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

There were no declarations of interest in accordance with the code of conduct.

To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 10 July 2017.

Agreed that the minutes of the meeting held on 10 July 2017 are an accurate record subject to Councillor Ball’s apologies being included.

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

There were no items of Chair’s Urgent Business.

With the permission of the Chair, the order of business was changed and was reflected in the minutes below.

Sara Wells and Claire Linden will provide members with an update on recent developments at the Centre.

Claire Lindon provided Members with an update on the Plymouth Centre for Faiths and Cultural Diversity.

Members were advised that a new cohort of speakers had received 9 hours of training and had undertaken a faith training practice session in schools. The Plymouth Centre for Faiths and Cultural Diversity had also been selected as Co-op’s Local Cause; it was hoped that new resources would be bought for the centre.

Agreed that the Plymouth Centre for Faiths and Cultural Diversity newsletter would be send to SACRE Members.

The RE Adviser will provide a membership update.

Jonathan Marshall (RE Advisor) welcomed Ed Pawson to the meeting who was to replace Penny Burnside in Group B (The Church of England, appointed by the Exeter Diocesan Board of Education). In addition, Members were advised that representatives in Group A (Christian and other religious denominations, not including Church of England) were still required in order to better represent the major world faiths at the meeting.

Under this item Jonathan highlighted that several apologies had been submitted for the meeting despite dates and times being altered to facilitate attendance. 

Agreed that Claire Linden would communicate the current vacancies on SACRE when looking for more faith speakers.

The RE Adviser will provide an update on the Annual Report and Examination Results.

Jonathan Marshall (RE Advisor) advised Members that there was a requirement for the Annual Report and examination results to be published; this was currently in progress however key findings included:

Agreed that a letter would be sent to all schools directed to the Heads of RE and Headteachers congratulating those achieving in Religious Education, with a short paper to be included, written by Ed Pawson, which outlined different routes to deliver RE in Key Stage 4, to act as a guide.

Katei Freeman and Ed Pawson will lead a discussion which will also include the recent NATRE and REC report regarding non-compliance in RE.

Katie Freeman and Ed Pawson provided Members with an update on the Commission on Religious Education which was established to review the legal, education and policy frameworks for RE in schools. The interim report ‘Religious Education for All’ detailed four recommendations:

This consultation was open to individuals and groups and could be accessed by clicking the following link:

http://www.commissiononre.org.uk/religious-education-for-all-commission-interim-report/

Members raised the following comments and concerns:

Agreed that –

The RE Adviser will provide an update on Developing RE in Plymouth.

Jonathan Marshall (RE Advisor) provided Members with an update on Developing RE in Plymouth and the training awareness session with Barbara Wintersgill at the last meeting. The session focused upon what was considered to be ‘good RE’ in Plymouth and how it could be further developed, especially in terms of “how” to teach RE rather than “what” to teach. It was highlighted that RE was a broad subject which focused upon different kinds of skills and values.

Members noted the update.

Katie Freeman will provide an update on National and Local RE Updates.

 Katie Freeman provided Members with an update on National and Local RE matters.

Members were advised that –

Members noted the updates.

Alizeh Abdul Rahman will provide an update on Promoting Religious Tolerance in Schools and Implications for SACRE.

Jonathan Marshall (RE Advisor) advised Members that Alizeh Abdul Rahman was due to attend the meeting in order to provide an update on Promoting Religious Tolerance in Schools and Implications for SACRE however unfortunately she was unable to attend the meeting due to other commitments regarding her university application.

From an outline provided by Alizeh, Jonathan advised Members that she had been involved in work linked to Youth Parliament and religious tolerance in schools. As a result of conversations with pupils from Plympton Academy it was highlighted that students would welcome lessons that included a wider range of contemporary issues with more discussion and generally more interactive approaches. It is hoped that she will be able to attend the next SACRE meeting.

Members noted the update.

The RE Adviser will provide an update on Collective Worship in Schools. Please see paper attached for approval.

Jonathan Marshall (RE Advisor) provided Members with an update on Collective Worship in Schools.

Members were advised that the document attached to the agenda was sent to Headteachers at every school in Plymouth in order to highlight the importance of collective worship.

Agreed that the paper on collective worship would be emailed to every Headteacher in all Plymouth schools.

A tribute from the RE Adviser acknowledging Solly’s unique contribution to holocaust education across Plymouth schools.

Jonathan Marshall (RE Advisor) paid tribute to Solly Irving.

Members were advised that Solly passed away in October 2017 and his family had organized a tribute to him at his local synagogue; Jonathan was asked by the family to attend and represent the ‘Plymouth’ aspect of his life. Jonathan initially contacted Solly in 2000 to come to Plymouth and speak to pupils regarding the Holocaust; from that first talk it was evident that Solly had a unique gift as he shared his personal experience of the Holocaust and came back to Plymouth every year. Solly shaped the lives of thousands of Plymouth’s pupils, teachers and all who met him and he would be missed.

The RE Adviser will provide an update on HMD Plans for January 2018.

Jonathan Marshall (RE Advisor) provided Members with an update on Holocaust Memorial Day Plans for 27th January 2018.

Members were advised that Father Richard Silk, Chair of the Plymouth Council of Faiths and Chris Clewer (Chair of Churches together in Plymouth) were organizing the event for Plymouth and that the theme this year was; The Power of Words.

With this year’s theme in mind, Members discussed the feasibility of planting a tree in the Peace Garden in memory of Solly Irving.

Members were also advised that Exeter’s HMD concert event was scheduled for 1st February 2018.

The next meeting will be held at on Monday 12 March 2018 at 1.30pm at a venue yet to be confirmed.

The date of the next meeting was confirmed as Monday 12 March 2018 at 1.30pm at All Saints Academy.