Agenda and minutes

To receive declarations of interest from any members with respect to an item of business.

There were no declarations of interest.

To determine whether any items on the agenda require the exclusion of members of the public or press.

There were no matters of business for which it was deemed necessary to exclude members of the public or press.

To review and approve the minutes of the previous meeting held on 22 June 2023 as a true and accurate record of the proceedings.

The minutes from the last meeting on 22 June 2023, were approved as a true and accurate record of the proceedings.

To receive an update in relation to artefacts.

This agenda item provided an update on the Artefacts item discussed at previous meetings. The following was discussed and noted:

·       The Local Authority provided an allocated budget of £6,000 to SACRE which had been used to purchase artefact resource boxes.

·       The purchased boxes were being held at Wingfield Academy and would remain there. The boxes would be outsourced via a borrowing system from the start of the summer term.

·       The development of an inventory for the resource boxes would be added to the SACRE Development Plan, as an action for the next academic year.

To receive an update on the South Yorkshire Religious Education Conference in January 2024.

This agenda item provided an update on the South Yorkshire Religious Education Conference, held on 29 January 2024. The following was discussed and noted:

·       The Conference was added as an action on the SACRE Development Plan and was funded by local authority funding. The Conference was well attended with over thirty people present, the feedback from the Conference was very positive.

·       Subject leaders had requested a progression plan for Key Stage One and Key Stage Two.

·       It was noted that not all teachers in the Borough followed the agreed syllabus. This was because there were many schemes available which provided more ease for teachers when planning and delivering high quality lessons, this was a benefit for non-specialist teachers. An example was provided of schemes such as Jigsaw that provided added value with ready-made tasks, worksheets, and PowerPoints for teachers to use.

·       It was noted that members felt that the available schemes should be assessed to determine whether they were suitable schemes for Rotherham.

·       It was agreed that the next time the agreed curriculum is reviewed, a detailed glossary should be provided for non-specialist teachers.

·       It was noted that the Conference should be run on an annual basis.

To receive an update on the Secondary Network session.

This agenda item provided an update on the Secondary Networking Session. The following was discussed and noted:

·       Only one school attended the secondary linking session.

·       The Chair requested that the sessions continue to run in the future, beginning with another session to be hosted at the start of the new academic year in September.

To receive an update on GCSE and A-level results.

This agenda item provided an update on GCSE and A-Level Results. The following was discussed and noted:

·       There was no specific update to provide regarding GCSE and A-Level Results as members did not have this information available.

·       The Head of Service for Education agreed to request the relevant data and information of the local authorities Performance Team.

·       GCSE and A-Level results would also be added to the agenda for the next Secondary Networking Session in September.

To receive a verbal update on the SACRE Development Plan.

This agenda item provided an update on SACRE Development Plan. The following was discussed and noted:

·       The Development Plan covered the period of April 2023- April 2024. The Plan was due to be revised next month.

·       In relation to the first objective which was to develop RE subject knowledge for Rotherham primary teachers and subject leaders, subject meetings had been held three times during the year.

·       In relation to the second objective which was to develop range of resources for use by schools, as discussed in minute No.4, the resources had been purchased and would be available to schools from the start of the summer term.

·       In relation to the third objective which was to develop content for RE platform, this information had been uploaded throughout the year and a staff base was gradually being built.

·       In relation to the fourth objective which was to review and carry out determinations for collective worship, there had not been any schools in the Borough that said that they were not carrying out acts of collective worship. This was not an area that was checked by Ofsted during inspections. It was advised that the schools governing body would be responsible for ensuring this requirement was fulfilled within a school. It was agreed that the Head of Service for Education would contact the Department of Education to clarify the process for reviewing determinations of collective worship.

·       In relation to the fifth objective which was to increase SACRE membership, it was noted that the membership had increased over the academic year.

·       In relation to the sixth objective which was to develop links with Sheffield and Doncaster SACREs, the Chair advised that they had met with the Vice-Chair of Sheffield SACRE and had also become a member of Doncaster’s SACRE. Sheffield and Doncaster SACRE were invited by the Chair to the South Yorkshire RE Conference and members of Sheffield SACRE attended the Conference. An email had been sent to Barnsley SACRE but no response was received.

·       In relation to the seventh objective which was to develop a progression document which aligns to the Rotherham agreed syllabus, this had been facilitated as part of the RE Conference discussed in minute No. 5.

·       In relation to the eighth objective which was to provide support to enhance provision in RE in schools, it was advised that Doncaster SACRE had started to develop an online directory and the Chair hoped to work alongside Doncaster SACRE to share best practice.

·       In relation to the ninth objective which was to increase prominence of RE through the Rewards celebration, it was advised that there had been no interest in the REwards Ceremony to date, however this would be communicated through the next ROSIS newsletter. It was agreed the that each REward Ceremony category would offer individual or group contributions and examples would be provided to schools to ensure a greater understanding of each category. The following categories for the Rewards Ceremony were agreed by SACRE members:

1.     Custody of the Earth

2.     Outstanding  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

This agenda item will ask the Committee to note the meeting dates for the SACRE for the new municipal year 2024-2025. The following dates were agreed by Full Council on the 28 February 2024:

·       27 June 2024

·       19 September 2024

·       5 December 2024

·       27 March 2025

The following future meeting dates were noted by SACRE members:

·       11 July 2024

·       19 September 2024

·       5 December 2024

·       27 March 2025.

To determine any items which the Chair is of the opinion should be considered as a matter of urgency.

There was no urgent business to consider.

The next hybrid meeting of the Rotherham Standing Advisory Council for Religious Education will be held on 27 June 2024 commencing at 4.00pm at the Town Hall and on Microsoft Teams.

The next meeting of the Rotherham Standing Advisory Council for Religious Education was scheduled for 11^th July 2024, commencing at 4.00pm at Rotherham Town Hall.