Agenda item

Report No. ED12001

As a result of the continuing development plan presented at the last meeting and discussions with the Head of Education Commissioning and Business Services on the need to update the Bromley Agreed Syllabus, the SACRE Members training at the meeting was based on the responses to a survey sent to Bromley schools RE co?ordinators and their comments from a meeting held on 18 April 2012 at the EDC.

A presentation on the Bromley Syllabus Review was shown to SACRE Members by the RE Adviser. It was noted that the current syllabus comprised:

Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1:  Core: Christianity. Other religions as appropriate. 

Key Stage 2:   Core: Christianity. Also: Judaism, Islam and Hinduism.

Key Stage 3:   Core: Christianity. Main: Sikism and Buddhism. Subsidiary: Judaism, Islam and Hinduism.

Key Stage 4 and Post 16:  Core: Christianity. Other religions as appropriate.

An analysis of the responses to the survey sent to the Bromley schools RE co?ordinators was discussed. 

Matters arising included reference to the RE co-ordinators request for a useful RE website. The internet Managed Learning Environment “Fronter” was currently restricted to schools in the borough who had bought into the system and was therefore not available to all RE Co-ordinators. However, the RE Adviser was making arrangements for the RE Co-ordinators to have access to it.  The Head of Education Commissioning and Business Services asked if the relevant information could be accessed via the main Bromley website. The RE Adviser said that she had been told this was not possible. She agreed to discuss this further outside of the meeting with the Head of Education Commissioning and Business Services.

The Chairman suggested that one of the main changes to the new syllabus should be to move away from using ‘activity sheets’. Emma Honey commented that she did not have time to be creative, especially with regard to Key Stage 4. The RE Adviser said that this comment related more to primary schools where there was room for more creativity, although she acknowledged the fact that many teachers did not have RE experience. In answer to a question by Councillor Jefferys, the RE Adviser confirmed that in primary schools RE was mainly taught by non-specialist staff, but specialist RE staff were employed in secondary schools. She added that in Bromley there were more RE specialists employed than in a lot of London Boroughs.

Virginia Corbyn advised that the National Framework said too many religions should not be introduced at Key Stage 1, and a lot of research had said that this was confusing. (Further discussion on the syllabus took place under the next agenda item.)

Mr Riat commented on the very positive educational benefit of pupils attending different places of worship and said that they were welcome to attend the Sikh Temples at Woolwich and Gravesend on the last Sunday of the month. The RE Adviser agreed that such visits were a good learning experience but the cost of arranging these would probably be prohibitive for schools. Mr Riat remarked that if schools could not afford to arrange visits perhaps the children’s parents could be encouraged to take them. He added that no invitation was required. The RE Adviser added that there were some very good websites which had virtual visits to different places of worship.

RESOLVED that the presentation and discussion be noted.

(Councillor Charsley left the meeting after consideration of this item.)