Agenda and draft minutes

Reflections were given by Jenni King, NAS/UWT.

Apologies for absence were received from Dr Tanweer Ahmed MBA, Islamic Association of Lincoln.

An apology for absence was also received from Jill Chandar-Nair, Inclusion and Attendance Manager.

There were no declarations of interest at this point in the meeting.

RESOLVED

            That the minutes of the previous meeting held on 17 November 2020 be signed by the Chairman as a correct record.

The Chairman advised that he had not received any correspondence since the previous meeting.

In response to an issue raised previously, a discussion took place regarding the use of Chair or Chairman in meetings.  Some members felt that Chairman came more naturally and seemed more respectful.  It was suggested that whoever was elected to chair the meeting should be able to decide how they preferred to be addressed.  The Chairman advised that he was happy to be addressed as Chair or Chairman, according to what members felt comfortable with.

RESOLVED

            That the person elected to chair the meeting be able to decide how they would like to be addressed at meetings of SACRE.

(To consider SACRE's Draft Annual Report 2019-20 by Wendy Harrison, RE Advisor, and provide any comments)

The draft SACRE Annual Report 2019 – 2020 was presented by Wendy Harrison, RE Adviser, and comments were invited from the Committee.  It was highlighted that this annual report was different to usual as it had not been possible to undertake visits to schools during the past year due to Covid-19 restrictions.  It was also noted that there was no examination data.

It was highlighted that the budget for the year 2021-2022 had been confirmed and would remain the same as the previous year.  Discussions would start to be held for the following year from autumn 2021.

During discussion of the draft Annual Report, the following comments were made:

·         Members liked the amount of photo's that had been included in the report as it was felt that it gave the report some humanity.

·         It was suggested whether, when things started to some sort of normality, the SACRE could have some more visits to other religious buildings or other faith groups.  It was felt that this would be very useful.

·         Concerns were raised regarding the text in the third paragraph of page 20 of the agenda pack, which referred to comments made suggesting that teacher representation on SACRE should be based on an interest in RE/SACRE rather than representing different professional associations.  It was felt that teachers who did not have a particular interest in RE should be encouraged to join the Committee in order to bring a different view to discussions.  One member commented that she did not have an interest in RE when she joined the Committee but she had found it to be very educating, and teachers from other areas of teaching should not be discouraged from joining.  It was noted that the guidance did state that "…such associations representing teachers, as, in the opinion of the authority, ought to be represented, having regards to the circumstances of the area" and it was acknowledged that this was open to interpretation.

·         It was commented that the Committee would like teachers from a range of backgrounds and interests to join SACRE's.

·         It was commented that once the Annual Report 2019-20 was finalised, it would be sent out to schools.  It was queried whether the circulation could be widened as it was now mainly sent by e-mail.  It was suggested that it could be sent to more churches, even though they did not all have a school, they still had an interest in education.  The Chairman would welcome any suggestions of churches that may be interested in receiving the document.

RESOLVED

            That the draft Annual Report 2019-20 be received and the comments made noted.

(To receive an update from Wendy Harrison, RE Advisor, which advises the Committee on work carried out with schools)

SACRE received an update from Wendy Harrison, RE Adviser, in relation to work carried out with schools.  It was reported that after the Easter holiday, it would be possible to go into schools to make visits.  The RE Adviser confirmed that she had had her Covid-19 vaccination some weeks ago and so would feel more comfortable going into schools.  She reported that she was still holding virtual meetings with schools, as schools were finding them to be more convenient and they may continue in the future.

It was queried whether RE had been affected in local schools by the lockdown, as there had been a lot of focus on the STEM subjects.  The Committee was advised that there did not seem to be signs of this.  Since schools had returned to face to face teaching, the RE Adviser reported that she had received several requests from schools.  It was noted that a questionnaire would be circulated to schools after the Easter holidays to explore what their needs would be in the future.  She would report back to the SACRE at the next meeting.

RESOLVED

            That the update be noted.

(To receive a verbal update by Jill Chandar-Nair, Inclusion and Attendance Manager, in relation to the effects of Covid-19 on schools)

The Committee was advised that the RE Adviser had nothing further to add following her update on work with schools.  However, this item would be added to the agenda for the next meeting.

RESOLVED

            That the update be noted.

(Gillian Georgiou, Diocesan RE Advisor has provided the following statement:

“The Diocesan RE Adviser continues to support schools across Lincolnshire with the delivery of effective RE. Due to the current context, this training and support has been delivered virtually. Whilst the Diocesan Education Team is aiming to move to a distributed model as soon as the context allows, the current approach has enabled support and training to be delivered more frequently, more flexibly and to a larger number of teachers. The support has ranged from issues around RE subject leadership and RE curriculum design to subject knowledge and assessing pupil progress in RE. The Diocesan RE Adviser continues to offer support to church schools preparing for inspection under Section 48 and is also working closely with colleagues in North and North East Lincolnshire as they begin to implement the Lincolnshire agreed syllabus for RE. Over the last few weeks, she has also led a national symposium and several follow-on discussion events as part of the REConnecting Lincolnshire project, which seeks to address poor religious literacy across the county.”)

An update from Gillian Georgiou, Diocesan RE Adviser had been submitted to SACRE as follows:

“The Diocesan RE Adviser continues to support schools across Lincolnshire with the delivery of effective RE. Due to the current context, this training and support has been delivered virtually. Whilst the Diocesan Education Team is aiming to move to a distributed model as soon as the context allows, the current approach has enabled support and training to be delivered more frequently, more flexibly and to a larger number of teachers. The support has ranged from issues around RE subject leadership and RE curriculum design to subject knowledge and assessing pupil progress in RE. The Diocesan RE Adviser continues to offer support to church schools preparing for inspection under Section 48 and is also working closely with colleagues in North and North East Lincolnshire as they begin to implement the Lincolnshire agreed syllabus for RE. Over the last few weeks, she has also led a national symposium and several follow-on discussion events as part of the REConnecting Lincolnshire project, which seeks to address poor religious literacy across the county.”

No questions were raised in relation to the update, however, the Vice-Chairman wished that her thanks to the Diocesan RE Adviser should be noted for all the work that she did for the Diocese and beyond.

The Committee was advised that the NASACRE AGM and Annual Conference was scheduled to take place on 24 May 2021.  This would be a virtual event, and was therefore offering tickets at a cheaper rate.  It was reported that for £60 up to 4 people could attend.  The Chairman requested that any expressions of interest in attending this should be received 14 days from now.  The Democratic Services Officer would send out an e-mail setting out the details.

RESOLVED

            That the update be noted.

(A volunteer is sought to do reflections at the next meeting)

Lynsey Norris volunteered to do the reflections at the next meeting.

It was confirmed that the next meeting would be held on 6 July 2021 at 2.00pm.