Agenda item

The Annual Report of Bromley SACRE contains a self-evaluation of SACRE which is updated each year. Previously it was agreed that the RE Adviser should carry out the self-evaluation of Bromley SACRE and report as necessary. However, this meant that the members do not have an input into the document and might not have knowledge of the categories which lead to a successful SACRE committee.

The Bromley SACRE Self Evaluation for May 2013 was attached to the agenda item, together with the SACRE RE Tool: Reporting and Evaluating Toolkit. This was to enable members to look at the documents in advance of the Spring Term meeting. It was recommended that when looking at the SACRE Self Evaluation ready for discussion at the next meeting, teachers should focus on Section 1 (Standards and Quality of Provision of RE), representatives from the Church of England should look at Section 3 (Collective Worship), Councillors should look at Section 4 (Management of SACRE), and other faiths focus on Section 5 (Contribution of SACRE to promoting cohesion across the community). The different SACRE groups could of course comment on other sections if they so wished. The Clerk was asked to forward relevant contact details for SACRE members to each SACRE group, so that if they wished to do so they could discuss the matter with each other prior to the next meeting, (ACTION CR). 

In the meantime it was noted that the National Association of SACREs had sent out a survey which asked for details of the top three priorities for each SACRE and also how NASACRE could help and support them. The survey needed to be completed by 15^th December 2014. Following discussion the following priorities were agreed:

(i) Supporting schools in the light of new expectations for Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural development. (New guidance had recently been published by the Department for Education.)

 (ii) To connect with the interfaith groups in Bromley and other faith communities. (It was suggested that with regard to Section 5 of the Evaluation document relating to community cohesion, it would be helpful to obtain Census data for Bromley in relation to the local religious, cultural and ethnic community. It was also suggested it might be helpful to establish links with the Ethnic Communities Programme Manager.)

(iii) Further raise the visibility of SACRE in schools and obtain information from them. (It was suggested that perhaps the collective worship booklet published a few years ago could be reissued.)

With regard to help from NASACRE it was likely that LB Bromley would only have Academies from September 2015 and it was hoped that NASACRE would be able to ensure Academies understand the role of SACRE.

The RE Adviser confirmed she would complete the NASACRE survey on behalf of Bromley SACRE

Jessica Toogood from True Tube suggested that perhaps one way to raise the profile of SACRE would be to use social media such as twitter. A Member thought it might be a good idea for Jessica to be co-opted onto Bromley SACRE and the Chairman confirmed it would be possible for this to be done.  Jessica advised that this was something she would need to discuss with her manager.

RESOLVED that

(i)  the RE Adviser should complete the NASACRE Survey on behalf of Bromley SACRE and

(ii) Self-Evaluation of SACRE to be discussed at the next meeting.