Agenda and minutes

RESOLVED

That Mr N McFarlane BEM be elected Chairman of SACRE for the municipal year 2015/16.

RESOLVED

That Mr C Burke be elected Vice-Chairman of SACRE for the municipal year 2015/16.

Mrs L Gaylard gave the opening reflections.

Apologies for absence were received from Mr C Burke (Roman Catholic), Mrs S Screenivasan (Hindu Community) and Mrs C A Williamson (Secondary Schools).

There were no declarations of interest made at this stage of the meeting.

RESOLVED

That the minutes of the previous meeting of SACRE held on 2 April 2015, be agreed as a correct record and signed by the Chairman, subject to "Councillor Mrs E J Sneath" being added to the list of apologies.

(Wendy Harrison, Religious Education Advisor to SACRE, to provide an update)

Wendy Harrison stated that the Annual Report of SACRE's activities over the last school was now completed and she would arrange for it to be circulated to members of SACRE, all schools, County Councillors and other interested bodies.

(Wendy Harrison, Religious Education Advisor to SACRE, will provide an update)

Wendy Harrison reported that she had met Jill Chandar-Nair, Inclusion and Attendance Manager, to discuss the five yearly review of the Lincolnshire Agreed Syllabus for RE. There would be a need to consult the teaching profession about any proposals to change the syllabus.

The Chairman reported on correspondence he had received since the last meeting of SACRE. He stated that a briefing note from NASACRE had recently been circulated to SACRE members which had included reference to the report produced by Charles Clarke and Linda Woodhead, titled "New Settlement: Religion and Beliefs in Schools". He stated that the report and its recommendations would be examined at the next meeting of SACRE. He stated that society and education had changed considerably since the passing of the 1944 Education Act and as this report was not Government policy there was still the need to review the existing Agreed Syllabus.

Mark Plater thanked everyone who had responded to his questionnaire and stated that information produced from the survey should have been submitted to NASACRE's AGM but its publication had been delayed to allow NASACRE's Executive to examine its contents before it was published.

(A report by Wendy Harrison, Religious Education Advisor to SACRE, on the outcome of inspections carried out by OFSTED)

SACRE received a report which summarised Ofsted Inspectors' judgements on schools' provision for pupils' Spiritual, Moral and Cultural Development (SMSC) development in those schools inspected since the last report presented to SACRE on 2 April 2015.

Wendy Harrison stated that overall the SMSC comments were positive adding that "British Values" were now frequently mentioned. The Chairman agreed to consult with Wendy Harrison in connection with the preparation of a letter to those schools "requiring improvement".

It was also agreed that those Church schools awarded the RE quality award would also receive a congratulatory letter from the Diocesan authorities.

RESOLVED

(a) That a letter of praise be sent to those schools detailed in the report which had received an "Outstanding" judgement or had received very positive comments.

(b) That a letter of praise be sent to those Church schools who had received the RE Quality Award, by the Diocesan authorities.

(The presentation will highlight good practice of the teaching of Religious Education in a school)

SACRE received a presentation from Kate Rouse, headteacher and James Barker, Religious Education Co-ordinator, from the Lincoln Bishop King Primary School. The presentation highlighted the good practices of teaching RE, the character of the school including the different languages and cultures of the children and the high incidence of deprivation.

The headteacher and coordinator explained how the school emphasised SMSC throughout the school as part of its curriculum. They also talked about the importance of collective worship, the provision of alternative arrangements for those children unable to attend, the work undertaken with the local Parish Minister, the construction of a reflective garden, the teaching of Philosophy for Children and the sharing of their expertise with other schools.

Members thanked Kate Rouse and James Barker for their interesting presentation and they were wished every success for the future.

James Barker agreed to let the Clerk have details of the school's website to forward to SACRE members to allow them to view the religious activities which took place at the school.

RESOLVED

That the appreciation of SACRE be placed on record for the presentation by Kate Rouse and James Barker.

(Wendy Harrison, Religious Education Advisor to SACRE to provide an update with regard to training for SACRE members based on local/national updates)

SACRE received a presentation from Wendy Harrison and Gillian Georgiou in connection with "Religious Education, Collective Worship and British Values". The presentation included, amongst other things, statutory requirements in relation to RE, collective worship and pupils' Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural development. The so called "Trojan Horse" inquiry in Birmingham was discussed, along with the resulting demand placed on schools to teach British Values. Gillian Georgiou outlined specific requirements for church schools.

Wendy Harrison stated that the next Ofsted Framework and the recommendations in a report by Charles Clarke and Linda Woodhead, titled "A New Settlement: Religion and Belief in Schools", would be examined at the next SACRE meeting.

Gillian Georgiou stated that the English Baccalaureate (EBacc) specified those subjects which comprised the National Curriculum and the study of RE was absent.

Wendy Harrison and Gillian Georgiou were thanked for their presentation.

RESOLVED

That the presentation be noted and that the new requirements by Ofsted and the recommendations in the report by Charles Clarke and Linda Woodhead be examined at a future meeting of SACRE.

(Wendy Harrison, Religious Education Advisor to SACRE, will explain the opportunity for SACRE to submit suitable projects to NASACRE for grant aid of up to £4,000 to help young people to develop their skills of listening to each other without prejudice. This will help young people to break down barriers and talk to people whose views maybe totally different from their own. Personal development of this kind is an essential tool in promoting a harmonious society and in enabling individuals to flourish in diversity)

Wendy Harrison outlined details of the opportunity afforded to SACRE to submit suitable projects to NASACRE for grant aid of up to £4,000 to help young people to develop their skills of listening to each other without prejudice.

SACRE considered that the project was worthwhile and it was agreed that Wendy Harrison and Mark Plater would submit a proposal to NASACRE for an award of grant aid. Mark Plater added that it would be easier to work with pupils from the secondary sector in the first instance.

RESOLVED

That Wendy Harrison and Mark Plater submit a proposal for grant aid to NASACRE and that SACRE be kept informed of developments.

Gillian Georgiou gave details of a new teaching school which offered excellent Religious Education training, in the south of the county. NOTED.

Gillian Georgiou stated that arrangements for the SACRE conference would be implemented as soon as the necessary funding had been found. Key speakers for the conference were being investigated and the possibility of inviting young ambassadors for RE to speak at the conference was being explored. The 18 November 2015, at Bishop Grossteste University, during inter-faith week, was being examined as a potential date and venue for the conference.

RESOLVED

That the report be noted.

(SACRE's draft Constitution is attached for noting and comments)

The Chairman explained why it had been necessary to examine a new draft constitution of SACRE stating that the original constitution had been lost. He stated that the draft constitution had been prepared in consultation with the County Council's legal department and had been brought to SACRE for comments.

The Chairman stated that the only change he recalled from the previous constitution was in connection with the new quorum arrangements for SACRE which now required "one representative member from each of the four representative groups is present". He stated that under the old constitution a quorum had to consist of "one member from at least three of the constituent groups", which he preferred.

There was a general consensus amongst members that the new arrangements for a quorum were an improvement as it meant that all four groups needed to be present to ensure the transaction of business. The Chairman on hearing the views withdrew his previous comment.

The Clerk stated that he would ask the Council's legal department to explain their reasons for the proposed change to the quorum and he would circulate their reply to members.

RESOLVED

That the proposed new constitution for SACRE be supported.

The date and time of the next meeting of SACRE was arranged for 2.00pm on Tuesday 24 November 2015.

The Clerk agreed to provide dates for future SACRE meetings in the Spring and Summer Terms 2016 and would avoid clashes with religious dates.

The Clerk agreed to remind Mrs S Screenivasan that she was due to give the opening reflections at the next meeting. Mrs C Dring agreed to prepare an opening reflection in case Mrs Screenivasan was unable to attend.