In NSW, pastors and their representatives have the privilege of teaching the Christian faith to students in Government schools for half an hour each week.
Special Religious Education or SRE (Scripture) is mandated by the Education Act 1990 and allows all children to attend an SRE class at their school.
NSW ACC authorises pastors and their representatives to teach these classes. Parents are invited to enrol their children in the Christian SRE classes at their school.
ABOUT SRE
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Christian SRE provides students with the opportunity to question, explore and discover the Christian faith for themselves. ACC is an Authorised Provider of SRE teachers. All teachers who attend an ACC church are authorised by NSW ACC. We offer face to face SRE teacher training along with zoom training.
Of around 320 ACC churches, 77 churches have SRE teachers represented in local schools. Your child can attend SRE by nominating Combined Christian SRE when completing the school enrolment form. If your child does not attend Christian SRE and you would like them to, simply write a letter to the school asking for them to attend.
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For more information about promoting SRE in your church or becoming an SRE teacher, speak with your pastor or contact sre@nswacc.org.au
APPLICATION PROCESS
1 / ENDORSEMENT FORM
Ask your pastor to complete this endorsement form and upload it with your application.
2 / WWCC
Apply for a current Working With Children Check (WWCC)
3 / CHILD PROTECTION TRAINING
Complete Child Protection Training and upload your certificate with your application. In addition, the Department of Education strongly recommends completing child protection training which is relevant to their processes and expectations while on site in a government school: Child Protection Training.
4 / ESSENTIALS SRE TEACHER TRAINING
Register for “Essentials SRE Teacher Training” by contacting sre@nswacc.org.au. This is the only training accepted by ACC. Upload your certificate with your application.
5 / SRE APPLICATION FORM
Select and complete one of the following application forms:
Volunteer SRE Application Form.
Under 18 Year Old Application Form and Under 18 Parent Declaration
6 / VOLUNTEER DECLARATION
Complete the Volunteer Declaration and Code of Conduct and give it to your Pastor to be kept on file.
7 / CRIMINAL CONVICTION DECLARATION
Download and sign the Criminal Conviction Declaration and upload it with your application. Keep a copy in your files.
ONGOING COMMITMENTS
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Once you have been approved to teach SRE, you need to maintain this by:
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Participating in ongoing training for at least two hours each year.
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Participating in ACC NSW’s mentoring program which includes a Personal Reflection twice yearly and having a lesson observed as required.
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Completing an ACC NSW refresher course every three years. This will cover child protection, mandatory reporting and classroom management.
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Completing Safer Churches (Child Protection) every three years.
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Teaching only from an ACC NSW approved SRE curriculum as outlined below.
Note: You will also need to provide the school in which you intend to teach with your Date of Birth. The school will use this to check each SRE teacher against the Department of Education’s NTBE (not to be employed) database.
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When in school grounds, wear the name badge provided by ACC NSW SRE and provide photo identification as requested by the school.
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CURRENT TEACHER RESOURCES
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OUR APPROVED CURRICULUMS
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We approve the following curriculums for use in SRE classes. Follow the links below to the scope and sequence charts. These curriculum's are reviewed every five years. (Years ending with 0 and 5.)
KINDERGARTEN TO YEAR 6
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YEARS 7 TO 10
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Walk on Water (Inverell High School and Macintyre High Schools only)
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Christian SRE High School Curriculum for Combined Arrangements (Specific Schools)
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YEARS 11 AND 12
To use any other curriculum or further information contact: sre@nswacc.org.au
ACC COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE
Download the ACC Complaints Procedure.
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DEPT OF EDUCATION POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
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For more information in regards to Department of Education Policy and Procedures, Training and Curriculum, follow the links below:
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