Religious education in schools is distinct from, but complementary to, catechesis. It has an important role in the overall formation offered by the school.  The religious education curricula statements for both primary and secondary Catholic schools in Aotearoa New Zealand point out that the school community has a twofold role.  Firstly, it is charged with creating an environment that “proclaims what it teaches by providing pastoral care and fostering mutually respectful relationships, and by providing opportunities for prayer, sacramental celebrations and rituals.”  Secondly, the school teaches the religious education programme “in a way that promotes students’ learning.”

Religious education takes the form of a school subject, presenting the Christian message and the Christian event with the same seriousness and depth with which other learning areas present their knowledge. Religious education needs to permeate the integral formation of students with the Gospel as they absorb the knowledge and values presented by all the subject areas of the curriculum.  This is its proper evangelising character within the ministry of the Word.

In the context of the Catholic school, religious education is part of, and is completed by, other forms of the ministry of the Word, for example, catechesis, homilies, and liturgical celebrations. Schools need to work closely with families and parishes in the Christian formation of the students.

Sharing the Gospel Today: The Catechetical Directory for Aotearoa NZ, NCRS (2012)