Frequently Asked Questions

SRE Teachers

  • To become an accredited SRE teacher, you must be:

    1. authorised to teach by the approved provider of the church or denomination you attend,

      and

    2. appropriately trained for the task — both theologically and practically.

    The first step in becoming an SRE teacher is to talk to the SRE coordinator at the church you attend.

    If you're not sure who coordinates SRE at your church, please speak to your senior minister before completing any of the training requirements listed below.

    Please be aware that Youthworks manages SRE for the Anglican Diocese of Sydney. If you don’t attend a church from the Anglican Diocese of Sydney you should find the most relevant approved SRE provider from the Department of Education list of SRE providers.

  • Check the list of Recognised Prior Learning which would give you an exemption from SRE Accreditation Modules. If your qualification does not appear please speak to your SRE coordinator.

  • Yearly development training must cover either classroom skills or the theology of the curriculum and must be for a minimum of 2 hours. If you believe your event qualifies as this please speak to your SRE coordinator.

  • Any SRE teachers who have previously been authorised to teach SRE but have taken a break of a year or more from teaching SRE need to ensure the following requirements are completed.

    All returning SRE teachers must ensure they have the following before returning to the classroom:

    The following are also required depending on the length of the break.

    For a 1-4 year break you must complete the following within a term of returning to teaching (~10 weeks):

    For a 5+ year break you must complete the following before returning to the classroom:

    • Module 1,

      and

    • Module 2 for Primary School (if a Primary School SRE teacher),

    • Module 2 for High School (if a High School SRE teacher).

    Your SRE coordinator will need to contact the SRE Office to explain your return to teaching and to request a valid SRE authorisation card for you.

SRE Coordinators

  • You are required to provide a completed SRE teacher register form which includes the name, contact details, and date of birth for all SRE teachers and helpers.

    This information is used by the school to cross check each SRE teacher and helper on the Department of Education’s ‘Not To Be Employed’ database.

  • The SRE Teacher Register Form is your authorisation letter. SRE Coordinator should complete the form and give it to the school by the first week of SRE in term 1.

    The approved provider for all Sydney Anglican Churches is the Anglican Diocese of Sydney. Please ensure this is included on the SRE Teacher Register form.

  • No. Every SRE teacher must complete 2 hours of development training per year, starting the year after they have completed accreditation training. SRE coordinators should put the year of the teacher’s last training (either accreditation or development training) into the development training column in your parish SRE file to ensure their authorisation records are complete.

  • Yes. Every SRE teacher is required to be up to date with all accreditation requirements in order to be authorised to teach SRE. We suggest that all casual SRE teachers teach an extra lesson alongside the regular SRE teacher in order to complete their observation requirement.

  • Whether new SRE Authorisation Forms are required is at the discretion of the new Senior Minister. Where new forms are completed, new authorisation cards will also be required.

    Where new forms are not completed, authorisation cards signed by the previous Senior Minister will continue to be valid until new cards are issued, which occurs every two years. When new cards are issued, they will be signed by the locum or new Senior Minster.