Agenda item

ACTION

The Chair outlined the background, purpose and structure of the Development Plan. He explained that the Plan was split into five sections and reported the following:-

Dimension 1: Standards And Quality Of Provision Of RE

1a) Compliance and Time allocation for RE – reported as 

  DEVELOPING.

1b) Public examination entries in RE – reported as ESTABLISHED.

1c) Standards and achievement: including standards at the end of

  Key Stages 1, 2 and 3, GCSE, AS and A2 level – reported as

  DEVELOPING.

1d) Quality of teaching – reported as ESTABLISHED

1e) Quality of Leadership and Management – reported as

  DEVELOPING.

1f) Recruitment and retention issues. Level of specialist provision –

  reported as DEVELOPING.

1g) Resources – reported as DEVELOPING.

Dimension 2: Management of SACRE and partnership with the LA and other key stakeholders

2a) SACRE meetings – reported as DEVELOPING.

2b) Membership and training – reported as DEVELOPING.

2c) Improvement/developing planning – reported as DEVELOPING.

2d) Professional and Financial Support – reported as ESTABLISHED.

2e) Information and advice – reported as DEVELOPING.

2f) Partnerships with other key stakeholders (for example pupils, parents,

   ASTs, specialist schools, ITT providers, local religious organisations

  and groups, Commission for Radical Equality) – DEVELOPING.

Dimension 3: The effectiveness of the local Agreed Syllabus

• The Chair noted that the assessment of Dimension 3 would be postponed until a later date.
• Lilian Weatherley noted that in relation to dimension 3b (Using the National Framework for Religious Education), Hampshire, Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight did not follow the National Framework and that Southampton used the agreed syllabus. Therefore, she questioned whether dimension 3b was needed.
• Jackie Meering noted that dimension 3d (Consultation/Launch /Implementation of the Agreed Syllabus) was needed, i.e. that a launch of the Agreed Syllabus would assist promotion and understanding.

Dimension 4: Collective Worship

4a) Practise and Provision for collective worship – reported as DEVELOPING.

4b) Monitoring the provision of collective worship and tackling issues of non-compliance – reported as DEVELOPING.

• The Chair noted that he would speak to the Executive Director of Children's Services and Learning and the Cabinet Member for Children’s Services and Learning regarding collective worship and what was going on in schools, with the possibility of either/or addressing a future SACRE meeting.
• There was a brief discussion about engaging with schools and faith groups and the role SACRE played in this. Whilst the structure was considered to be functional, SACRE was seen to be out of kilter with the change of pace of the constantly changing environment.
• The Secondary Phase Inspector noted that, since there was currently lots of uncertainty with regard to the recent changes in Government and the potential impact these may have, the priority would be to support teachers in what they could achieve now. 

ED

Dimension 5: Contribution of SACRE to community cohesion

5a) Representative nurture of the SACRE – reported as ADVANCED.

5b) Knowledge and understanding of the local religious, cultural and ethnic community – reported as ESTABLISHED.

5c) Understanding the intrinsic contribution which RE can make to social and racial harmony – reported as DEVELOPING.

5d) Links to local authority initiatives promoting social and racial harmony – reported as DEVELOPING.

Sian Roberts asked the Chair if the SACRE were going to continue investigating the use of a briefer, more user-friendly SEF (Self Evaluation Form).

Sian Roberts and Jackie Meering noted that face-to-face dialogue would be most effective in talking to schools and that Sian would include this in her AST time.

SR

The Chair confirmed that the role of the working group was complete for now, but that it may lead on dimension 5 in the future.

The Secondary Phase Inspector noted that it would be helpful to assign Local Authority Officers to support members of the SACRE who were to address particular dimensions.

SL and ED

RESOLVED that:-

• Lilian Weatherley would email Sian Roberts a copy of the related national document and copy in the Chair and the Secondary Phase Inspector.

• Sian Roberts would produce a draft SEF form which would then go to the Executive Director of Children's Services and Learning and the Cabinet Member for Children’s Services and Learning, to potentially be used to talk to school Head teachers.
• Ruth Evans would feedback from the relevant Conference.

LW

SR and ED