Ethics classes as an alternative to SRE (Special Religious Education) in New South Wales are now rolling out to Years 3 and 4 from the beginning of the current school term (Term 3), and continuing in Years 5 and 6, according to the Inter-Church Commission on Religious Education in Schools (ICCOREIS).

“We’ve been told the number of classes will depend on availability of teachers,” says ICCOREIS executive officer Sue Sneddon.

Primary Ethics, the oversight organisation for ethics classes in NSW, says approximately 5,500 students from years 3 to 6 attend ethics classes each week, though the increase after the extension to years 3 and 4 is yet to be calculated.

The introduction of ethics classes in 2011 has spurred Scripture teachers across the state into action to improve the quality of special religious education in schools.

Murray Norman, General Manager of Presbyterian Youth, a key provider of SRE teachers and training, says the introduction of ethics classes in 2011 was “a wake-up call for SRE providers.”

“It reminded us of both the importance of SRE in schools and also the great privilege it is for us to teach it,” says Norman.

Special Religious Education in NSW schools has been bolstered by 12,000 volunteers across the state, providing the opportunity for students to learn about Jesus, according to Norman.

“Millions of dollars have gone into SRE across the state from all denominations, before ethics classes were introduced,” he says. “But the ethics classes have given us a greater urgency to work together, and to speed things up.”

ICCOREIS, an organisation facilitating the development of quality religious education in government schools in NSW, says a little competition from ethics classes is a good thing.

“There’s nothing like a challenge to galvanise your resolve to do a better job,” says Sneddon. “I think anything that runs in a parallel time slot is always going to keep us aware of the kind of quality that we produce in our teachers and the materials we use.”

Youthworks executive director, Marshall Ballantine-Jones, says there was a noticeable increase in participation in SRE teacher training conferences in the year after the trial of ethics courses in New South Wales.

“There was a rallying of the troops,” he says.

Statistics from Presbyterian Youth on the NSW North Coast also indicates the introduction of ethics classes has prompted a surge in Christians coming forward to be trained as Scripture teachers in the SRE program.

According to SRE teacher, training and development worker for Presbyterian Youth, Lynda Mulder, three large schools on the North Coast have seen increases of up to 60 per cent of classes taught.

“In one school, SRE is now available to over 630 students. Previously, there were only enough SRE volunteer teachers to teach 240 students,” says Mulder.

Scripture materials provider, GodSpace, says while Scripture resource sales have increased in the past two years, it’s not possible to say whether the increase correlates with the introduction of ethics classes.

“Increased sales can be attributed to a variety of factors. But we have received calls from teachers saying their classes have increased so they need more material, so there’s certainly more demand,” says GodSpace production coordinator Cheryl Clendinning.

GenR8 Schools Ministries CEO, Peter Robinson, says another benefit of the introduction of ethics classes is a renewed focus on SRE implementation procedures by the Department of Education and individual schools.

“I believe this will flow through to improved SRE administration in high schools. The education minister Adrian Piccoli has already directed that a high school SRE period should be no less than a normal school period,” says Robinson.

Ultimately, Sneddon from ICCOREIS says parents and children will vote with their feet on the quality of religious or ethics classes.

“Sometimes [children] might go to an ethics class for a while, and decide it’s not as interesting or challenging, and then they’ll change back again. Much of it is novelty appeal.”

ICCOREIS says an increase in training is now the focus for Scripture teachers.

“We’re encouraging all the churches to increase the training that they offer to the volunteer teaches. And they’re taking us up on this. We’re really engaging with the church.”