Contents	Page
Introduction
Introduction from Chair of City of York SACRE	1
Meeting and attendance 2020-21	2
Agreed Syllabus Conference	2
RE Statutory Responsibilities
Locally Agreed Syllabus	4
Standards and Monitoring of RE	5
Teaching training and materials and advice for schools	5
Collective Worship	5
Links with other bodies	6
City of York SACRE’s own arrangements	6
Appendix
City Of York SACRE Development Plan

1. Introduction

Foreword by the Chair of SACRE

Meeting and Attendance 2020-21

City of York SACRE met four times in the academic year 2021-22

5^th October 2021

5^th January 2022

30^th March 2022

22^nd June 2022

During the academic year 2021-22 City of York SACRE met in a combination if remote and face to face meetings

The attendance, by Committee, is set out below:-

Committee	5^th Oct 2021	5^th January 2022	30^th March 2022	22^nd June 2022
Committee A Representing Other Denominations / Faith Communities	5	4	2	3
Committee B Representing the Church of England	2	1	0	1
Committee C Representing teachers	1	2	2	2
Committee D Representing City of York Council	3	4	4	3
LA Officer	1	1	1	1
Total	12	12	9	10

All meetings, apart from the March meeting, were quorate however there are a number of vacancies and efforts are being made to fill the vacancies.

A focus on the SACRE development plan, a report from the Local Authority officer (including a focus on standards) and a report on national NASACRE and RE professional organisations updates are standing items at each meeting

2. RE ( statutory responsibilities)

Locally agreed syllabus

There are 19 primary, 2 secondary and 1 special maintained schools who follow the City of York Locally Agreed Syllabus

There are 25 primary, 4 secondary and 1 special academies who have adopted the City of York Locally Agreed Syllabus

Separate regulations covering maintained special schools require them to ensure that as far as practicable every pupil receives opportunities to explore RE. The City of York Agreed Syllabus 2021-2026 includes specific guidance and support for Special Schools. Special Schools use the City of York Locally Agreed Syllabus, at least partially, and adapt it to meet the needs of the pupils.

Standards and monitoring of RE

Due to the impact of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, City of York SACRE has been limited in its ability to actively monitor standards in RE across the York schools. There were 6 inspections of York Schools between September 2021 and July 2022. Five primary schools were inspected and one secondary school. The Ofsted reports for 5 out of the 6 schools make no direct reference to Religious Education. York SACRE has considered how it can develop its monitoring of standards in R.E. in the future as the monitoring of R.E. through Ofsted reports is not providing detailed information about the quality of R.E.

In 2022 national exams returned for the first time since 2019. Validated data is currently unavailable but will be presented to SACRE in January 2023.

City of York SACRE developed and approved a monitoring questionnaire in the academic year 2020-21 and this was circulated to schools in September 2021. In 2021 responses were received from a limited number of schools and SACRE has considered how the questionnaire can be further developed in 2022-23 to increase the number of responses to inform both the monitoring of R.E. in schools and also to inform the SACRE development plan.

Teaching training and materials and advice for schools

City of York SACRE supports the NATRE local group for primary RE teachers and a NATRE local group for secondary teachers set up following the launch of the locally agreed syllabus in May 2021.

City of York SACRE received no formal complaints regarding RE provision in the academic -year 2021-22.

3. Collective Worship

Besides Religious Education each local authority must work with its SACRE to monitor the provision of daily collective worship. As a result of changes to the Ofsted framework and in the absence of further guidance, the City of York SACRE published guidance in 2017 to support Collective Worship in schools in the City, which it continues to promote within schools. The guidance is available on the City of York SACRE website (www.york.gov.uk/sacre).

Schools may apply to SACRE for a determination in order to provide Collective Worship of a non-Christian or other form. As in previous years, no determinations were requested by schools.

There were no complaints registered with City of York SACRE in 2021/2022 in respect of collective worship. Updating City of York guidance on Collective Worship has been identified as a development point for City of York SACRE.

4. Links with other bodies

City of York SACRE is a member of the National Association of SACREs (NASACRE). Through the year SACRE members were informed of developments in RE from NASACRE, The National Association of Teachers of RE (NATRE) and The Religious Education Council of England and Wales (REC). The Professional RE Adviser attended the Summer 2022 NASACRE conference and reported back to members.

City of York SACRE has a long- standing relationship with York Interfaith Group. York Interfaith Group have set up a mechanism to support visits and visitors to York schools.

City of York SACRE supports the York Holocaust Memorial Day event. This event took place in January 2022.

During the Academic year 2021-22 City of York SACRE commissioned some specialist RE adviser support from Olivia Seymour, Diocese of York. This support focused on supporting the work of SACRE meetings, training for SACRE members and reporting on regional and national updates .

5. City of York SACRE’s own arrangements

During the academic year 2021-22 City of York SACRE continued its close relationship with City of York Council’s Democratic Services. In autumn 2021 Democratic Services, in consultation with City of York SACRE, finalised the process of reviewing the constitution and it was approved by members. This has led to the role of SACRE being clarified within the Council’s constitution and has enhanced the visibility of SACRE.

Structures and processes to enable members to monitor RE have been identified as priorities for 2022-23.

An officer in the Local Authority’s Democratic Services Section acts as Clerk to SACRE.

In addition, the Director of Governance provides professional support and advice to SACRE, principally on matters of governance and matters relating to the work of the Council and its Committees.

The people who serve on York SACRE are invited to do so by the Corporate Director of Children’s Services and Education on the recommendation of various bodies in the local community with a concern for the religious education of school children. The law prescribes that there have to be four “committees” each comprising representatives of specified groups. The current SACRE is constituted as follows:-

Committee A - Representing Other Denominations / Faith Communities[OS1] :-

Kate Bailey joined March 2021 (Catholic)

Ben Rich (Jewish)

Keith Albans (Methodist)

Iman Abid Salik (Muslim)

Tracey Copestake resigned autumn term 2020 Deborah Evans joined March 2021

(Religious Society of Friends)

Vacant (Salvation Army)

Vacant (Sikh)

Daryoush Mazloum (York Baha’i Community)

Penny Coppin-Siddall (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)

Ian Hodgson (Humanist)

Committee B - Representing the Church of England:-

Olivia Seymour (Diocese of York)

Katherine Harper (Archbishop Holgate’s CE Academy)

Committee C - Representing Teachers:-

Claire Hennigan (Yearsley Grove)

Jenny Mooney (Westfield)

Brenda Christison (Naburn)

Committee D - Representing the City of York Council are Councillors:-

Ian Cuthbertson (Lib Dem)

Martin Rowley (Con)

Chris Cullwick (Lib Dem)

Fiona Fitzpatrick (Lab)

In attendance:-

Maxine Squire(Education Adviser)

Janie Berry (Democratic Services)

Angela Bielby (Clerk)

Finance – annual budget

York’s SACRE is assigned an annual budget of £3,500. A summary of spend in 2021-22 is shown in the table below:

Item		Total Spend
NASACRE annual membership fee for 2021-22		£105.00
Specialist RE adviser commissioned from Diocese of York		£1,400
Conference fees		£30.00

Total spend 2021-22		£1,535

Appendix

Development Plan, 2022-23

Circulation

This report is circulated to

· NASACRE

· DfE

· City of York Council Children, Education and Communities Scrutiny

· City of York schools

· SACRE members representative bodies