Agenda item - Standing Advisory Council for Religious Education (SACRE) Annual Report

Report of the Executive Director for Families, Children & Learning (copy attached).

50.1    The Committee considered a report of the Executive Director, Families, Children & Learning, which outlined the work of SACRE during the academic year 2016-17. The report was introduced by Ms S Beal (Consultant, Behaviour & Attendance, BHCC) and Ms H Kitchin-Frost (RE Lead Teacher at Patcham High School).

50.2    Councillor Druitt thanked officers for the report, and commended the creative ways suggested for teaching RE.

50.3    Councillor Taylor said that he was a member of SACRE and Vice-Chair of the Councillors Group, and was disappointed that only himself and Councillor Hamilton regularly attended the meetings of SACRE, and so he encouraged the other appointed members to attend on a regular basis. Councillor Hamilton said that his two fellow Labour Councillors had not received any papers for the meetings, and so were unaware when they were being held.

50.4    Ms A Holt supported the work being undertaken with RE teaching, and agreed that religion was important globally and so it was important that young people were religiously literate. Ms Holt supported the cross curricular project ‘What If Learning’, which enabled people to look at religion from other curricular subjects.However, whilst she commended the creative way of teaching, she cautioned that it was no substitute for religious education and to be aware of reducing religion to ethics as it was much more than that. Ms H Kitchin-Frost agreed that religion should not be reduced to ethics, and that pupils should receive a well-rounded religious education but it was a challenge when the time available to teach was being reduced. The RE Commission was looking at teaching of religion, and were lobbying government to get proper curricular space. Ms Holt asked if anyone from this local authority responded to the RE Commission’s consultation. The Senior Adviser, Education Partnerships confirmed that SACRE had been asked to respond, and Ms H Kitchin-Frost confirmed that she had. The Committee were advised that the Diocese promoted schools to follow the agreed syllabus, and had produced material for all schools help support RE teaching.

50.5    Mr J Cliff said that he was studying A level History, and religion was discussed a lot. He said that he enjoyed RE lessons at primary school, but at secondary school it became more note taking and less fun, and suggested that a better transition from KS3-KS4 would help. Ms H Kitchin-Frost said that she had spoken with primary schools as she wanted the transition to be smooth, but said that KS4 had to be more essay based.

50.6    RESOLVED:

1.    That the Committee noted the report.

2.    That the Committee considered how it could offer support in raising the profile of the teaching of RE in Brighton and Hove Schools.