Agenda and minutes

There were no announcements.

To elect a Chair of Camden SACRE for the academic year 2012-13.

Jean Harrison was not able to be present at the meeting, but she had indicated her willingness to continue as Chair of SACRE.

Ms Harrison was proposed and seconded as Chair of SACRE for the 2012-13 academic year.

RESOLVED –

THAT Jean Harrison be elected Chair of Camden SACRE for 2012-3.

To elect a Vice-Chair of Camden SACRE for the academic year 2012-13.

Abdul Quadir was proposed and seconded as Vice-Chair of Camden SACRE for 2012-13.

RESOLVED –

THAT Abdul Quadir be elected Vice-Chair of Camden SACRE for 2012-13.

Apologies for absence were received from Jean Harrison, Christine Cargill, James Walters, Esther Fenty and Michelle Chailibamba.

To consider the minutes of the SACRE meeting held on 12^th June 2012.

Consideration was given to the minutes of the meeting held on 12^th June 2012.

RESOLVED –

THAT the minutes of the 12^th June 2012 meeting be signed and approved as a correct record.

Matters arising

Alice Fuller asked for the latest guidance on collective worship that had gone out to schools to be circulated to her.

ACTION: Professional Advisor to SACRE (CA)

Ms Fuller asked if a copy of the NASACRE RE survey was available. Colin Adams said he did not have one.

Mr Adams reported back on the agreed syllabus launch event which had taken place in June. Helpful resources and handouts were available to the staff who attended. Feedback at the event was very positive.

Cllr Fulbrook declared that he had formerly been a parent governor of Haverstock School.

Oral report from the Professional Advisor to SACRE.

Members noted that South Camden Community School, which had a determination that lasted until March 2014, had changed its name to Regent High School and that its Determination would still apply.

The Committee noted that Colin Adams had had a phone conversation with the Headteacher of Haverstock School following the rejection of their last application for a Determination. The School would be in breach of legislation if it did not now have daily collective worship of a broadly Christian character.

Members said they wished to report the school to the Local Authority for this, as the Local Authority was responsible for community schools adhering to the requirements of legislation.

Mr Adams reported that Edith Neville School’s Determination was coming up for renewal soon. A new Headteacher had taken office there this school year, and Mr Adams would be liaising with her about putting in an application to renew the Determination if that is what she wished.

Report of the Professional Advisor to SACRE.

To consider the draft SACRE annual report for 2011-12.

Consideration was given to the draft Annual Report of Camden SACRE for the 2011-12 academic year.

There was discussion of the GCSE results. The number of schools entering pupils for the short-course RE GCSE had gone down, but the number of students had remained steady. Mr Adams said that schools were less likely to enter children for short-course GCSEs in any subject because they no longer counted towards league table data. One school which had for years entered all its students for the short-course exam, now entered them all for the full GCSE.

RESOLVED –

THAT the Annual Report be agreed.

Oral report from the Professional Advisor to SACRE.

It was announced that the joint conference with Islington SACRE would be on 20th March 2013 at the Crowndale Centre. The main speaker would be Alan Bryan, the HMI for RE.

Liz Wolverson said that she had heard him give a presentation on ten barriers to learning and suggested that he incorporate this into his talk, as it had been excellent.

Oral report from the Professional Advisor to SACRE.

Colin Adams informed members that Camden could send representatives to the NASACRE conference on 6^th November at the Zoroastrian Centre in Rayners Lane. He asked people who were interested in attending to contact him.

Oral report of the Professional Advisor to SACRE.

The Committee was informed that OFSTED had visited Rhyl Primary School on 4^th June to undertake an RE subject inspection. Subject inspections were rare and this was the first school in Camden to have an RE subject inspection. It was also likely to be the last, since OFSTED were no longer doing them.

The school had been found to be satisfactory on some aspects of the RE subject inspection and good on other parts. The inspectors had highlighted securing progression in the way concepts are introduced as something the school needed to work on.

Members were informed that they could access the subject inspection report on the OFSTED website.

Oral report of the Professional Advisor to SACRE.

The Professional Advisor to SACRE informed members that there was a consultation taking place from the Department for Education on the proposed replacement of GCSEs with English Baccalaureate Certificates. The first students would start their English Baccalaureate courses in September 2015 and would complete them in July 2017.

The next SACRE meeting will be on 26^th February 2013.

The next meeting would be held on 26^th February 2013 at 5.30pm.

There was a discussion about free schools and academies in the borough. Academies and free schools do not come under the aegis of the local authority and have a direct contract with the Department for Education.

The Committee was informed that there would be one academy in the borough (the UCL Academy) which was still to open on its site.

There was also one free school in the borough which was run by the Church of England and so would be following the Church of England’s RE policy.