Members will be asked to make any declarations of interest in respect of items on this agenda.

There were no declarations of interest made by SACRE members.

To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 2 July 2012.

Agreed that the minutes of the meeting held on 2 July 2012 are confirmed as a correct record subject to Mrs Hamon’s title being changed to Dr Hamon.

To receive reports on business which, in the opinion of the Chair, should be brought forward for urgent consideration.

The Re Advisor informed members that Councillor Aspinall had arrived at the venue for the meeting but had been unable to attend because there was no disabled access.

SACRE The Chair will welcome new members to the forum.

The Chair welcomed Mr Jamie Haselden, representing the Roman Catholic faith, to his first SACRE meeting. 

To receive feedback from the Religious Education Advisor on the Unmet Needs Project.

Linda Rudge, Project Director, reported that –

(a)               the Unmet Needs Project covered Devon, Cornwall,
           Plymouth and Torbay, and had the possibility of being extended
           beyond the three years of its agreed duration;

(b)              a website had been developed for the project www.ItIRE.org

(c)              most projects had begun to meet, with the sharing of good
           practice;

(d)             seven out of the 12 Hub Leaders had been appointed, with a
           further five appointments to be made.

The following comments were raised –

(e)             12 teachers would initially receive training, and while there
           would be a job description there needed to be a degree of
           flexibility to encourage teachers new to RE;

(f)               the project would not be able to meet the training needs of all
           RE teachers but it was hoped to grow what could be provided; 

(g)              further comments and questions could be posted on the project
           website.

Agreed that Linda Rudge is thanked for her presentation and report.

The Religious Education Advisor will present the SACRE Annual Report 2011 – 2012.

The RE Adviser reminded members that an annual SACRE report was a requirement, and requested that any changes to this draft document be forwarded to him.

Agreed that –

(1)         a foreword and updated SACRE membership are added;

(2)         Liz Hill to forward information about a self-evaluation tool for use
       with both teachers and parents;

(3)         the heads of the four houses are circulated the final draft of the
       SACRE annual report for agreement.

To receive an update from the Religious Education Advisor on examination results from summer 2011.

The RE Adviser commented that –

(a)               it was difficult to attribute great overall significance to the results
          as could be noted by the various changes that occurred each year;

(b)             the rise in GCSE entries was encouraging;

(c)              ‘A level results were positive.

Agreed that –

(1)             the RE Adviser would provide an in depth school by school
           profile of the summer 2012 examination results at the next
           SACRE meeting;

(2)             Summer 2012 examination results would form an agenda item
           at the next SACRE meeting.

To receive an update from the Religious Education Advisor on Ofsted reports.

The RE Adviser informed SACRE members that –

(a)               14 schools in Plymouth had been fully inspected between May
           and the end of October 2012;

(b)             the respective Ofsted reports  –

·         made no mention of RE or collective worship;

·         in most cases did not fully explore the spiritual, moral, social and cultural processes at work in schools.

Liz Hill noted that Ofsted supplied detailed guidance to schools about providing evidence, and the subsequent preparatory document compiled by schools could be used to promote RE with SACRE’s help.

Dr Wintersgill pointed out that the preparatory document compiled by schools was not compulsory under the new inspection framework employed by Ofsted, while in Ofsted reports there was no requirement for judgement when mention was made of the spiritual, moral, social and cultural processes at work in individual schools.  

Agreed that –

(1)         Liz Hill would present her school’s preparatory document for
       Ofsted inspection at the next SACRE
       meeting.

      (2)     the RE Adviser would continue to review Ofsted inspection reports
                  and report back to SACRE on their findings.

SACRE Members will be invited to discuss the subject ‘the future of RE’, a subject that was reviewed by the Religious Education Council and formed part of John Keast’s recent talk in Plymouth.

The Re Adviser referred to the recent talk given in Plymouth by John Keast, Chair of the Religious Education Council, on the place of RE in schools and the community.

Issues considered in the talk included –

(a)               what was happening to RE in schools both locally and
           nationally;

(b)             the dismantling by central government of all national support
           and structures for RE, thus making RE a solely local matter;

(c)              how the RE community was responding;

(d)             the Unmet Needs Project as a positive development.

Agreed that –

(1)               the RE Adviser would circulate the PowerPoint presentation
           used in the talk to SACRE members;

(2)              organising a faith trail walk in Plymouth in May would form an agenda
           item at the next SACRE meeting.

Barbara Wintersgill will provide an update to SACRE on the All Party Parliamentary Group on Religious Education.

Dr Wintersgill advised SACRE members that in her view this was a positive development as RE now possessed a political voice in the form of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Religious Education. It was noted that –

(a)               the Group would be holding an enquiry into teacher supply in RE
           and the degree of support for RE teachers using the following
           methodology –

·         questionnaires to primary and secondary school RE teachers;

·         a corporate evidence paper using nominated topics to others in education, such as SACREs and teacher training organisations;

·         presentation of oral evidence.

(b)            300 primary schools had returned questionnaires, which was
          enough for a representative sample, but only 120 secondary
          schools had done so, which was a poor return and a major
          concern; 

(c)               Dr Wintersgill would be drafting a report for the Group by the
           end of March 2013, although there was currently no publication
           date.

It was pointed out that social networking sites could be used to contact RE teachers, with one example being a ‘Save RE’ page on Facebook.  

Agreed that the RE Adviser would forward reminder questionnaires to secondary schools in Plymouth.

To receive updates from the SACRE working groups.

SACRE members were provided with an update from working groups that had met since the last meeting.

Liz Hill, champion for group five on the key priority – to revise guidance and identify key resources for collective worship – reported that the sixteen pages of documentation around the resources for collective worship had yet to be published and distributed. It was proposed that both hard and electronic copies could be published, with a celebratory launch event to be held.

The Chair, champion for group one – to seek ongoing opportunities to raise the profile of SACRE – informed members that a travelling SACRE display would comprise seven boards with text and graphics. 

Agreed that –

(1)              Liz Hill to liaise with the RE Adviser about a launch event around
           publication of the resources for collective worship;

(2)              the Chair would bring the travelling display to the next SACRE
           meeting.

To receive feedback from the Religious Education Advisor on the Minster Project.

The RE Adviser reminded members that money identified in the SACRE budget had been ring-fenced for a project to develop the Minster Church of St Andrew to improve resources and offer visits to the Minster. It was noted that -

(a)     some progress had been made but that there would be inevitable
  delays until after the Reverend McKinnel’s successor had been
  appointed; 

(b)    some funding was left over and it was proposed that this be used for
  a new project to explore the faith diversity of young people in
  Plymouth via production of a dvd.

Agreed that the RE Adviser proceed with the project to explore the faith diversity of young people in Plymouth via production of a dvd.

The Religious Education Adviser will update SACRE on the Plymouth Centre for Faiths and Cultural Diversity.

The RE Adviser reported that the Plymouth Centre for Faiths and Cultural Diversity had now moved to permanent accommodation within Salisbury Road Primary School.

The Religious Education Adviser will provide an update on the plans for Holocaust Memorial Day 2013.

The RE Adviser informed members that –

(a)           a public exhibition and schools event would be held in the Roland
        Levinsky Building at Plymouth University on Friday 25 January 2013;

(b)           the annual civic ceremony of remembrance would be held in the
         English Garden at Mount Edgcumbe on Sunday 27 January
         2013;

(c)             in the week beginning Monday 14 January 2013, Solly Irving, a
         Jewish Holocaust survivor, would be making his twelfth visit to
         Plymouth to share his testimony with University students,
         secondary schools and colleges.

The next meeting will be held on 4 March 2013 at a venue to be confirmed.

Agreed that the next SACRE meeting would be held on Monday 4 March 2013 from 1000 to 1600 at Boringdon Golf Club. 

To consider passing a resolution under Section 100(A)(4) of the Local Government Act 1972 to exclude the press and public from the meeting for the following item(s) of business on the grounds that it (they) involve(s) the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraph(s) of Part I of Schedule 12A of the Act, as amended by the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

There were no items of exempt business.