Minutes:
Denise Angell and Christopher Town left the meeting during consideration of this item.
Councillor Onslow returned to the meeting during consideration of this item.
The Chairman reminded Members that at a previous meeting of the SACRE, the need for some guidance relating to determinations had been discussed, although it was highlighted that no determinations had been received by the Bromley SACRE. The Local Authority, along with a number of other SACREs, had recently received a Freedom of Information (FOI) request relating to determinations, and it was felt to be an appropriate time to discuss the subject. The SACRE RE Advisor tabled draft copies of the ‘Bromley Determinations Guidance’ and ‘New Application for a determination’ form, and Members were invited to give their comments.
A Member enquired if legal requirements had been considered. The SACRE RE Advisor said that she had researched the official legal requirements, as well as the Statutory Guidance from 2010. It was noted that all documents used the phrase “wholly or mainly of a broadly Christian character…”, and although this was often interpreted to mean 51%, this was not actually the case.
The Chairman advised Members that during the SACRE pre-meet, two key amendments to the ‘Bromley Determinations Guidance’ had been discussed. The first of these was to include a sentence informing the school what would happen once the form was submitted – confirming receipt of the application; advising when the application would be heard; and that they would be notified of the outcome following this date. The second was to amend the ‘New Application for a determination’ form to state ‘Christian (all denominations)’ and included ‘Humanist’ in the same sub-section as ‘Atheist / Agnostic / no religion’. A Member suggested that as it was a belief affiliation, consideration could also be given to including ‘Humanist’ in the ‘Other’ section of the table. Another Member expressed that as Humanism was recognised as a ‘World View’, it should be a stand-alone option, and noted that it would be interesting to see what classifications were listed on the Census. The Chairman advised Members that the religions or belief affiliations included in the table were a reflection the Bromley SACRE and the religious population of borough.
Following a discussion, the Chairman proposed that Members vote on the suggested options:
Votes to leave ‘Humanist’ as a stand-alone category: 3
Votes to include ‘Humanist’ to the sub-section with ‘Atheist / Agnostic / no religion’: 3
Abstained: 2
The Chairman had the casting vote, and it was resolved that ‘Humanist’ be added to the sub-section with ‘Atheist / Agnostic / no religion’.
The Chairman informed Members that agreement was also sought in relation to the procedure when a determination was received. It was suggested that if there was a lengthy period of time between receiving the determination and the next meeting of the SACRE, a meeting of a representative group could be called. The Clerk could circulate an invitation to all SACRE Members, involving them in the pre-consultation, which would allow the documents to be viewed, and comments provided, prior to the meeting. The meeting would be attended by the SACRE RE Advisor, LBB Head of School Standards and a representative of each of the four Committees, who would discuss the recommendation to be made to the wider SACRE. The SACRE RE Advisor highlighted that the guidance currently stated that ‘the Headteacher would be notified in writing within 15 working days of the decision’, but if this was extended to 21 working days, it would allow the SACRE time to request additional information from the school if required.
Following a brief discussion, the proposed procedure for determinations was agreed.
RESOLVED that:
i) the ‘New Application for a determination’ form be amended to state ‘Christian (all denominations), and ‘Humanist’ be added to the sub-section ‘Atheist / Agnostic / no religion’;
ii) the proposed procedure for determinations be agreed.