In the Religious Education Curriculum Framework, the learning structure has three integrated components:
- Three strands of learning: Knowledge and Understanding; Reasoning and Responding; Personal and Communal Engagement
- Five content areas: Jesus and Scripture; Church and Community; God, Religion and Life; Prayer, Liturgy and Sacrament; Morality and Justice. These each have content descriptors
- Achievement standards.
Foundation to Level 2
Students engage with the stories about Jesus and some of the teachings of Jesus, and learn about historical figures in the history of the family of God. They explore biblical texts as story and as sources of prayer and inspiration. They reflect on and develop relationships with God and self-understanding. They engage in personal and communal prayer and liturgical experiences and develop reflective skills and dispositions of respect for the sacred. They develop heightened awareness of awe, wonder and delight in creation. They grow in appreciation of the other, understanding their impact on others and such concepts as fairness and justice
Level 3 to Level 6
Students extend their learning about the background and person of Jesus and his relationships with the Father, his disciples and the people he came to serve. They explore Old and New Testament text, learning skills of interpretation by drawing on growing knowledge of context and genre. They learn about the structures of the Church, its foundations in community and its mission of service in the world.
They consider the actions of God in the world and begin to explore ways other religious traditions celebrate this. They learn about and may receive the sacraments of Penance, Eucharist and Confirmation, as well as learning about the seven sacraments and their significance for today. They engage with the liturgical celebrations of the church year and the life of the faith community, past and present, exploring ways they can participate in and contribute to the church.
They continue to develop their personal prayer life, spirituality and appreciation for the sacred. Students develop an understanding of Catholic teaching on the dignity of the human person and its implications for their choices personally and in community, learning to build just and compassionate relationships based on love and respect for self and others.