VICTORIAN HUMANIST

Religious Instructions in State Schools

[This was part of advice provided to an inquirying parent, concerned about R.I. requirement at Chatham Primary School]

These suggestions apply to Victorian state schools, and are not applicable to private schools.

Many, perhaps most, private schools have a religious foundation, and it is normally a condition of acceptance that a child "is expected to take part in the corporate religious life of the school". This is Christianspeak for: Religious instruction and the school's chapel services are compulsory. If you do not like compulsory church services, do not send your child to such a school.

State schools are different. Here education is free (well, sort of!), compulsory and secular, and religious instruction is an optional extra.

The commonest form of R.I. involves a compromise syllabus that has the assent of most of the mainstream Protestant churches, but occasionally Catholic and (rarely) other forms of R.I. are available. R.I. is offered at many state primary schools but only very rarely at secondary colleges (high schools). Where a school offers religious instruction, it is normally given by accredited outside volunteers who are not normally qualified teachers.

Parents enrolling a child at a state school will usually find on the enrolment form a question asking whether the child is to receive R.I. (if available) or not. If an R.I. instructor is available, schools will, as a rule, send a form to parents shortly before R.I. sessions are due to start, asking if parents want their children to have R.I.

If you do not want your child to have R.I., you should put NO as your answer to the R.I. question on the enrolment form. You should also return any circular you receive about R.I. clearly marked NO. You are not obliged to say why you have declined R.L for your child, but it may at times be helpful if you do.

If parents do not answer circulars about R.I., schools may treat the absence of an answer as yes. (For events involving a fee, or for excursions away from the school grounds, schools assume no if parents do not return permission slips.)

R.I. is not the same as a course on comparative religion, The volunteers who take R.I. are primarily interested in 'winning souls' or putting over a package of religious beliefs. The object, though it may be dressed up a bit, is propaganda or indoctrination rather than neutral information. If you receive a circular saying that R.I. is mainly about moral values, good citizenship and caring for others, rather than doctrinal "hard sell" - and I have received such a document - you can be confident that an R.I. instructor is flagrantly Lying for the Greater Glory of God.

R.I. can present a number of problems for schools because qualified teachers have to supervise both the children taking R.I. (even when the instructor is present) and those who are not taking it. Instances have occurred where children not taking R.I. have had to sit in draughty corridors or even at the back of a classroom where the R.I. instructor is conducting a session at the front.

If you are unhappy about what is happening to or available for your child when R.I. sessions are being held, by all means complain, but please bear in mind that the school may have practical difficulties if it is short of teachers (either in general or on a particular day).

A common feature of school assemblies used to be the Loyal Declaration: 'I love God and my country. 1 will honour the flag, serve the Queen, and cheerfully obey my teachers, parents and the law." This has been discontinued in metropolitan schools, but it may still linger on in a few rural schools. The declaration is not only an anachronism, but also an obvious embarrassment for non-religious children, so if you know of a state school where it is still in use, please notify the HSV.

State schools may occasionally be involved in other religious events, the most obvious of which are Nativity plays. If a Nativity play is being performed at a state school, parents should be informed about it in advance and should be asked if they wish their child or children to attend. If the school arranges a visit to a Nativity play at a local church or church hall (outside the school premises), the school must seek the written permission of parents for children to attend. The school must also arrange to supervise children who do not attend.

As a general rule, you should have no difficulty in arranging for your child not to receive R.I. But if a school principal tries to argue with your decision (and this will be rare), you should point out that you are exercising your legal right. If this does not settle the matter you should complain promptly and in writing to the Director-General of Education.