Agenda and draft minutes

At this point in the meeting, Members are asked to declare any disclosable pecuniary interest or other registerable interest they might have in respect of business on this agenda, if they have not already done so in advance on the Register of Interests. The disclosure must include the nature of the interest.

An interest must also be disclosed in the meeting when it becomes apparent to the member during the meeting.

[Please see attached sheet for further guidance for Members]

Apologies for absence were received from Ben Rich, Ian Hodgson, Andy Tod, and Joseph Hepplestone. There were no declarations of interest declared.

To approve and sign the minutes of the meeting held on 22 June 2023.

Discussion took place regarding the minutes of the last meeting.

Maxine Squire stated she would circulate a programme of school visits for the remainder of the academic year and would invite members to express an interest in joining them.

Members discussed the school visits item, and it was noted that Ben Rich would collate a list of potential RE venues for schools to visit. It was suggested that a religious education factsheet could be used detailing information on different faiths to support these visits.

It was suggested by Penny Coppin-Siddall that Acomb Chapel could be used for the next meeting.

Councillor Rowley BEM noted that it was agreed at the previous meeting that SACRE agendas would include the faiths each member was representing as well as their committee.

Resolved: That the minutes of the meetings held on 22 June 2023 be approved and signed as an accurate record.

Election of Vice Chair:

As the election of Vice Chair was deferred from the last meeting, It was proposed that Ben Rich be nominated as Vice Chair.

No further nominations were received, and it was:

Resolved: That Ben Rich be appointed as Vice-Chair of SACRE for up to a period of 3 more years.

Reason: In accordance with paragraphs 5.1 and 5.2 of SACRE’s Constitution.

Members considered a proposal from Diane Naughton to join Committee C on York SACRE.

Resolved: That Diane Naughton join York SACRE on Committee C.

Reason: To fill a vacancy on York SACRE on committee C.

To review the SACRE development plan. The plan is shaped around the five key functions of SACREs contained in the NASACRE Self-Evaluation Toolkit.

Maxine Squire presented the development plan.

It was reported that the next development plan would incorporate work on a new syllabus which would be published between 2024-2026.

Maxine had contacted schools to collect contact details for subject leaders in order to ensure there was an up-to-date list. It was also commented that there was a need to promote within schools how Religious Education was a statutory responsibility for school governors.

Members discussed the membership of SACRE, noting that there were some faiths that were not represented on committee A, Penny Coppin-Siddall stated that information regarding SACRE’s membership could be included in future York Interfaith newsletters.

Members discussed how young people’s voices and experiences could shape the RE syllabus, and that there should be an increased ownership for the syllabus of young people. The Chair noted that school visits could be used for this purpose, and Imam Ammar suggested that various faith societies at York Universities could be contacted for their experiences and feedback.

It was noted by members that the SACRE section of the City of York Council website was out of date and should be updated to reflect SACRE vacancies.

It was stated that other subjects often had a guide of misconceptions for non-specialist subject teachers, and that this could be used for non-specialist RE teachers, as Maxine Squire noted the number of non-specialist-RE-teachers in York was increasing.

It was confirmed by members that the Chair, Councillor Rowley, and Ben Rich would have the responsibility of RAG rating the Development Plan.

Resolved: That members review the SACRE development plan.

Reason: To keep the SACRE development plan updated and to keep members aware of the plan.

A school survey for Religious Education in York.

Maxine Squire presented the Religious Education School Survey 2023 to members.

Maxine reported that the original survey was too long and contained around 30 questions, and that this new one had been shortened. The survey was to be used to:

·            Retrieve feedback and experiences from Religious Education teachers,

·            Find out how much time was spent on teaching RE in schools,

·            Find out about continuous professional development (CPD) for RE teachers,

·            Find out what RE teachers felt they needed more support with.

Maxine recommended that a task a finish group could be created to investigate the responses from the survey.

In response to questions from members, it was confirmed that the following changes would be made to the survey before publication:

·            Question 5 would be re-worded to show an open-ended question.

·            Question 7 and 8 would be re-worded to be more Religious Education specific.

·            Question 13 would be re-worded to read: “If you answered ‘No’ to question 12 above, please tell SACRE which syllabus you have chosen to adopt”.

·            The word ‘The’ before Maxine Squire’s email address would be removed.

Resolved: That members approve the Religious Education School Survey 2023 for publication.

Reason: So that SACRE could receive feedback from the survey.

A verbal update will be given on complaints received and the determinations in respect of those complaints.

It was reported that there had been no complaints to SACRE.

Resolved: That Members be updated on complaints.

Reason: In order to be kept updated on complaints to SACRE and determinations of complaints.

22 January 2024 at 6pm at West Offices

19 March 2024 at 6pm at West Offices

22 January 2024 at 6pm at Acomb Chapel (Approval of SACRE Annual Report)

19 March 2024 at 6pm at West Offices.

It was confirmed by members that Acomb Chapel would be used for the next meeting subject to approval by the webcasting team.