THE legitimate place of religion in NSW government schools might be put at risk by the misuse of the National School Chaplaincy Program, the head of Sydney's Anglican Education Commission has warned.

Bryan Cowling, the executive director of the peak body for the Anglican Diocese of Sydney, said well-established special religious education preserved the secularism of NSW schools while providing weekly faith instruction for those who wanted it.

"The best response would be to put more money into more counsellors." Bryan Cowling, Anglican Diocese of Sydney Credit:Michele Mossop

But he told the Herald that chaplains - with the term's religious connotations - might blur the distinction between faith and welfare, increasing the chance of misuse by proselytising, which might call into question access granted to schools for special religious education, also known as scripture.

''If it's a welfare position and a welfare role, why not call it that rather than call it a chaplain?'' he said. ''I just think it's a clumsy way to do things.