The Uniting Church in Australia, Synod of NSW and the ACT encourages  its members with suitable gifts and skills to be involved in Special Religious Education for the benefit of local school communities. 

The Uniting Church in Australia, Synod of NSW and the ACT is a Department of Education & Communities approved provider for 2012 and a member of The Inter-Church Commission on Religious Education in Schools (NSW).

Modes of delivery

Members of Uniting Churches in NSW are involved in delivery of SRE in partnership with other Churches committed to the same involvement.

This is known as joint denominational SRE.   The Uniting Church in partnership with the Leadership of other Churches jointly authorise approved, trained volunteers. The Uniting Church in NSW also authorises approved, trained volunteers with a variety of life experiences to deliver to teach ‘Uniting Church’ SRE classes, where such an option is requested.

Recommended curricula

Across the state, geographic and demographic issues impact on the choice of a curriculum.  The decision on which curriculum to use is left up to the local clergy or authorising agents often in partnership with other local providers delivering SRE.  The Uniting Church in NSW recommends the curricula of:

• CRE (Christian Religious Education) curriculum produced by the interdenominational Access Ministries (Council for Christian Education in Schools) based in Victoria. 
• Godly Play is also used in some Uniting Church SRE classes where it is taught by appropriately Certified Godly Play storytellers.  All lesson outlines and stories are available by request in Schools where Godly Play is part of SRE. For further local information, please see: http://godlyplay.org.au/ or contact Emma Parr (02 8267 4290; emmap@nsw.uca.org.au)

Other approved Curricula include:

• GodSpace produced by Burst Christian Resources affiliated with Baptist Churches of NSW and ACT
• Connect published by Christian Education Publications – a division of the Anglican Church inAustralia

Other sites of assistance in understanding curriculum issues are

• ICCOREIS the Inter-Church Commission on Religious Education in Schools (NSW) Inc
• Christian SRE 

Parents and caregivers are very welcome to view the curriculum that their child is taught by consulting the school’s SRE Co-ordinator or their local church leader.

For more information contact:
Emma Parr – S.R.E. & Safe Churches Coordinator
Email: emmap@nsw.uca.org.au
Phone: 02 8267 4290
Fax: 02 9261 5879
Postal Address: PO Box A2178, Sydney South NSW 1235