Agenda and minutes

RESOLVED that having undertaken the process to appoint a full member to the category of Non-religious affiliate member, Mary Wallbank was appointed.  It was noted that this was a temporary member position pending the next constitution and membership review.

RESOLVED that Apologies had been received from Sian Carr, Chris Davis, Amelia Day and Councillor Kataria.

RESOLVED  that Ellie Cousins be invited to observe the meeting as a likely replacement for MG, should he resign as representative for Southampton City Missions within the coming months.

To approve as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 2 November 2021, attached.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the special meeting held on 2 November 2021 be approved and signed as a correct record.

AP confirmed that the SACRE recommendations for the Locally Agreed Syllabus had been approved by Cabinet.

Three training sessions would be developed in relation to pedagogical needs:

Session 1  March 2022  Cycle of Enquiry [Online]

Session 2  April 2022  4 Golden Threads [Online]

Session 3  June 2022  Updating the Curriculum [Face to Face]

The sessions would look at what denotes good quality teaching; context, more context of same concept, and finding ways for all children to engage. AP reported that some natural groups should start to emerge by the summer term. The key aspect was to explore was ‘Golden Threads’ and how they would fit into the developing curriculum, utilising new technology, ready for implementation in September 2022. 

SACRE members discussed the suggested challenge that not all of the city’s secondary schools follow the local syllabus, meaning that there was more diversity of curriculum at secondary level. The high turn-over of RE leaders was also a challenge for primary schools. AP hoped that the monitoring visits might open some opportunities to address this. All SACRE members were invited to join the training sessions.  

Action: AP to confirm dates of training sessions

Action: MG to connect AP to local church joined with 3 OASIS schools

Action: AP to add MG’s training session to the RE Leads newsletter

Action: All SACRE members invited to join training sessions

AP reported that the first school had been selected for an Ofsted inspection to  look at RE. AP felt that it indicated the school had come a long way in the breadth of the RE teaching. AP was to meet the RE Leader to talk about what they had learned, and future plans for RE. AP suggested that Ofsted would likely come across a plethora of different syllabus across the schools.

i.  Monitoring Visits

AP referenced a confidential paper which indicated that schools were struggling regarding staff, Covid, managing gaps, and the return of inspections.

The positive news was that a number of requests had been submitted for monitoring visits, which amounted potentially to 12 visits in the coming year. This included academies following the National Curriculum. One school was looking at the Gold Quality Mark and some of the schools had no previous experience of visits, though many schools had got used to monitoring visits and were familiar with the experience. AP suggested it was good to keep visits high on the agenda and to keep raising awareness.

AP had sent out an Audit for the RE Quality Mark so schools could consider it. LH asked about protocols. AP confirmed that monitoring visits are paired to avoid conflict of interest.

AP proposed April, June and July for monitoring visits and asked for volunteers.

RESOLVED that EJ, LA, LH, MG, MW, RG, SD, SU volunteered. Sian Carr had volunteered prior to the meeting.

Action: EJ to send contact details to MG for Hants SACRE monitoring visits.

Action: ALL Monitoring volunteers to send current Disclosure and Barring certificates to AP as soon as possible.

ii.  Action Plan - Mapping

MG advised that the sub-group looking at mapping would meet in April 2022, in order to have it included in the Advice document, which would be updated in June.

Action: MG to work on mapping with sub-group in April.

AP advised that the guidance had been redrafted to provide clear information on the process to apply for determination. The document, now compliant, was updated to set out a clear process, including expectations of the information that should be provided in application, and clear information about withdrawals. The document also set out information about how SACRE makes its decision. AP advised that a number of SACREs were developing guidance as values-based collective worship was a statutory requirement.

AP stated that monitoring visits should ask about withdrawals and that it was important to go and see Collective Worship taking place as part of the monitoring visit. It was key that the difference between the Collective Worship element of an assembly and the rest of the assembly was clearly understood.

RESOLVED that having voted, SACRE approved the document. 

SACRE noted that RG and EJ had completed Chair’s training.  

AP advised that a web version of upcoming training would go on the SACRE website once it was available.

i.  South Central Hub. AP attended and felt that it was a useful event.

Action: AP to share South Central Hub feedback with schools.

ii.  Where Now with Worldviews? NASACRE, 21 February 2022, 7-8pm.

Description: This session will update participants on the significant developments in the discussion around worldviews within the RE community since the Commission on RE published its report in September 2018. Examples of the approach as applied in classrooms will be shared.

SACRE has already purchased the training package so there will be no fee to attend.

To book your place please email admin@nasacre.org.uk. Please state in your email which SACRE you are a member of.

iii.  NASACRE conference, 23 May 2022, to be held in Birmingham. 

Action: Members to propose topics to EJ.

Suggestions from SACRE members included:

·  A list of research already being undertaken throughout SACRE nationally. 

·  Grants

·  RE Leaders’ Group topics as the Winchester group had not started up again following Covid.

Membership: MG may leave Southampton City Mission. In the event that he does, Ellie Cousins will take over as Southampton City Mission representative. AP thanked MG on behalf of SACRE members, who would be sorry to lose his knowledge and expertise.

Date of next meeting : Monday 6 June 2022 at 4.30pm.