Agenda item

Report of the Deputy Chief Executive and Director for Families and Communities

a)    SACRE noted that the following resolution would be taken to the NASACRE AGM in May 2018:

“That the Annual Subscription to NASACRE should be raised from £95 per year to £105 per year with immediate effect (ie for the academic year 2018-19 and onwards).”

This was a modest increase, give that it was the first increase for perhaps ten years or more.  NASACRE’s Executive Committee believed that the increase was justified because of increases in the costs of its core activities over the years, including administrative support, travel and subsistence, consultancy fees, and membership of/partnership with other (related) bodies, including the cost of representing NASACRE on these bodies and/or participating in their programmes.  The true cost would be great deal higher were NASACRE not sustained by the voluntary contribution of time, energy and expertise generously given by its officers and committee members.  Procedurally, the mechanisms for dealing with this motion would be circulated with the communications and papers for the AGM itself.  However, SACREs may well discuss and vote on the resolution in advance of the AGM.  The Chairman asked if SACRE were prepared to vote on this issue.  Following an assurance that the increase would not mean that any SACRE would be unable to pay, members agreed to vote.  The outcome of the vote was as follows:

·       Committee A – In Favour

·       Committee B – In Favour

·       Committee C – In Favour

·       Committee D – In Favour

This represented a unanimous vote in favour of the increase to the Annual Subscription Fee to NASACRE.

b)    The Commission on Religious Education had launched a consultation on the Interim Report, “Religious Education For All”, which would be open until 9.00 am on 4 December.  It was important that the Commission heard from as wide a range of people and organisations as possible.  People were encouraged to consider responding either in a personal capacity or on behalf of an organisation, or both.  Members were provided with links to the call for evidence, and a link for questions about this or the Commission on Religious Education.  In order to debate the content, and hopefully influence the final report, NASACRE were once again holding a joint conference with AREIAC at the Ibis Hotel, Birmingham on 24 November 2017.  The conference would seek answers to many vital questions regarding the Interim Report, including what its recommendations might mean for pupils, teachers, advisers and SACREs.  The Chairman invited members to split into two groups to discuss the proposed draft text for the proposed national entitlement for RE contained within the Executive Summary of the Interim Report.

c)     The Religious Education Council and the National Association of Teachers of RE had created a new State of the Nation report on RE provision within secondary schools in England.  The report included date from the School Workforce Census and GCSE figures, as well as survey responses from 790 secondary schools.  This project was running parallel to, but independent of, the continuing work of the Commission on Religious Education.  However, any project findings would enrich the context of the Commission’s work and would feed into its own recommendations aimed at sustaining or improving the secondary school RE offer.  The research found that:

·       25% of all schools surveyed said a weekly RE lesson to ensure pupils understand different religions and beliefs is not available.  In academies and free schools, where RE is determined as part of the funding agreement, this figure rose to 34% for 11 to 13 year olds, and 44% for 14 to 16 year olds.  4% of schools with a religious character do not offer a weekly lesson.

·       RE also received the lowest level of teaching time in academies and free schools.  A majority (56%) dedicated less than 3% of their timetables (around 40 minutes) to RE; this low level of RE was only found in a third of schools where a locally agreed syllabus applied and 10% of schools with a religious character.

·       Despite Religious Studies GCSE remaining a popular choice among students, it was still allocated less than the recommended level of teaching time of two hours per week in many schools; 43% of pupils were taught the GCSE full course in under one hour a week, nearly half (48%) receive one hour and a half or less of teaching.

·       Students were more likely to have a teacher trained with the appropriate level of subject knowledge and expertise who can create a space to discuss faiths and beliefs in a school with a religious character (90%) than in schools where RE is determined with the locally agreed syllabus (73%), or academies and free schools where RE is determined as part of their funding agreement (66%).

Both strands of work were being undertaken at a critical time for RE, in particular because of the Government’s ongoing programme of educational reform and drive towards full academisation.

RESOLVED – That:

a)    A unanimous vote in favour of the increase to the Annual Subscription Fee to NASACRE be reported to the AGM; and

b)    The Update be noted.