Minutes:
Membership
The Chairman informed SACRE Members that Mrs Edlene Whitman, Free Church representative, had resigned from the SACRE as she was planning to move away from the area in the near future, and he was actively trying to seek a replacement representative. It was noted that the SACRE RE Adviser was also looking to identify representatives of Buddhist and Orthodox Jewish faiths.
SACRE Members were reminded that last year, a discussion had taken place regarding whether they wished to have a Humanist representative sit on the Committee. An email had recently been received from Humanists UK assuming automatic inclusion on the SACRE and advising that a representative had been identified. The Chairman informed SACRE Members that a response had been sent advising that this proposal would be brought back to the Committee to gather their views, and asked if they felt a Humanist representative was required and if they should be appointed to Bromley SACRE.
A teacher representative said that from a curriculum perspective having Humanist representation on the SACRE would be valuable. The curriculum focussed on ‘Religions and World Views’, and Humanism was now incorporated within the new Agreed Syllabus. A Member noted that he was not against the appointment of a Humanist representative but highlighted the ‘Religious Education’ element in the name of the SACRE. It was queried if Humanism was considered to be a religion as this could cause some confusion. The SACRE RE Adviser responded that when the Agreed Syllabus had been revised the wording had been amended to ‘Religions and World Views’, an element of which was recognising that there were lots of people that did not have a religious view, or believe in a particular religion. It was noted that more information would be available following the 2021 Census, but based on the 2011 Census they were aware that there was a demographic of those that did not believe in religion and therefore they did not want RE to exclude those pupils. The Agreed Syllabus had been carefully worded to incorporate non-religious viewpoints, of which Humanist was just one example. The SACRE RE Adviser highlighted that she was aware that it was not considered to be a religion by some SACREs, who therefore had Humanist representatives sitting within the membership group of the Local Authority.
The Vice-Chairman suggested that it would be a good idea to take guidance from what other SACREs had done in terms of appointing a Humanist representative, as although they did not have a faith or religion, Humanism was itself a widespread belief system. A Member agreed and noted that NASACRE should also be contacted to see if any further correspondence relating to this had been issued.
A teacher representative informed Members that Humanism was about celebrating the uniqueness of humanity, and all its diversity, and celebrating life in all its richness in the here and now. The SACRE RE Adviser noted that this was a helpful distinction as when looking at responses to the ultimate questions Humanism had a particular belief system and would not be the only Atheist response, therefore consideration could possibly be given to the requirement of an Atheist representative.
The Chairman agreed that this was complex and noted the point previously made regarding Members being unsure how a Humanist / Atheist view would be embraced within a committee for Religious Education. However, with the curriculum expanded to ‘Religions and World Views’ there could now be a case for a representative. The Chairman said that he felt further consultation was needed – a response could be sent to Humanists UK advising that their proposal would be seriously considered, however, they were not currently in a position to confirm if the SACRE would appoint a Humanist representative.
In response to a question from a Member, a secondary teacher representative confirmed that Humanism had been taught within the GCSE Syllabus over the last few years. A primary teacher representative said that this element of the Syllabus gave a child information to shape their own identity from both a religious and non-religious perspective. The Syllabus was designed to teach a child that there was diversity within all religions – they were given the knowledge and the ability to think about how this applied to them, which allowed them to shape their own faiths and beliefs.
In response to a question from a SACRE Member, the SACRE RE Adviser said that within Collective Worship there needed to be awe and wonder and reference to a ‘supreme being’. Some Humanists may interpret that as humanity itself and therefore would not necessarily be opposed to Collective Worship. The input of ideas and contributions may be slightly lent towards that element, however, it was emphasised that this would be dependent on the individual. The Local Authority had a responsibility to appoint suitable representatives – there would be a caveat that anyone appointed to the SACRE would work within the agreed objectives of the Local Authority, and that they would have a mindset based on community cohesion. The Chairman advised SACRE Members that the last Humanist representative to sit on the SACRE had previously been a Councillor representative and had always personally chosen to abstain from taking part in any discussions relating to worship.
The Head of Service for Early Years, School Standards and Adult Education suggested that in addition to contacting NASACRE, questions could be put to Humanists UK asking how they recommended that any representatives dealt with the scenarios posed, such as discussions around Collective Worship. The SACRE RE Adviser noted that they could also be approached to provide information relating to representation on other SACREs. The Chairman agreed and highlighted that the SACRE needed to gather as much information as possible before making a decision. Following a brief discussion, it was agreed that the Chairman would draft a letter of response to Humanists UK to that effect. ACTION: Chairman
Hinduism Report
The SACRE RE Adviser informed Members that in January 2021 the results of a national survey of Hindu parents had been released by Insight UK. The main concern of the findings was that 81% of the parents surveyed had stated that they were unhappy with the teaching of Hinduism in schools – particularly the knowledge of teachers and the content of the curriculum. The SACRE RE Adviser emphasised that they had worked hard to ensure that the locally Agreed Syllabus and curriculum did not present a negative picture of Hinduism. The Hinduism section of the Syllabus focussed on the beliefs around creation and not to harm any living thing. It was hoped that some responses from the Hindu faith could be incorporated in the ‘REal Resources’, and it would be key to have active participation on the SACRE from Hindu faith representatives, and have more than one representative if required.
A Member said he considered that members of any faith were their own best advocates to promote their religion, and they may need to address how they felt the teaching in schools could be improved. Whilst being sensitive towards this feedback, it was possible that if parents of other religions were surveyed similar results may be returned.
NASACRE AGM and Conference
The Chairman advised SACRE Members that the NASACRE AGM and Conference would be taking place virtually on the 24th May 2021, and he would provide an update at the July meeting of the SACRE.