“Children and young people grow in awareness of themselves and search for meaning and purpose in their lives and in the world around them. Children begin this journey enabled by the nurturing love of parents and families. The parish seeks to support families in this endeavour.” (NCEC p 5) 

 

The Religious Education curriculum enables students to engage with the Catholic Christian tradition in the context of their personal experiences and contemporary culture, so they are critical and effective participants in their own faith communities and in society.“ Religious Education is a learning area with a formal curriculum for the classroom learning and teaching of Religion. It is a distinct learning area, “a scholastic discipline with the same systematic demand and the same rigour as other disciplines.” … Religious Education is responsive to … the religious experiences of the students… all students have an entitlement to learning in Religious Education that seeks to develop deep knowledge, understanding and skills.” (NCEC p 6) 

 

The aim of Religious Education in Australian Catholic Schools is to develop “students’ knowledge and understandings of Christianity in the light of Jesus and the Gospel, and its unfolding story and diversity within contemporary Australian and global society. It expands students’ spiritual awareness and religious identity, fostering their capacities and skills of discerning, interpreting, thinking critically, seeking truth and making meaning. It challenges and inspires their service to others and engagement in the Church and the world.” (NCEC p 7) 

 

There are four strands to teaching the Religion Curriculum;