Agenda item

A.)  SACRE Annual Report

B.)  ‘Ramadan 2019 - A Simple Guide for Schools’ – Dr Omar Taha

C.)  Commission on Religious Education –

‘Religion and Worldviews: the way forward’ (Executive Summary)

D.)  NASACRE response to the Clarke / Woodhead report –

‘A New Settlement Revised'

The Clarke / Woodhead – ‘A New Settlement Revised' report can be accessed via the following link:

http://faithdebates.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Clarke-Woodhead-A-New-Settlement-Revised.pdf

E.)  Guidance on Managing the Right of Withdrawal from Religious Education

A.)  SACRE ANNUAL REPORT

The Chairman informed members that work was underway to produce the Bromley SACRE Annual Report 2017-18. The SACRE RE Advisor said that she intended to provide a draft version of the document to the SACRE meeting on 27^th February 2019 for approval, following which the final document would be submitted to NASACRE and the Department for Education before the end of March 2019.

B.)  ‘RAMADAN 2019 – A SIMPLE GUIDE FOR SCHOOLS’ –

  DR OMAR TAHA

The Chairman welcomed Dr Omar Taha, Al-Emaan Centre (Keston Mosque) to the meeting, and thanked him for producing the document ‘Ramadan 2019 – A Simple Guide for Schools’, and providing a copy to SACRE members.

Ramadan had taken place this year from 17^th May to 15^th June, resulting in an overlap with the traditional exam season. As Ramadan would continue to fall during the peak periods of exams and the summer months, it was believed that acknowledging pupils’ needs could contribute to fostering good relations with, and promoting understanding between different groups. The guide outlined considerations that schools may take with regards to the month of Ramadan, along with suggestions of what features may constitute best practice in schools. Dr Taha advised that the document was a revised version of the guide produced by the Lewisham Mosque and Lewisham SACRE, which had been tailored more to the Bromley borough and focused on educational elements and highlighted that the mosque offered visits and workshops.

The SACRE RE Advisor commented that the guide was very well-written, but considered that it could be set out slightly differently so that it could also be used as a learning resource. The SACRE RE Advisor felt that using the document as guidance and a resource for learning would expand its potential, and it could be linked to the Revised Bromley Agreed Syllabus. It was suggested that it could be beneficial to include some sample policies, to act as a template for schools. It was therefore suggested that all the information regarding Ramadan, beliefs and values be kept together, and a separate section added on what schools could do. It was agreed that the SACRE RE Advisor and Dr Taha would liaise to discuss the guide further.

  ACTION: SACRE RE Advisor

A member noted that the guide stated that ‘fasting is prescribed for all healthy males and females once they attain the age of puberty (this is relative based on the physiological and psychological make-up of each individual)’, and enquired who decided the age of puberty. Dr Taha responded that it was generally the collective decision of the family, and there was not one definitive age.

C.) COMMISSION ON RELIGIOUS EDUCATION –

‘RELIGION AND WORLDVIEWS: THE WAY FORWARD’

The Commission on Religious Education (CoRE) had published its final report, ‘Religion and Worldviews: The Way Forward – A National Plan for RE’, in September 2018. The CoRE National Plan was built around a National Entitlement, which set out what all pupils up to the end of Year 11, in all publicly funded schools, should be entitled to be taught. CoRE stated that the National Entitlement reflected a new and inclusive vision for the subject, which fully embraced the diversity and richness of religious and non-religious worldviews, and would ensure a strong academic basis for the subject in all schools. Their National Plan suggested a flexible approach in the translation of the National Entitlement into programmes of study in schools, ensuring that Headteachers were able to choose the approach that was most appropriate for their pupils.

A copy of the Executive Summary had been provided to members, along with a link to the full report. The Chairman noted that the report was very well written and presented, and advised that it was worth reading the document in its entirety.

The SACRE RE Advisor highlighted that one major change suggested by the report was to the subject title. It considered that the title ‘Religious Education’ was too acute and led to misconceptions. It suggested that the subject should be broader to include Humanism and other non-religious views and to create more discussions. Thus the title ‘Religion and Worldviews’ was suggested in the report. However, NASACRE were concerned that the proposed title was too broad and may dilute the study of religions. Another recommendation of the report was for the Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education to be renamed the Local Advisory Network for Religion and Worldviews.

A member queried whether people would know the meaning of ‘worldviews’, and noted that even in the report it had to be explained. The Chairman responded that the term had been used for a long time in religious circles, but agreed that outside of these it may not be known. Another member echoed that ‘worldviews’ suggested a lack of religious belief, and felt this was a bit too broad and saw this as a dilution of Religious Education. The SACRE RE Advisor noted that the terminology used in the Bromley Revised Agreed Syllabus would need to be considered, as the report suggested that the Government and schools should change the subject name, but this was only a recommendation and may not actually happen.

The SACRE RE Advisor informed members that she had produced a summary of the final report, which she would provide to the clerk for circulation.    ACTION: SACRE RE Advisor / Clerk

A member stated that they felt this was the right thing to do, as the quality of the Religious Education delivered was patchy, and a national debate was needed. It was important that debates were happening at every level and creating a higher level of engagement regarding beliefs and values. It was about entitlement as so many children were not experiencing good quality Religious Education – it needed to be well resourced, and support provided for teachers to deliver it. Another member responded that it was important to encourage the debate, but as there were around 4,200 world religions it would be difficult to choose which ones to study. Having too many options suggested that pupils would not obtain enough understanding of each one. They were needed in addition to Religious Education, and not at the expense of it.

The Chairman said that the report was a helpful contribution to feed into the debate, but in reality it was highly unlikely that all the recommendations would be implemented at present. There was no appetite in Government to deal with this contentious issue, as they had lots of other pressing issues to deal with at present, but it was important that these concerns were highlighted.

D.) NASACRE RESPONSE TO THE CLARKE / WOODHEAD REPORT – ‘A NEW SETTLEMENT REVISED’

NASACRE Patron, Charles Clarke and Professor Linda Woodhead had launched a revised version of their 2015 pamphlet ‘A New Settlement’, the reworking of which had involved researching and ‘sounding out’ many of their original proposals. The 2015 booklet had proposed a new educational settlement to create a genuine understanding of modern religion and belief, and allow young people to explore their own and other peoples’ religious and non-religious beliefs and come to their own conclusions.

A member queried a statement on page 43 of the meeting agenda, which said that ‘the recommendations fall into three areas: 1. RE and Curriculum; 2. Collective Worship; 3. Faith Schools. The last of these, Faith Schools, is of no direct concern to NASACRE and SACREs’. The Chairman clarified that the report was referring to the fact that these schools had a specific intake, and it should have been made clearer that it was the recommendation that was of no concern, and not the schools themselves.

The Chairman highlighted that the report’s recommendation was to change the guidance to read, ‘All pupils in attendance at maintained schools and academies shall take part in a regular assembly or act of collective worship in keeping with the values and ethos of the school and reflecting the diversity and character of the school community’. The original report had called for the abolishment of Collective Worship, but the revised report was reinstating it due to the consultation responses received. There was a legal requirement for something to take place, and reflecting the values of the school broadened the remit. The response of Paul Smalley, Chair of NASACRE, deemed this to be a sensible idea, and would mean that SACREs would no longer need to consider determinations, as no school would need to ask for it. A member responded that if there was not a political appetite to tackle the delivery of Religious Education, there would definitely not be the desire to tackle Collective Worship, and things were not going to change.

E.)  GUIDANCE ON MANAGING THE RIGHT OF WITHDRAWAL

FROM RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

The Chairman reminded members that at the last meeting, it was requested that they be provided with further information regarding determinations and how they were exercised. Members were informed that the Local Authority would be purchasing a copy of ‘Guidance on Managing the Right of Withdrawal from Religious Education’, which had been produced by Gill Vaisey on behalf of WASACRE. It was noted that the SACRE had never received any determinations, but was obtaining a copy of this generic guidance so it was available if, or when, it was needed. It was noted that the CoRE report intended to broaden the subject, and had made several recommendations about the right to withdrawal. This may affect the workings of the right of withdrawal in the future.

A member stated that on joining the SACRE, representatives had a role of responsibility. Outside of school, pupils opinions of Religious Education were formed from the media which tended to have a bias point of view, and pupils needed to learn that this was portrayed wrongly. It was important to not lose focus on general beliefs and religions, and how pupils learn about them was extremely important. Dr Taha echoed these feelings, and considered that there was no substitute for learning about a religion from a person of that belief, and it should be cultivated through community groups, school visits and feedback.

The SACRE RE Advisor advised members that in teaching, there were Attainment Targets (AT) – AT1, learning about religions and AT2, learning from religions. It was important for pupils to be religiously literate, and that AT1 and AT2 went side by side. AT1 would see pupils using the right terms and terminology and AT2 would then see pupils forming their own worldviews. It was noted that from her experience, if schools had an issue with someone being withdrawn from RE, it tended not to reach the SACRE. The school would speak to the parent, explaining AT1 and AT2, and as a result they tended not to proceed with the withdrawal. As a SACRE, she did not feel this was something to be overly concerned about.

‘How relevant is Religious Education in the 21st century?’ – Professor Cooling

The Chairman informed members that he had attended an event entitled ‘How relevant is Religious Education in the 21st century?’ on 10^th October 2018. It had been a talk on ‘the role of RE in our increasingly secularised culture’ with speaker Professor Trevor Cooling, which had been facilitated by the Spinnaker Trust. It had been a very good event, which referred to the reports discussed earlier. The Chairman had been provided with a copy of the PowerPoint presentation delivered by Professor Cooling, which would be provided to the clerk for circulation to members.  ACTION: Chairman / Clerk

Members enquired if the PowerPoint presentation could be circulated to schools. SACRE teacher representatives who had attended the event stressed that schools would not benefit from just viewing the slides, and suggested that Professor Cooling could be invited to deliver his presentation to RE subject leaders. The Chairman noted that Bromley schools had been invited to the event, some of whom had attended, but agreed that this was something that could be explored.    ACTION: Chairman

‘How should Religious Education respond to a changing religious landscape?’ – NatCen Social Research

The Chairman informed members that he would be attending a presentation entitled ‘How should Religious Education respond to a changing religious landscape?’, at NatCen, 6.00pm on 29^th November 2018. A summary of the event would be provided to members at the next SACRE meeting.

  ACTION: Chairman