Agenda and minutes

To appoint a Chair for Rotherham SACRE for the 2025-2026 academic year.

The Governance Advisor advised members that there had been one nomination received for the position of Chair to the SACRE for 2025-2026. The nomination was for the current Chair, Hannah Lambert.

The Governance Advisor asked members present to raise their hand if they wished to vote for the nomination received.

Resolved:- That Hannah Lambert be appointed Chair for the 2025/2026 Academic Year.

(Hannah Lambert in the Chair)

To appoint a Vice-Chair for Rotherham SACRE for the 2025-2026 academic year.

The Governance Advisor advised members that two nominations had been received for the position of Vice-Chair for 2025-2026.

One nominee advised that they would be unable to consider the role of Vice-Chair due to pre-existing commitments. The remaining nomination was for the current Vice-Chair, Tony Griffin.

The Governance Advisor asked members present to raise their hand if they wished to vote for the nomination for the current Vice-Chair to continue their role.

Resolved:- That Tony Griffin be appointed Chair for the 2025/2026 Academic Year.

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 27 March 2025, as a true and accurate record of the proceedings and to be signed by the Chair.

The Governance Advisor advised that a representative from CYPS had provided suggested comments to the draft minutes, it was confirmed that the amendments would be reflected within the published minutes.

The minutes from the last meeting on 27 March 2025, were approved as a true and accurate record of the proceedings.

To receive an update relating to SACRE Membership, including the following:

·       New membership

·       Current membership and gaps

·       Update on Humanism.

New membership

Members were advised that there was a representative from the Hindu community present and observing the meeting, with the intention of becoming a member of SACRE.

There was a vacancy for a Hindu Representative in Group A and members were asked to raise their hand to vote for Dr Arun Vishwanath to become a member of SACRE.

Resolved:- That SACRE approve the membership of Dr Arun Vishwanath into Group A.

Vacancies in Membership

The Governance Advisor advised that following the distribution of attendance letters to members of SACRE who had been absent for three or more meetings, three members had not responded and would therefore be removed from the membership of SACRE. The three members were included in Group C.

There were vacancies present in Group A, examples were provided of how SACRE did not have a Jewish representative or Sikh representative.

The RE Specialist Advisor advised that a contact for a Jewish representative could be provided to the Governance Advisor to complete introductions and an invitation to SACRE.

Update on Humanism

Humanism was listed in Group A, under the heading “other Christian denominations and all other faiths”. The Humanist representative on SACRE raised this matter with the Governance Advisor as they felt that it was not an inclusive title for non-religious world views. The Governance Advisor sought advice and explained that the headings for the four SACRE groups were prescribed in the relevant legislation of the 1966 Education Act, section 390 (4).

The Humanist representative on SACRE raised this with Humanism UK, who responded and advised that they were aware that the legislation had not kept up with developments, and it was hoped that this issue would be resolved  with the upcoming Children, Wellbeing and Education bill and the Curriculum and Assessment Review.

To receive an update on the Together for Tomorrow Project.

This item provided a verbal update on the project, during which the following was noted:

·       The Next project group meeting was scheduled for the 6^th June 2025.

·       The funding for the project was received following the disorder in August 2024. The project aimed to bring people together from all cultures, backgrounds and beliefs. The project would also bring together a range of partners.

·       The Chair of SACRE was representing SACRE on the project on Sub-Committee.

·       There would be eight strands to the project, which would be available to all schools in Rotherham at no cost, due to funding secured. The eight strands were as follows:

o   Strand 1 – Ask Me Anything: this was a filmed panel discussion designed to engage local school children with faith leaders. The panel aimed to promote understanding, break down misconceptions, and challenge stereotypes about faith and belief in our diverse community. Children and young people could provide ‘any’ questions on faith, belief, and community values. This would be a unique opportunity to connect with the next generation, sharing insights and perspectives that would help shape a more informed, inclusive future. The would be launched between September and October 2025.

o   Strand 2- ‘Our Rotherham’: This would be a picture trail with teaching resource created, which would be linked to the established Picture This Project. This would launch in July 2025.

o   Strand 3- T4T Ambassador Training:  Students would receive training and strategies for managing stress and emotional responses, which would include conflict resolution and empathy skills. This would link to protected characteristics and the Equality Act. Ambassadors would promote the T4T values of kindness, respect, safety, inclusivity within their school communities. They would lead the way in their school setting, providing support and reassurance to their peers. T4T Ambassadors would work in conjunction with their school to plan and host community events and youth-focused initiatives designed to bridge cultural divides and foster connections. The launch would be in September 2025.

o   Strand 4- PSHE/RE curriculum links: The Together for Tomorrow Project themes of risk, informed decision-making, safety, misinformation, diversity, and community were directly linked to the current PSHE curriculum, ensuring young people could develop the skills needed to navigate challenges confidently. The PSHE Association’s Programme of Study integrated the themes within its three core strands. The Together for Tomorrow Project aligned closely with the national Religious Education (RE) curriculum by integrating key themes that were essential to both subjects. The project emphasised risk awareness, informed decision[1]making, safety, misinformation, diversity, and community, which were all fundamental aspects of RE and PSHE education. This would launch in September 2025.

o   Strand 5- T4T Song 'We're together for tomorrow': This was anoriginal song, created and composed by Hannah Lambert, the Chair of Rotherham SACRE. Lyrics and track would be shared via Forge CPD and would launch in September 2025.

o   Strand 6- Places of Worship Virtual Visits- this would be a virtual resource created for visiting religious buildings and curated if possible. This  ...  view the full minutes text for item 50.

To receive an update on the Agreed Syllabus Conference.

Members were advised that at the last meeting of SACRE the up-coming review of the Agreed Syllabus was discussed and the requirement to convene and an Agreed Syllabus Conference (ASC).

An ASC was a sub-group or working group, which would lead on the review of the Agreed Syllabus. The ASC was a statutory body and could entail between 3-6 meetings which would include separate published agendas and minutes.

The Chair asked members of SACRE to raise their hands if they would like to be a member of the ASC.

Resolved:-

• That SACRE agree that an ASC be established for the purposes of reviewing the RE syllabus.
• That the members who nominated themselves to be part of the ASC, be appointed to the ASC.
• That the Chair and Vice Chair for the ASC be the Chair and Vice-Chair of SACRE.
• That the CYPS Officer present would contact maintained schools to establish whether they use the Agreed Syllabus.

To develop the aims of the SACRE development plan for the 2025-2026 academic year.

SACRE’s Development Plan for 2024-2025 was discussed and the following was noted:

·       The Development Plan was not included in the agenda pack and was circulated to members via email that morning. Paper copies were made available during the meeting.

·       Objective 1: Continue to develop RE subject knowledge for Rotherham primary teachers and subject leaders- this objective would be continued into the next academic year.

·       Objective 2: Review and carry out determinations for collective worship- an update on this would be provided under the agenda item of Any Other Business, however this would also continue into the next academic year.

·       Objective 3: Develop links with Sheffield and Doncaster SACREs- members of SACRE were keen to collaborate with Sheffield SACRE.

·       Objective 4: Provide support to enhance provision in RE in schools- this objective was on-going.

·       Objective 5: Increase prominence of RE through the Rewards celebration- the rewards ceremony had not materialized this year, however, the CYPS representative present advised that a smaller celebration arrangement could be arranged at the Town Hall, including a potential meet and greet with Madam Mayor. Members agreed to nominate pupils via email for this small celebration arrangement.

·       Objective 6: Raise profile/importance of RE to create community cohesion through Together for Tomorrow project- this was on-going and would feature of the next iteration of the development plan.

·       Objective 7: Provide resources for virtual tours of places of worship- this was on-going and would feature of the next iteration of the development plan.

·       The Chair advised that the development plan would be updated over the summer, ready for the Autumn SACRE meeting.

To receive an update on continuing professional development.

The RE Advisor advised that there was no further update to provide on CPD.

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

The Chair raised an item of determination which had been recently completed with a local school.

The Committee was advised that a determination was a legal process that allowed a school to deviate from the statutory requirement that collective worship be "wholly or mainly of a broadly Christian character".

Thornhill Primary School requested that a member of SACRE complete a determination and a SACRE member had completed that determination and brought the findings to SACRE at the meeting.

The overall findings of the determination were very positive. The RE leads were knowledgeable and enthusiastic and all class teachers demonstrated subject knowledge. There were multiple example of good practice across the school.

The outcome of the determination recommended that the determination for Thornhill Primary School be renewed.

Resolved:- That the determination for Thornhill Primary School be renewed.