The study of Religion is compulsory for all students from Kindergarten to Year 12 in schools in the Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle.
Students in Primary school complete 150 minutes of RE per week. RE courses in Stages 4 and 5 require 200 hours of study each. In Stage 6 students may choose from either the diocesan course in Catholic Studies which is a 60 hour course in both Years 11 and 12, or Studies of Religion 1 or 2 unit courses. These are courses provided by The NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) and run for 60 hours (1 unit) and 120 hours (2 unit) respectively.
The Stage 4 course in RE has recently been redesigned to assist those students coming into Years 7 and 8 from non-Catholic feeder schools and those who have not completed the diocesan Primary RE course. It provides a knowledge base that centres on key learning areas about the Catholic faith tradition and is an introduction to the study of religion in a Catholic Secondary school context.
RE courses in Stage 5 and Stage 6 Catholic Studies are also endorsed by NESA for both ROSA and the HSC.
Stage 6 Studies of Religion courses can contribute to students’ ATAR.
Religion as a subject in the wider curriculum is assessed and reported on in terms of Stage outcomes in the same way as other KLAs.