The Brethren’s unique religious education system

Children get a very different education when they’re part of the Brethren church – but its members aren’t allowed to become teachers.

The Brethren’s OneSchool campus at Oatlands, which is currently undergoing a major renovation.

One particularly unique element as part of this investigation into the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church involves its curated education system.

The Church’s children attend local primary schools from Kindergarten to year 2, for what members have told this masthead is to “rub shoulders” and “make friends” with the wider community.

Because of their paramount rule, not eating or drinking with the wider community, the Brethren say they are forced to decline when their children are invited to birthday parties with non-believers.

By year 3, Brethren kids are moved to OneSchool Global, which has more than 30 Australian campuses, including in every capital city.

Oatlands in Sydney is the largest facility in the country, with 328 students and 30 buses which are driven each morning by volunteer parents.

Former members of the church have also told this masthead that some subjects, including biology and performing arts, are strictly not offered in HSC years. One also said famous children’s books and classic literature were not encouraged, including JK Rowling’s Harry Potter series.

The members claimed that teachers were also regularly seeking permission to be able to add additional books to the syllabus which were not on a pre-approved list.

A current advertisement for a full time Business Studies teacher at OneSchool’s Oatlands campus offers “generous remuneration and employment benefits.”

“Great work-life balance – no afterschool or weekend sports/cultural activities” it reads. This is because the Brethren children don’t participate in sport and a range of other activities against other schools.

Curiously, all of OneSchool’s teachers are non-Brethren, and do not provide any religious lessons in the classroom. This appears to be for two reasons. Firstly, a child’s Christian faith is taught in church halls and in the privacy of their homes.

Brethren children attending OneSchool Global in Sydney.

But critically, there is no such thing as Brethren teachers. The church does not allow its children to attend on-campus university, as it doesn’t “align with their values”, meaning a range of undergraduate career opportunities are simply implausible.

One member said they would discourage their children from any employment opportunity that would impact their weekly worship calendar, which could include someone working night shift, even as a nurse.

“Our commitment to church comes first,” the member claimed.

The prospective careers for Brethren which have been relayed to this masthead include sales, finance, marketing, technology, construction and wholesale distribution.

The Church’s members own thousands of businesses globally, many of them enormously successful, which provide various opportunities to graduating students.

This masthead has been told some Brethren have been known to write seven-figure cheques to assist with the building of its new schools overseas, including in Jamaica where children are currently learning out of shipping containers. Plans are also afoot to purchase a property in Los Angeles for a new education hub, at the cost of $9m AUD.

The extraordinary wealth of Brethren members, and the complicated web of the Church’s charities and businesses will be revealed on Friday.