Agenda item

To receive a report on the activities and discussions of the monitoring group in relation to implementation of Living Difference IV and monitoring of RE across Portsmouth.

SACRE members are asked to read pages 105-107 of the syllabus at https://documents.hants.gov.uk/childrens-services/HIAS/living-difference-IV-2021.pdf before the meeting as this will inform the discussion around the approach to religion in Living Difference IV.

RECOMMENDED - that SACRE notes the findings of the monitoring group meeting and requests SACRE volunteers to join the Monitoring Group in the Spring term 2023.

Justine Ball, SACRE Professional Advisor, introduced the report which had been circulated with the agenda.  She informed the SACRE that she would be holding a training session on 8 December (on Teams) for anyone wishing to know more about the SACRE and Living Difference IV, particularly new SACRE members. 

Justine Ball informed those present that the Monitoring Group is a sub-committee of the SACRE and she asked if members of the SACRE would be interested in joining the group.  It meets three times a year on Teams shortly before the main SACRE meeting. 

Justine Ball highlighted the following from the report:

·       A full analysis of GCSE RE results will be provided at the next SACRE meeting in March 2023. 

·       The Monitoring Group has been considering website monitoring, a template devised by the Head of School Improvement would be used and feedback will be provided at the next meeting. 

·       Primary RE Network meetings take place termly and are well established.  It was suggested that additional RE teachers could be encouraged to join through RE News which is free for schools.

·       It is hoped that a recent free of charge CPD offer for Portsmouth Primary schools at Portsmouth Anglican Cathedral on diversity in Christian traditions will be extended to other religions.  It was noted however, that additional funding would need to be sought to repeat the event.

·       NASACRE is holding a training event on 17 November on the 'Opportunities for all' White Paper (see https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/opportunity-for-all-strong-schools-with-great-teachers-for-your-child ) and this is free to SACRE members to attend (contact Karen Martin, SACRE Clerk).  It was also noted that a debate on this has been initiated and that back bench Members of Parliament had held an event at Westminster Hall earlier in the week.

·       Ofsted reports are monitored for references to RE, but it is not often mentioned and it was noted that inspection reports are written for parents not schools. 

·       Monitoring Collective Worship is one of the responsibilities of the SACRE.

·       The lack of recruitment of students into studying RE at secondary level was of concern and it was noted that Winchester University now only offers PGSEs in Humanities rather than RE as a separate subject. 

Debbie Anderson, Head of School Improvement confirmed that:

·       Detailed information on GCSE results was not yet available.

·       Website monitoring would not add pressure to schools which was a positive benefit of this form of monitoring.

·       Primary RE Network meetings are funded out of the School Improvement Budget which she manages. 

·       Collective Worship is not specifically assessed as part of Ofsted inspections, although Spiritual Moral Social and Cultural (SMSC) development is in the inspection framework and information about this is available online.

·       It was not in the Ofsted framework to look for fundamental British Values in Collective Worship and she believed it was a fallacy that inspectors were unable to go into Collective Worship unless specifically invited by headteachers.

The Chair commented on the recent CPD event at the Cathedral, stating that the event had unpacked different perspectives of Christianity and that RE teachers attending the event had realised this could be a template for all faiths.  As a result of the event, she had been invited into several Portsmouth schools.

Pastor Chris Thomas (Group A) asked if the SACRE could ask NASACRE for support in monitoring Collective Worship. Sue Bowen noted that Collective Worship policies were included on school websites and could be monitored this way. 

In relation to RE specific PGCEs, Beth Smith (Group C) noted that she had completed her PGCE in RE at Winchester (before the change to Humanities) and it was very beneficial for her to do it in RE only, especially as it attracted a bursary which has now been removed.  She added the bursary had made a big difference to her personally and noted that an umbrella title of 'humanities' would inevitably mean less time being given to RE in schools. 

The Chair reported on progress made with the Portsmouth Places of Worship Directory, stating that it is now on the Portsmouth Education Partnership website and had been shared with Hampshire.  She added that it aimed to provide teachers with easy access to places of worship, highlighted the golden threads set out in Living Difference IV and informs places of worship what kind of visits school expect.  Justine Ball reported that it had been welcomed as a useful resource at the recent CPD event held at the Cathedral.

Taki Jaffer (Group D) arrived 5.12pm

SACRE members had been asked to read pages 105-107 of the syllabus at https://documents.hants.gov.uk/childrens-services/HIAS/living-difference-IV-2021.pdf before the meeting to inform the discussion around the approach to religion in Living Difference IV.  Justine Ball noted that what makes high quality RE is clearly defined in the syllabus and the Appendix draws attention to what is important in teaching RE and emphasises that there are many different views on what it means to be religious and non-religious. 

Kari Laing (Group C) noted that the Portsmouth College, following a re-branding of RE as Philosophy RE and Ethics, had seen the numbers of students enrolling on the subject increase by 300% and parental resistance to what was previously considered a 'non-academic' subject had reduced even though the syllabus was unchanged.  She explained that some pupils who had studied RE at GCSE did not want to go on to further RE studies until the re-branding.  Beth Smith (Group C) agreed that there was a need to change perceptions and that parents of Year 6 pupils (for Year 7 next year) asked 'what is the point of RE?' Justine Ball noted that the Cullum St Gabriel Trust features several films on 'Why study RE?' on its website at Homepage - Culham St Gabriel's (cstg.org.uk).

Geoff Wheeler (Group A) enquired about parent and pupil rights to opt out of RE and Collective Worship. Justine Ball explained that there is a parental right to withdraw their child from all or parts of RE and/ or Collective Worship until age 16, when the right to withdraw becomes the child's right.  Taki Jaffer (Group D) noted that breaking down perceptions about religious differences can help reduce the number of withdrawals.  

As SACRE Professional Advisor for Hampshire and IoW SACRE's, Justine Ball noted that she had used a survey form to help monitor withdrawals which could be adapted for use in Portsmouth.

ACTIONS:

i)      Encourage RE teachers in primary schools to attend Primary Network meetings through RE News.

ii)    SACRE members wishing to join the Monitoring Group should contact Karen Martin, SACRE Clerk.

iii)  Website monitoring will be actioned and feedback provided at the next SACRE meeting (28 March 2023).

iv)  Professional Advisor to consider survey to monitor withdrawals in Portsmouth.