MEMORANDUM TO PRINCIPALS
DN/15/00049
Review of Special Religious Education and Special Education in Ethics in NSW government schools
The NSW Department of Education and Communities has commissioned an independent review of the implementation of Special Religious Education (SRE) and Special Education in Ethics (SEE) in NSW public schools.
The review is being conducted by an independent research company, ARTD Consultants. It will inform ongoing improvement of SRE and SEE for the Department and providers.
Why is the review being conducted?
In 2012 the NSW Legislative Council General Purpose Standing Committee No 2, chaired by the Hon Marie Ficarra MLC released a report on the Education Amendment (Ethics Classes Repeal) Bill 2011.
Recommendation 14 of the report requires that ‘a future independent review of both ethics classes and SRE be conducted by appropriately qualified early childhood educational reviewers in 2014-2015’.
Additional information about the review can be found in the Public reviews and inquiries section of the Department’s website.
How can principals and parents have a say?
All principals will receive a survey from ARTD Consultants which asks about the involvement of students in SRE, SEE and alternative activities and explores how SRE and SEE are implemented.
The survey will ask for 2015 enrolment figures for SRE and SEE by year group and total enrolments by faith group.
In Terms 2 and 3, ARTD will invite 12 SRE providers and Primary Ethics to participate in case studies. A case study will be based on the local organising structure for the provider and represents the smallest geographic level on which SRE and SEE are coordinated. Essentially this is the organising ‘unit’ that a school principal deals with. ARTD plans to speak to some of the school principals who use these providers as well as SRE and SEE coordinators.
In Term 3, a further 40 principals will be invited to participate in telephone interviews.
Parents and carers can have a say until 31 July 2015 via an online contributions portal, located at: Information for parents and carers about the review and survey is attached. Please let parents and carers know of this opportunity through your usual communication channels, such as newsletters.
Before the end of May the information for parents and carers will be available in six languages for which translations are frequently requested (Arabic, Chinese, Vietnamese, Persian, Korean and Hindi). If assistance to speakers of these languages is available in your school community, you may wish to provide the translated information to relevant parents and carers. However, please note that the survey is only available in English and must be completed online. The translations will be located at
Queries or complaints about the way the review is conducted
This research project is conducted according to the NHMRC National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research (see
For questions or concerns associated with participation in the review or to raise a complaint about the conduct of the review, please contact the Leader, Quality Assurance, on (02) 9244 5025 or by email at . All complaints will be treated confidentially.
Thank you
Cheryl Best
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
LEARNING AND BUSINESS SYSTEMS
INFORMATION FOR PARENTS AND CARERS
Review of Special Religious Education and Special Education in Ethics in NSW government schools
The NSW Department of Education and Communities has commissioned an independent review of the implementation of Special Religious Education (SRE) and Special Education in Ethics (SEE) in NSW public schools.
The review is being conducted by an independent research company, ARTD Consultants. This company provides services in evaluating public policy. The review will inform ongoing improvement of SRE and SEE for the Department and providers.
How can you participate in the review?
You can complete a survey up until 31 July 2015 via an online portal, located at this link:
The survey is in English and has 19 questions. For most questions you can select an answer from the multiple choice options provided. Only two questions ask for written answers. Extra written feedback for another five questions may be provided if desired but is not essential.
Queries or complaints about the way the review is conducted
For questions or concerns associated with participation in the review or to raise a complaint about the conduct of the review, please contact the Leader, Quality Assurance, on (02) 9244 5025 or by email at . All complaints will be treated confidentially.
May 2015