Agenda and minutes

Resolved: - That Gail Atkin be appointed to the role of Chair of the Rotherham Standing Adivsory Committee for Religious Education for the 2012/13 school year. 

Resolved: - (1)  That Nicki Goodwin be appointed to the role of Vice-Chair of the Rotherham Standing Adivsory Committee for Religious Education for the 2012/13 school year. 

(2)  That Rotherham SACRE’s gratitude and appreciation for the outgoing Vice-Chair, Ian Jones, be recorded for the commitment he had demonstrated during his tenure.

The minutes of the previous meeting of the Rotherham SACRE held on 25th June, 2012, were considered. 

Discussion was undertaken on the membership and attendance of the Group.  The Chairperson agreed to send a letter to all current members asking whether they intended to maintain their membership.  In order to broaden the membership of the Group as much as possible, a letter would be sent to all partner organisations informing them of the remit of the Group. 

It was noted that the Rotherham SACRE Annual Report for 2011/12 had not been circulated to the Group as requested in the meeting’s minutes. 

Matters arising: -

It was requested that Zaidah Ahmed, Schools’ Community Engagement Officer, attend the next meeting of the Rotherham SACRE to provide an update on Community Cohesion work being undertaken within schools. 

Discussion ensued around whether members of the Rotherham SACRE were in support of inviting school representatives to meetings to provide information on the teaching of RE within their school.  There was wide support for this to continue and attendees felt that it would be beneficial for a primary and a secondary school to attend each meeting but an early priority would be to invite the three Rotherham Schools that currently had a Determination. 

Resolved: -  (1)  That the minutes of the previous meeting be agreed as an accurate record.

(2)  That a letter be sent to all members of the current Rotherham SACRE asking whether they intended to maintain their membership of the Group. 

(3)  That a letter be sent to all partner organisations informing them of the role and remit of the Rotherham SACRE and asking whether they would like to participate in the Group.

(4)  That the Rotherham SACRE Annual Report 2011/12 be circulated to the full Group. 

(5)  That the Schools’ Community Cohesion Officer be invited to the next meeting of the Rotherham SACRE to provide an update on the service. 

(6)  That representatives of Aston Academy and Broom Valley Community Primary School be invited to the next meeting of the Rotherham SACRE.

Vanessa Gregory, Curriculum Consultant, informed the Rotherham SACRE that the validated results in relation to the Local Authority’s performance at Key Stages 4 and 5 had not yet been received.  This information had been expected in late September or early October, 2012. 

Resolved: - That this item be considered at the next meeting of the Rotherham SACRE. 

An update was provided to the Rotherham SACRE in relation to the progress of the Collective Worship Working Party.

Vanessa Gregory, Dave Homer, Ian Jones and Gavin Gray had formed the Working Party.  The Working Party extended their thanks to Dave for bringing together a research document around the statutory requirements on schools to provide collective worship.  

Work was underway around creating a ‘Development Plan’ for schools that recorded approved organisations that could go into schools to provide sessions around collective worship. 

Discussion ensued around the issues highlighted in the research document: -

• Separation of collective worship and religious education but maintaining clear linkages;
• ‘Broadly Christian’ and how other religious and non-religious views could be represented;
• The Education Act, 1944, made reference to the importance of pupils considering a ‘divine being/power’;
• Right of parents to withdraw their children from collective worship and religious education;
• Representation of voice of parents and children in the process of considering a Determination application;
• Role of SACREs in lobbying Government about the law.

Resolved: -  (1)  That the information shared be noted.

(2)  That the issue of collective worship become a standing item on the agenda of forthcoming Rotherham SACRE meetings for the 2012/13 school year.  

(3)  That a further meeting of the Collective Worship Working Party take place on Monday 19th November, 2012, to start at 1.00 pm at Wingfield Business and Enterprise College to consider developing a programme of works in relation to the Determinations due to end on 31st August, 2013, and an overall communications programme with all schools around the issue of collective worship.      

(4)  That Vanessa Gregory lead work on the development of a ‘media bank’ of videos and images that demonstrate collective worship best practice within schools and liaison with partners to determine the level of support that they could provide in relation to the requirements.    

• Update on courses;
• Rewards. 

Nicki Goodwin, the RE Team, reported on a Conference chaired by Lat Blaylock, RE Today, for members of the RE Team and primary and secondary teachers.  This was an inspiring and engaging event and feedback had been positive.  Activities had been helpful and there had been opportunities to turn learning into practice. 

The training had covered six aspects: -

• Moses and the ten commandments;
• Christmas;
• Parables and miracles;
• Easter;
• Pentecost;
•  Church community. 

Future suggestions for further training included Foundation Stage and Key Stage One years, and training to attain specialist status.  There had also been suggestions that the training should be taught from other religious perspective and include multi-cultural beliefs. 

An Autumn Conference around the theme of an RE day was planned.  Feedback would be provided at the next meeting of the Rotherham SACRE.

Vanessa Gregory, Curriculum Consultant, provided an update on a training event that had been planned for 14th January, 2013, for trainee teachers and partners in relation to using places of worship as teaching experiences.  The training event would visit a Buddhist temple, a Jewish synagogue and a Sikh gurdwara.  Lat Blaylock was preparing an input on how the places of worship could be made part of the learning experience and how these experiences could be brought back into the classroom. 

REwards: -

Vanessa provided an update to the Rotherham SACRE about the development of REwards, which recognised and celebrated the contribution of students, teachers, teams and communities that demonstrated good or excellent practice in Religious Education. 

The criteria that each group would be judged upon was included within the presentation displayed. 

Nominations could be made by anybody to the Clerk of the Rotherham SACRE (hannah.etheridge@rotherham.gov.uk) by Friday 24th May, 2013. Successful applicants would be notified termly and invited to join an annual, celebratory REwards evening, provisionally planned for Thursday 11th July, 2013.  A Working Party of the Rotherham SACRE would meet once a term to decide on the winning nominations. 

Resolved: -  That the information shared be noted. 

Nothing was raised under this item.  

• Thursday 14th February, 2013, to start at 4.00 pm in the Rotherham Town Hall. 

Resolved: -  (1)  That the next meeting of the Rotherham SACRE take place on Thursday 14th February, 2013, to start at 4.00 pm in the Rotherham Town Hall. 

(2)  That future meetings of the Rotherham SACRE take place on: -

• Thursday 1st July, 2013, to start at 4.00 pm.