Scripture and Ethics

Godly Play is a Montessori method of telling bible stories that was developed by Jerome Berryman. It looks at a wide variety of biblical stories and church seasons and events. The stories offer a script and resources to help with the story time. It uses wonder as a keyway to engage with kids and they love it. (So do the adults!)

People in the Uniting Church use Godly Play for kids chats, Scripture classes and children programmes. Godly play has very specific ways to tell the story, some people use the stories to inspire their own story telling.

“We use Godly play from time to time as a tool to help bring the bible story to life and it assists people to think through the meaning of the story for themselves rather than someone else unpacking the story for them,” says Rev. Richard Harris from Terrigal Uniting Church.

Christian SRE is provided by SRE teachers from different Christian denominations and churches. The approved providers in this combined arrangement are Anglican Diocese of Sydney. All Christian SRE teachers are authorised and trained by an approved provider.

The Christian SRE curriculum is authorised by Anglican Diocese of Sydney. The curriculum is based on Good News about Jesus Christ and learning the key elements of our Christian life and culture. Christian SRE engages students in conversations as they question life, explore values and discover faith.

Catholic SRE teachers (also known as Catechists) are authorised by the local parish and trained by the Diocese of the Catholic Church.

The Catholic SRE curriculum is approved by the Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Sydney in liaison with religious education experts. Lessons include activities that are fun and inclusive for students, whilst also providing them the opportunity to critically explore in depth their faith and to pray and reflect. For more information about the Catholic SRE curriculum go to here

Catholic SRE teachers engage young people in hearing the Good News about Jesus Christ and learning the key elements of our Christian life and culture.

Jewish SRE is provided by the NSW Board of Jewish Education (BJE). All teachers undergo a selection process and are trained in the professional delivery of the curriculum and in classroom management.

The curriculum is developed by BJE's professionally trained educators taking childhood development milestones into account. Focusing initially on Jewish festivals, the curriculum explores a wide range of Jewish values, ethics and traditions keeping a balanced perspective through engaging and thought-provoking activities. Students are encouraged to think critically, and share their insights, value their Jewish heritage whilst respecting others, and aspire to participate in the Jewish and Australian communities.

For more information, please see BJE's websiteExternal link.

SEE classes support children to develop a life-long capacity for making well-reasoned decisions about ethical issues. Through balanced argument students learn to disagree respectfully, to challenge ideas and to support their arguments with considered evidence.

Our volunteer SEE teachers use lesson materials which present a range of stories, scenarios and questions to generate discussion. SEE teachers are trained to impartially facilitate student discussions, helping students develop their critical thinking and collaborative inquiry skills. SEE teachers support student learning by:

• showing genuine curiosity and interest in the questions being discussed

• staying neutral 

• creating space for students to think, share ideas, give reasons and ensuring respectful discussion.

For more information, please see  Primary Ethics website and Our curriculum.