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Agenda and minutes

Agenda and minutes

Venue: St Jude's CE Primary School, St Nicholas Street, Old Portsmouth PO1 2NZ

Contact: Karen Martin 023 9284 1704  Email: karen.martin2@portsmouthcc.gov.uk

Items
No. Item

1.

Welcome and Introductions

Minutes:

The Revd Sam Duddles, SACRE Chair, welcomed everyone to the meeting and thanked Rachael Osborne, Headteacher for making St Jude's CE Primary School available to the SACRE for its meeting. 

 

There was a short presentation by Victoria Nash, RE Leader, St Jude's CE Primary School on 'Making RE Engaging'.  She informed the SACRE that St Jude's has developed a bespoke curriculum to cover a wide range of religious viewpoints, linking these to Christian and other festivals across the calendar year and reflect the Locally Agreed Syllabus, Living Difference IV.  In the Summer term there is a focus on Dharmic religions across the school. Living Difference IV allows the school to focus on big questions around faith delivered though creative lessons, visitors, and experiential RE where possible including workshops for all year groups which have been developed with the church.  Interfaith Days are planned annually where children investigate a concept in several religious beliefs including through inviting visitors in and taking part in art projects, food tasting, storytelling and music workshops.

 

Taki Jaffer offered to help the school including making the link between Islam and other religions and he invited Victoria Nash to visit the Mosque in Fareham at next meeting. 

 

2.

Moment for Quiet Reflection

Minutes:

The moment for quiet reflection was taken by Rachael Osborne, Headteacher, St Jude's CE Primary School.  She explained that she would be leaving St Jude's at the end of term for another headteacher appointment and that there had been several discussions about the forthcoming change of leadership in the school.  She read a prayer Year 4 children had written about the challenges this change would bring and their wishes for the future for all the children and staff at the school as well as Mrs Osborne herself. 

 

3.

Apologies for Absence

Minutes:

Apologies had been received from Sheikh Fazle Abbas Datoo (Group A), Revd Ray Goddess (Group A), Kari Laing (Vice Chair) (Group C) and Rachel de la Rue (Group C).

 

4.

Declarations of Members' Interest

Minutes:

There were none.

 

5.

Minutes of the Previous meeting held on 2 November 2022 pdf icon PDF 117 KB

To agree the draft minutes of the meeting held on 2 November 2022.

Minutes:

It was noted there was some yellow highlighting on bullet points in Item 34 and that this should be removed. 

 

RESOLVED to agree the minutes of the meeting held on 2 November 2022 as an accurate record, subject to the amendment above.

 

6.

Matters Arising from the minutes

To consider any matters arising from the minutes of the meeting held on 2 November 2022.

Minutes:

Item 32 - The Chair noted that at the last meeting she had mentioned meeting with Jessi Wilson, CoPS and that there would be a presentation on CoPS under item 10 later in the meeting. 

 

Item 32 iii) - Justine Ball reported that it had not been possible to hold the training session on Living Difference IV, on 8 December as planned and it had now been rescheduled for Monday 17 April 2023 at 10.00am on Teams.

 

ACTIONS:

i)      Clerk to issue Teams invitation to all SACRE members for the training session on Living Difference IV at 10.00am on Monday 17 April 2023.

 

 

7.

Monitoring Group report pdf icon PDF 108 KB

The purpose of this report is to inform SACRE of the findings and discussions that took place during the meeting of the SACRE monitoring sub-group on 22 February 2023. 

 

Members shared ways to widen the membership of the group and the Terms of Reference for the monitoring group were discussed. The group received updates on professional RE education, monitoring the effectiveness of RE and an update of results from the GCSE examination series in 2022.  Further updates on the 2021 census results on religion, the monitoring survey for RE and Collective Worship and the recent website monitoring activity for Local Authority schools was discussed.

 

RECOMMENDED:

 

1.    That SACRE notes the findings of the monitoring group meeting and requests SACRE volunteers to join the Monitoring Group in the Summer term 2023.

 

2.    That SACRE notes the amended Terms of Reference for the Monitoring Group and approves them (attached as Appendix A).

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Justine Ball, SACRE Professional Advisor, introduced the report which had been circulated with the agenda. 

 

Volunteers for Monitoring Group

Justine Ball reminded members of the SACRE that volunteers willing to join the Monitoring Group would be very welcome and that anyone interested should contact the Clerk. 

 

Portsmouth GCSE results

Chris May, Hampshire Secondary Teaching and Learning Adviser for RE commented there are not many schools with GCSE entries in Portsmouth.  He was working closely with one school to build up its RE curriculum and encourage more entries and he hoped there would be greater numbers of RE GCSE entries going forward. 

 

National Campaign to recruit RE specialist teachers

Justine Ball noted that national campaigns to tackle the lack of numbers of RE specialist teachers by the Association of University Lecturers in RE (AULRE) and the National RE Council were gaining traction.  Chris May added that a recent webinar for prospective teachers was attended by 100 people, and he hoped that was a reflection that the campaign is beginning to work. 

 

School website monitoring

Justine Ball explained that following a review of LA school websites and the Monitoring Group had an interesting discussion on what could and should be on school websites and noted that they are not required to have all their policies on their website.  A lot of positive information about RE was available on many websites and many also referenced progression.  There was less information on the right to withdraw, collective workshop and British Values but this is not mandatory. 

 

In response to a question by Pastor Chris Thomas (Group A) about how British Values links to RE, Justine Ball acknowledged they are separate but form part of Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural (SMSC) development which is an essential part of whole school life.  It was explained that all schools are required to promote the fundamental British Values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs.  The Chair commented that she does not like the word tolerance and prefers encouraging more active interest and engagement in different faiths and beliefs.

 

It was noted that some websites are harder to navigate than others.  Overall, this had been a useful exercise and will be repeated at some stage in the future.

 

Ofsted Reports

Justine Ball noted that two schools had been inspected recently and one reported that its RE deep dive had been a positive experience.  

 

Survey on RE and Collective Worship

Justine Ball reported that this survey had been sent out just before the last Monitoring Group meeting and aimed to monitor the number of children being withdrawn for parts or all of RE and/ or Collective Worship.  It is intended to bring the fill results to the next SACRE meeting.

 

Census 2021 results

Justine Ball reported that a Census 2021 breakdown for religion in Portsmouth had been published in November 2022.  This information is being used when visiting RE leaders to ensure that curriculum planning and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

8.

Membership and Training report pdf icon PDF 119 KB

Purpose: To receive a report on membership, training and associated matters.

 

Recommended that SACRE:

 

a)     Considers the establishment of a membership working group to:

 

i)     Review the 2021 Census (see Appendix A) in relation to ensuring that the membership of the Portsmouth SACRE appropriately reflects the principal religious traditions or beliefs in our area.

ii)    Consider outreach and other methods to attract new faith and education representatives to the SACRE, noting that the Council shall take all reasonable steps to ensure that the nominees are a representative of the religion, denomination or association in question. 

iii)  Report back to the SACRE on actions and progress to widen representation of the SACRE.

 

c)    Agrees to contact SACRE members who have not attended three consecutive meetings.

 

e)    Nominates a named representative to the Portsmouth Children's Safeguarding Partnership(PCSP).

 

f)    Seeks up to two representatives to attend the NASACRE Conference and AGM on 22 May 2023.

 

g)   Considers the adoption of the NASACRE Code of Conduct (or an amended version).

 

 

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Justine Ball, Professional Advisor thanked the Clerk for her help in providing information for the report. 

 

Membership Working Group

Justine Ball reported that the list of vacancies was set out in section 4 of the report, and it was recommended that a small working group be established to address this.  It was proposed that the 2021 Census results be used to ensure this is reflected in the membership and that adverts be considered.  The Clerk noted that the endorsement or nomination of relevant faith groups would need to be sought. 

 

Christine McMillan noted that there was no mechanism for claiming expenses such as travel to meetings, and this may be an impediment for some.  It was agreed that there should be a facility to claim reasonable expenses.    Chris May, Hampshire Secondary Teaching and Learning Adviser for RE noted that NASACRE states that supply cover was a reasonable expense to encourage teacher participation in SACRE activities.  Debbie Anderson, Head of School Improvement agreed to investigate how this could be done.  The Chair noted that it could be possible to advertise via the Hive. 

 

Non-attending members

It was agreed that SACRE members who have not attended three meetings be contacted to establish their interest in remaining a member of the Council. 

 

Portsmouth Children's Safeguarding Partnership (PCSP)

A SACRE representative to join this body was sought.  No one volunteered in the meeting.  A reminder to be sent to all SACRE members.

 

NASACRE Conference and AGM

Volunteers to attend the conference in London on 22 May 2023 were sought.  Reasonable expenses agreed in advance will be paid. 

 

SACRE members were asked to nominate people who have contributed to Portsmouth SACRE as part of the NASACRE 30th anniversary celebrations.  Nominations to the Chair or Clerk within by 11 April 2023.

 

Training opportunities

Justine Ball highlighted the following training opportunities:

-       Living Difference IV briefing on 17 April (on Teams)

-       "So you've joined your local SACRE" delivered by NASACRE on 26 June 2023 (remote learning)

-       Free speaker training by RE Hubs 

 

SACRE Code of Conduct

Justine Ball asked members to read the proposed Code of Conduct attached to the agenda.  It was agreed to adopt this subject to the word 'Portsmouth' being inserted as relevant. 

 

RESOLVED to:

 

a)    Establish a membership working group to:

i)     Review the 2021 Census (see Appendix A) in relation to ensuring that the membership of the Portsmouth SACRE appropriately reflects the principal religious traditions or beliefs in our area.

ii)    Consider outreach and other methods to attract new faith and education representatives to the SACRE, noting that the Council shall take all reasonable steps to ensure that the nominees are a representative of the religion, denomination or association in question.

iii)  Report back to the SACRE on actions and progress to widen representation of the SACRE.

 

b)   Agreed to ask the Clerk to contact SACRE members who have not attended three consecutive meetings.

 

c)    Seek up to two representatives to attend the NASACRE Conference and AGM on 22  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

9.

National and Local RE Matters pdf icon PDF 92 KB

Purpose of report: The purpose of this report is to enable SACRE to consider key national and local RE developments.

 

Recommendations: That SACRE notes the report.

 

Minutes:

Justine Ball introduced the item highlighting the following from the report which had been circulated with the agenda.  She drew particular attention to Culham St Gabriel's Trust initiatives including its RE leadership programme, promotional films which are useful for parent's evenings etc., a parental survey on RE and REONLINE, a website to teachers.   

 

Justine Ball also informed the SACRE that the National RE Hubs project aims to create a national RE website to link bodies across England and Wales. There are nine regions in England and each will hold events etc.  The project has offered free speaker training and further information can be found here RegionalREHubs training (natre.org.uk). The Primary RE adviser is the South East lead for this project.

 

RESOLVED: To note the report.

 

10.

Brief updates or notification of items to be brought to a future meeting

Minutes:

Council of Portsmouth Students (CoPS)

The Chair invited Jessi Wilson, Unloc Programme Facilitator - Leadership Skills and Student Voice and Simran Bansil, Year 8 student at Portsmouth Grammar School and CoPS Diversity Advisor to make a presentation to the SACRE on the work of the Council of Portsmouth Students (CoPS). They informed the SACRE that CoPS is one of the Student Forums facilitated by Unloc, another being the Primary Council of Portsmouth Students (PCoPS) and that the student representatives wholly shape their Forum each academic year.  The CoPS Mission statement (developed by young people) is: 

 

“The Council of Portsmouth Students, facilitated by Unloc, is a student forum for young people across the city of Portsmouth to collaboratively work together to drive institution improvement in their community and the city. Our mission is to elevate young people, enhance their learning, and empower them to be in the driving seat of the decisions they make. We want to revolutionise the future of Portsmouth, to improve how things are done, and generate leaders to choose their own pathways and create change for themselves and others."

 

In Portsmouth, 10 institutions are involved this year with 55 students (Years 7-11) participating across a range of activities including 3 Summits, three Executive Group meetings, one Institution Group Check-In and a Student Voice Celebration Day. In addition, there are five action groups: climate change/ eco-friendly; diversity and inclusion group; life skills and careers; mental health and wellbeing; sexism and stereotypes.  Each action group has three priorities and has developed an action plan to deliver on those priorities. 

 

Simran was elected to the post of Diversity Advisor on the Executive Committee and is also a member of the Diversity and Inclusion action group.  This group's priorities are: Educating young people on the meaning and impact of using slurs; campaigning for greater diversity and inclusion in school-based resources including books, class handouts and guests; and lobbying for gender neutral toilets and other facilities in all schools.  Simran's role as Diversity Adviser includes attending additional meetings outside of CoPS including City Council, Youth Cabinet, SACRE etc and to report the outcomes of these meetings to the Forum. 

 

In answer to a question from Beth Smith, Jessie Wilson said that Mayfield would be welcome to join CoPS; that the programme runs for each academic year and involves buy in.  Beth Smith commented that she would follow-up as she could identify several students at the school who would benefit from participating in the programme.    

 

Taki Jaffer (Group D) enquired what had made Simran join CoPS.  She replied that she had participated in her school's Middle School Council, Jessi had visited to talk about CoPS and she had been inspired to take part.  She had then stood for election as Diversity Advisor, which was a new role this year, and had been elected.  In response to a further question from the Chair, Simran explained that the action group aimed to help educate young people about the meaning of slurs, encourage  ...  view the full minutes text for item 10.

11.

Date and venue of the next meeting and future meeting dates

It is intended all meetings will take place at 4.30pm at a place of worship or school.  If no venue is available, meetings will take place remotely on Teams. 

 

The next meeting will take place at 4.30pm on Wednesday 14 June 2023 at Al Mahdi Centre, Fontley Road, Fareham, Hampshire PO15 6QR

 

Proposed future meeting dates are:

 

Wednesday 1 November 2023

Wednesday 20 March 2024

Wednesday 12 June 2024

Wednesday 6 November 2024

 

 

 

Minutes:

The next meeting will take place at 4.30pm on Wednesday 14 June 2023 at Al Mahdi Centre, Fontley Road, Fareham, Hampshire PO15 6QR.  Taki Jaffer and Revd. Sam Duddles offered to take people to the meeting.

 

It was noted that it is intended that all meetings will take place at 4.30pm at a place of worship or school. If no venue is available, meetings will take place remotely on Teams.

 

SACRE noted the following meeting dates:

Wednesday 1 November 2023 (venue to be confirmed)

Wednesday 20 March 2024 (venue to be confirmed)

Wednesday 12 June 2024 (venue to be confirmed)

Wednesday 6 November 2024 (venue to be confirmed)

 

ACTIONS:

 

i)     Any members needing transport to the next meeting at Al Mahdi Centre, Fontley Road, Fareham, Hampshire PO15 6QR to contact Taki Jaffer or Revd. Sam Duddles.

 

ii)    All SACRE members to consider offering a venue for future meetings.