Agenda item

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting held on 3^rd July 2019 be confirmed as a correct record.

  B)  MATTERS ARISING

Minute 2: Apologies for absence and notification of substitute members

The Chairman informed Members that the vacant Church of England representative role had now been filled, and Reverend Rachel Archer was welcomed to the meeting.

In relation to additional teacher representatives, the LBB Head of Service for Early Years, School Standards and Adult Education confirmed that a request had been included in the School Circular, but no responses had been received. In response to a question, the SACRE RE Advisor said that she had identified a primary teacher who attended the RE Network meetings that may be interested in joining the SACRE. It was noted that the teacher also worked in Special Educational Needs (SEN), which would provide a good addition to the skillset of the SACRE. The SACE RE Advisor also noted that she would discuss the possibility of identifying a secondary teacher representative with Mr Kings.      ACTION: SACRE RE Advisor

Minute 5B: Matters arising

The LBB Head of School Standards advised Members that she would follow up with the LBB Director of Education, regarding whether there was a Consultative Advisory Committee through which the Ramadan Guide could be circulated.  ACTION: LBB Head of School Standards

The SACRE RE Advisor informed Members that the Ramadan Guide was now available to view on the Bromley Education Matters website, and would be updated with the dates from 2020. In relation to the school calendar competition, it was suggested that the draft calendar could be circulated to all SACRE Members to allow the dates of religious festivals to be double-checked.

Minute 8: Relationships with schools

Members were advised that changes were being made to the programme of Councillor visits, and an update would be provided to the next meeting of the SACRE.  ACTION: LBB Head of School Standards

Minute 9: Inter-faith competition

In response to a question, the LBB Head of Service for Early Years, School Standards and Adult Education confirmed that the financial award to be received for funding the inter-faith calendar competition was £1,500. The competition had been included in the School Circular, and it was anticipated that there would be a greater uptake by schools this year.

Minute 10: SACRE Draft Action Plan

The SACRE RE Advisor informed Members that an introductory letter from the SACRE was included in the School Circular.

In relation to Minute 12: Any other business, a Member enquired if there was an update on the school that had proposed to drastically cut the curriculum time spent on RE. The Chairman said that currently, the school was not compliant with the Agreed Syllabus curriculum time given to RE. The SACRE RE Advisor noted that she had visited and spoken with the Head of Department at the school, and the curriculum had been planned around the time constraints. Documents had also been provided to the Head of Department at the beginning of October, for reference when discussing this issue with the Headteacher. It was noted that the LBB Head of School Standards had been informed of the situation.

A Member questioned if the SACRE should be referring this non-compliance to the Department for Education (DfE). The LBB Head of Service for Early Years, School Standards and Adult Education expressed that she felt it was a bit premature, as the SACRE RE Advisor had only recently shared the information with the Head of Department, and time would need to be given to see if it had any impact. An added complication was that the Head of Department had only recently returned from sick leave, and was not yet working full time.

It was suggested that if there were difficulties in relation to planning and the curriculum, the Head of Department could be linked with another school that could offer support. The SACRE RE Advisor said that this had been considered during the RE Network Meetings, with work being undertaken by teachers to identify several key questions and units that were the same. It was noted that the SACRE RE Advisor had also been keeping in email contact with the Head of Department, and offering support and advice.

A Member considered that it would be reasonable for the SACRE RE Advisor to contact the Head of Department to say that the situation had been discussed by the SACRE. It should be emphasised that they wanted to provide as much help as possible, and by the end of the current term they would like to see a plan of the proposals going forward. It was noted that a time limit for a response was needed in order to ensure that the situation did not “roll on”.

Following a discussion, it was agreed that the SACRE RE Advisor would draft a letter to all Headteachers and school Governors, reminding them of the SACRE’s role.    ACTION: SACRE RE Advisor

Councillor Onslow left the meeting following the consideration of this item.