use on the SRE Teacher Card
Approved Training Courses
There are a number of organisations which provide accredited SRE Teacher training courses. The Department of Education requires that SRE teacher training includes modules relating to child protection and classroom management. Please ensure before enrolling that the course will meet these minimum requirements. This can be done via face to face training or online.
Examples of training providers are:
Approved Curriculum
The following resources have been approved for use by SRE Teachers authorised by CRC Churches NSW
Primary School Secondary School
CEP Connect Life with God
Useful Links