Agenda and minutes

To elect the Chair for the academic year 2022-23.

Mary Thorne was proposed and seconded as Chair. There were no other nominations.

RESOLVED –

THAT Mary Thorne be elected Chair of Camden SACRE for the academic year 2022-23.

To elect the Vice-Chair for the academic year 2022-23.

Ann Boater was proposed and seconded as Vice-Chair. There were no other nominations.

RESOLVED –

THAT Ann Boater be elected Vice-Chair of Camden SACRE for the academic year 2022-23.

Webcasting of the Meeting

The Chair to announce the following: “In addition to the rights by law that the public and press have to record and film public meetings, I would like to remind everyone present that this meeting will be broadcast live by the Council to the Internet and will be capable of repeated viewing and copies of the recording could be made available to those that request them.

If you are seated in the chamber it is likely that the Council’s cameras will capture your image and you are deemed to be consenting to being filmed and to the use of those images and sound recordings for webcasting and/or training purposes.  If you are addressing the Committee your contribution will be recorded and broadcast unless you have already indicated that you do not wish this to happen.

If you wish to avoid appearing on the Council’s webcast you should move to one of the galleries.”

Any Other Announcements

Webcasting of the Meeting

The Chair announced: “In addition to the rights by law that the public and press have to record and film public meetings, I would like to remind everyone present that this meeting will be broadcast live by the Council to the Internet and will be capable of repeated viewing and copies of the recording could be made available to those that request them.

If you are seated in the room it is likely that the Council’s cameras will capture your image and you are deemed to be consenting to being filmed and to the use of those images and sound recordings for webcasting and/or training purposes.  If you are addressing the Committee your contribution will be recorded and broadcast unless you have already indicated that you do not wish this to happen.

If you wish to avoid appearing on the Council’s webcast you should move to one of the galleries.”

Any Other Announcements

There were no other announcements.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Jenny Headlam-Wells and Matthew Kirk.

There were no declarations of interest.

To note the Camden SACRE terms of reference.

The terms of reference were noted.

To approve the minutes of the meeting held on 30^th June 2022.

Consideration was given to the minutes of the meeting held on 30^th June 2022.

RESOLVED –

THAT the minutes of the meeting held on 30^th June 2022 be approved as a correct record.

To note the list of Camden SACRE members.

The membership list was noted.

The Committee noted the need for more teacher members, and it was suggested that they could be recruited from the primary and secondary RE networks if it was not possible to fill the places by trade union nomination as had usually been done previously.

RESOLVED –

THAT the membership list be noted.

To note the list of schools with Determinations.

The list of school with Determinations was noted.

The Clerk reported that Brookfield School had been in correspondence with him recently and were planning to re-apply.

Members had a discussion about the fact that some schools had never had a Determination or had had one years ago and let it lapse. There was concern that some of these schools may not be complying with the legal requirements for collective worship. However, it was noted that SACRE was not an enforcement body and could only encourage schools and the Local Authority to adhere to the legislation on this. It was for OFSTED through the inspection process to highlight if a school was not providing collective worship to pupils in the way that it should.

Members agreed that the Chair, together with officers, would work on a communication to Headteachers about the role of SACRE, collective worship and the Determination process.

                                                            ACTION: Chair and Camden Learning

RESOLVED –

(i)         THAT the list of schools with Determinations and the comments above be noted.

(ii)        THAT a letter be sent to Headteachers from the Chair of SACRE explaining its role, the requirement for collective worship and the Determination process. 

To consider the draft SACRE annual report for 2021-22.

Consideration was given to the draft annual report.

The Professional Advisor said that the information from the 2021 census about religious affiliation was not yet available, and so the 2011 figures would have to be used.

Owen Rees, Camden Learning, said that due to the unusual situation during the pandemic and in the post-pandemic period, it would not be appropriate to provide school-by-school exam data but that information for the whole borough could be provided.

Members agreed to approve the report, subject to the inclusion of RE exam data for the borough and various typographical amendments.

RESOLVED –

THAT the draft report be approved, subject to the amendments above.

To consider draft collective worship policy guidance.

Consideration was given to draft collective worship guidance which was intended to replace the old guidance.

It was suggested that more information be added to the appendices about available learning resources. It was also mentioned that the remembrance service at the Cenotaph could be cited as an example of collective worship of a broadly Christian character, as Christian clergy played a significant role but people from other faiths and humanists were also involved.

It was suggested that the guidance be sent out to schools along with the correspondence mentioned at Item 8 above.

RESOLVED –

THAT the guidance be finalised and sent out to schools.

To consider updates from the Professional Advisor.

Consideration was given to an update from the Professional Advisor.

The Professional Advisor, Lesley Prior, reported that she had attended an in-person meeting of Camden’s Primary RE Network, which she had found enjoyable.

She said the Schools Bill currently before Parliament would require all schools to become academies by 2030. Should the Bill become legislation and not be repealed by a subsequent government, then SACREs would most probably no longer exist when schools academised – as there would be no community schools to follow a locally agreed syllabus and academies would apply to the DfE for Determinations.

Ms Prior said that the next NASACRE conference would be in London on 22^nd May 2023.

RESOLVED –

THAT the update from the Professional Advisor be noted.

To initiate the process of reviewing the agreed syllabus.

The Professional Advisor explained that Camden needed to undertake a review every five years of its Agreed Syllabus. This would have to be done by an Agreed Syllabus Conference.

The options before the Agreed Syllabus Conference would be: (1) to adopt the revised Hampshire syllabus, (2) to adopt a new syllabus from a different source, or (3) to write its own.

The meeting agreed to formerly request that the Local Authority convene an Agreed Syllabus Conference. The first meeting was likely to be on 7^th February 2023, after the SACRE meeting earlier that evening. Nominating bodies would be approached to ask if they wished their current SACRE members to continue as members of the Agreed Syllabus Conference or if they would like to appoint new members. 

                                                                        ACTION: Clerk to SACRE

RESOLVED –

THAT an Agreed Syllabus Conference be convened.

Dates of future SACRE meetings:

·         Tuesday, 7^th February 2023

·         Tuesday, 25^th April 2023

The dates of future meetings would be:

·         Tuesday, 7^th February 2023

·         Tuesday, 25^th April 2023

There was no other business.