Agenda and minutes

To elect a Chair for Camden SACRE for the 2021-22 academic year.

Mary Thorne was proposed as Chair of Camden SACRE. There were no other nominations.

RESOLVED –

THAT Mary Thorne be elected Chair of Camden SACRE for the 2021-22 academic year.

To elect a Vice-Chair for Camden SACRE for the 2021-22 academic year.

Ann Boater was proposed as the Vice-Chair of Camden SACRE. There were no other nominations.

RESOLVED –

THAT Ann Boater be elected Vice-Chair of Camden SACRE for the 2021-22 academic year.

Broadcast of the meeting

The Chair to announce the following: ‘In addition to the rights by law that the public and press have to record this meeting, I would like to remind everyone that this meeting is being broadcast live by the Council to the Internet and can be viewed on our website for six months after the meeting. After that time, webcasts are archived and can be made available upon request.

If you have asked to address the meeting, you are deemed to be consenting to having your contributions recorded and broadcast, including video when switched on, and to the use of those sound recordings and images for webcasting and/or training purposes.’

The Chair made the following announcement: ‘In addition to the rights by law that the public and press have to record this meeting, I would like to remind everyone that this meeting is being broadcast live by the Council to the Internet and can be viewed on our website for six months after the meeting. After that time, webcasts are archived and can be made available upon request.

If you have asked to address the meeting, you are deemed to be consenting to having your contributions recorded and broadcast, including video when switched on, and to the use of those sound recordings and images for webcasting and/or training purposes.’

To note the Terms of Reference.

The terms of reference were noted.

Apologies for absence were received from Ann Boater and Rev Damien Mason.

There were no declarations of interest.

To approve the minutes of the meeting held on 24^th June 2021.

Consideration was given to the minutes of the meeting held on 24^th June 2021.

RESOLVED –

THAT the minutes of the meeting held on 24^th June 2021 be approved as a correct record.

To note the membership of Camden SACRE.

Consideration was given to the list of members of Camden SACRE.

In discussion, the Chair and Professional Advisor said that there was a need for more teacher representatives. One way that new volunteers would be sought for these roles would be through the primary and secondary RE networks.

RESOLVED –

THAT the list of SACRE members be noted.

To note the list of schools with Determinations.

Consideration was given to the list of schools with Determinations.

It was noted that West Hampstead and Beckford Schools had Determinations that would be expiring in February 2022 and Kingsgate, Christopher Hatton and Fleet had Determinations that would be expiring in May 2022.

The schools with Determinations expiring in February would be asked to submit the paperwork for renewal by the spring half-term for consideration at the March meeting; and the schools with Determinations expiring in May would be asked to submit the paperwork for renewal by the summer half-term for consideration at the June meeting.

It was also noted that Carlton School had closed and so could be removed from the list.

RESOLVED –

(i)            THAT the list of schools be noted;

(ii)          THAT the schools with Determinations expiring this academic year be written to in order to inform them of the need to renew them.

ACTION: Clerk to SACRE

To note school workforce data for Camden from the National Association of Teachers of RE.

The meeting noted the information about teaching hours that secondary schools had reported for RE. The Professional Advisor noted that the figures needed to be viewed with caution as some schools would report their teaching under ethics or philosophy rather than RE.

It was agreed that the Chair and the Professional Advisor could write to schools to inform them of the legal requirement to teach religious education, to draw community schools’ attention to the agreed syllabus, and to notify them of the support available from SACRE and the Professional Advisor.

RESOLVED –

THAT the Chair and Professional Advisor write to schools regarding the data from the DfE school workforce census and inform them of the legal requirement to teach religious education, to draw their attention to the agreed syllabus, and to notify them of the support available from SACRE and the Professional Advisor.

To consider updates from the Chair and the Professional Advisor to SACRE.

The Professional Advisor, Lesley Prior, informed the meeting that the NASACRE AGM would be held in Birmingham on 23^rd May 2022. The keynote speaker would be Dr Richard Kueh, the OFSTED subject lead for RE.

Ms Prior said she would be drafting the annual report and submitting it to the next Camden SACRE meeting. NASACRE had produced a new template for annual reports, which she would be using.

The Chair, Mary Thorne, reported that there had been a meeting of the RE working group on 1^st July. Members would be looking at school websites to see what they said about RE.

Ms Thorne would be speaking to a headteachers’ meeting on 23^rd November to explain to them schools’ responsibilities for RE and collective worship.

She added that the first Primary RE network meeting would be taking place on 27^th January 2022.

Ms Prior informed members that the Hampshire syllabus, which was the parent syllabus of the Camden agreed syllabus, was be being reviewed. She said she would bring to SACRE information about this when it was available, and that the SACRE could then choose to call an agreed syllabus conference and ratify a new syllabus in autumn 2022.

Members said they would like to see a report at the next meeting detailing

·         The options for the syllabus (including other parent syllabi available) and the likely cost

·         The support available to schools implementing the syllabus and the likely cost

·         the changes being made to the Hampshire syllabus and how these were aligned to the Ofsted Framework and to further programmes of study

·         Feedback from Camden schools on the Agreed Syllabus, drawn from the RE teachers’ network be contacted to ask their views of the existing syllabus.

RESOLVED –

(i)         THAT the update be noted;

(ii)        THAT a report on the new Hampshire syllabus and options for a Camden Agreed Syllabus Conference to consider come to the March 2022 meeting.

                                                            ACTION: Professional Advisor to SACRE

There was no other business.

The dates of future meetings are:

·         Tuesday, 22^nd March 2022

·         Thursday, 30^th June 2022

Future meetings of SACRE will be on:

·         Tuesday, 22^nd March 2022

·         Thursday, 30^th June 2022