Queensland state schools embrace a multitude of cultural, religious and non-religious beliefs. Under the Education (General Provisions) Act 2006, schools are to provide Religious Instruction (RI) if approached by a faith group seeking to provide RI and students of that faith attend the school.
Students are allocated to Religious Instruction based on information provided by parents on the completed Application for Student Enrolment unless other written instructions have been provided to the school.
The current RI program is delivered by community volunteers from local denominational Christian Churches using instructional materials approved by that faith group. RI is required to be consistent with legislation and Department of Education policies and procedures.
All RI instructors must hold a blue card and participate in compulsory Student Protection and Code of Conduct training, and a school staff member is present during RI classes.
RI classes at Freshwater State School are currently held on Thursday afternoons from 1.30pm to 2.50pm, depending on the year level.
Participation in RI is not compulsory. Any student may participate in RI if a parent has provided written instructions to the school.