Annual Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education (SACRE) Report 2022 to 2023

Our Locally Agreed Syllabus (LAS) is currently being reviewed. The previous one is well-established in most of our schools, and some academies have also adopted it although SACRE recognises that it needs to find out more about how much it is adhered to. With this in mind SACRE sent out questionnaires as part of the review process. As the syllabus is due to be launched in early 2024, teachers and other stakeholders have been involved in the reviewing process. Survey answers from schools found that there was a need for some renewal considering the many changes in RE since the previous syllabus was written but many of the features of the existing syllabus are still fit for purpose. SACRE is interested in joining with other geographically close authorities as they review their syllabus but is clear that it wants the distinctive local flavour kept so will not be considering purchasing a ready-made syllabus that it would not own. 

In 2022 to 23 SACRE continued to monitor and support the teaching of RE regularly. Teacher representative Stephanie Rann has been instrumental in preparing consultation questionnaires for teachers and has guided SACRE along with the SACRE RE adviser David Rees in devising the appropriate questions needed. Feedback from the questionnaires helped SACRE in planning events for teachers as well as feeding into the agreed syllabus review. 

We did not receive any information about withdrawals from RE this year. 

SACRE is not aware of any Religious Education Quality Mark (REQM) awards this year but is keen to promote the REQM. The professional adviser is an assessor and often includes information about the REQM to teachers at network meetings and in the termly newsletter. 

SACRE supports RE teachers and leaders in schools by producing a newsletter every term. These newsletters are produced by the RE Adviser and are a combination of local and national events, cpd opportunities, new resources (particularly free ones) and feedback from events (for example Regional RE conferences, National Association of Standing Advisory Councils on Religious Education (NASACRE) AGM and Strictly RE). 

SACRE is aware that schools are still recovering from the Covid aftermath and were not able to monitor their ability to provide collective worship apart from some anecdotal evidence. SACRE is mindful of the need to monitor collective worship and has been actively trying to engage with local religion and worldview communities to provide appropriate speakers to help schools hear the lived experience and lead reflections. SACRE is in communication with other SACREs who have produced materials and advice to help schools with collective worship including suggested themes, a code of conduct for visitors and tie ins with the curriculum. SACRE hopes that this work can be stepped up.

It has not been necessary to renew any determinations during this year. A determination is permission for a school to provide daily collective worship which is not ‘wholly or mainly of a broadly Christian character’. We have not considered our determination process in recent years.

Dorset SACRE has links with other SACREs as some members sit on other SACREs like Wiltshire and Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole. The SACRE adviser also works with other SACREs and is able to build connections which can benefit SACRE and teachers through the arranging of network meetings, virtual Continuing Professional Development (CPD) and conferences. Even though the pandemic situation appears to have eased for now these virtual connections will continue allowing us to make the best of opportunities provided to collaborate and share CPD. 

SACRE includes and values membership of NASACRE in our budget each year, the adviser tries to attend the AGM and conference (if virtual), making sure to rollout materials and feedback to SACRE at the next SACRE meeting. SACRE adviser David Rees helps us stay in touch with RE Online, Interfaith network, the newly formed RE Hubs programme and the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust. Links to other organisations are actively being sought and SACRE members are encouraged to investigate local and national contacts. 

Recently SACRE has discussed further utilising the religion and worldview representatives on SACRE to engage with teachers through RE CPD. Previous teacher conferences in have included inputs from Bahai, Muslim, Jewish and Humanist representatives. This will hopefully be continued as we are planning another teachers conference in 2024 as a vehicle for the Agreed Syllabus launch. Although Dorset has limited diversity there are many opportunities which will be developed through contacts with other SACREs and virtual link ups with members of religion and worldview communities known to SACRE members and teachers.

As mentioned above, David Rees continued to serve as our Professional Adviser. David is a member of AREIAC and NATRE and was the editor of the REOnline website and newsletter until August 2021. SACRE is ably supported by Dorset Council through Richard Howes, Education challenge lead and clerk Dominika Kruczkowska. SACRE is confident that the good working relationships will remain. 

All four membership groups are regularly represented at meetings, and there were no issues with quoracy this year. 

(Please see Appendix 5 with Attendance / Apology for Absence tables.) 

We made efforts to recruit a wider range of faith and worldviews representatives, with some success: one new CoE teacher, and a replacement for our retiring Humanist representative joined SACRE during this year. 

In the financial year beginning April 2022 SACRE was granted £5000, the same figure as the previous year, a further £5000 has been provided to ensure the agreed syllabus conference has the opportunity to consult with teachers and religion and worldview leaders appropriately. SACRE is grateful for this especially as money is very tight as a result of the pandemic.

Appendix 1 - Public examination results 

At the time of writing results were unvalidated and not made available to SACRE.

Appendix 2 – CPD Provided to schools 

Refreshing RE conference March 2023

This included sessions and workshops on:

• using social studies methods in RE: Practical ideas to build disciplinary knowledge for 5 to 14s in RE.
• CREative REinspiring RE and Worldviews in EYFS and KS1 
• Sanatana Dharma in Action - EYFS to Y4 Five inspiring activities for 4 to 9s 
• teaching Sanatana Dharma UKS2 to KS4 
• going beyond the food and festivals - A deeper look at Jewish Tradition 
• Courageous Advocacy – Social Justice in RE and ‘living out’ faith in the world today 
• Growing Cultural Capital - CREativity in Religious Worldviews - including Music, Architecture and Spiritual Spaces 
• One Supreme Spirit – Progression through the curriculum 

Appendix 3 – Action plan

See next section

Appendix 4 – Attendance and absence

SACRE Meeting 1 June 2023 

In attendance:

Debbie Tibbey (Chair) (DT), Bahá’i Rep 

Stephanie Rann (Vice Chair) (SR), Teacher Rep 

David Rees (DR), Advisor 

Saima Afzal (SA), Muslim Rep 

Hazel Baines (HB), CoE Rep, Primary Teacher 

Cllr Mary Penfold (CMP), Councillor 

Cllr Pauline Batstone (CPB), Councillor 

Cllr Robin Legg (CRL), Councillor 

Barry Newman (BN), Humanist Rep 

Nicola Coupe (NC), Diocesan Link 

Lynda Ford-Horne (LFH), Jewish Rep 

Richard Howes (RH), Dorset LA Link 

Dominika Kruczkowska (DK), Clerk 

Apologies received:

Isla Ferguson (IF), CoE Rep, Primary Teacher 

SACRE Meeting 9 February 2023

In attendance:

Debbie Tibbey (Chair) (DT), Bahá’i Rep 

Stephanie Rann (Vice Chair) (SR), Teacher Rep 

David Rees (DR), Advisor 

Saima Afzal (SA), Muslim Rep 

Hazel Baines (HB), CoE Rep, Primary Teacher 

Cllr Mary Penfold (CMP), Councillor 

Barry Newman (BN), Humanist Rep 

Nicola Coupe (NC), Diocesan Link 

Lynda Ford-Horne (LFH), Jewish Rep 

Richard Howes (RH), Dorset LA Link 

Apologies received:

Isla Ferguson (IF), CoE Rep, Primary Teacher 

SACRE Meeting 9 February 2023

In attendance:

Debbie Tibbey (Chair) (DT), Bahá’i Rep 

Stephanie Rann (Vice Chair) (SR), Teacher Rep 

David Rees (DR), Advisor 

Saima Afzal (SA), Muslim Rep 

Isla Ferguson (IF), CoE Rep, Primary Teacher 

Cllr Mary Penfold (CMP), Councillor 

Cllr Robin Legg (CRL), Councillor 

Barry Newman (BN), Humanist Rep 

Hazel Baines (HB), CoE Rep, Primary Teacher 

Nicola Coupe (NC), Diocesan Link 

Apologies received:

Lynda Ford-Horne (LFH), Jewish Rep 

Richard Howes (RH), Dorset LA Link 

Dominika Kruczkowska (DK), Clerk 

Italicised points are up for consideration.

Aim A: Core business - to be a supportive and proactive SACRE enjoying full and well-informed membership 

Action: Fill membership vacancies

• Timescale: ongoing
• People responsible: SACRE Chair, SACRE Clerk
• Autumn 2022 – Reviewed at each meeting
• Spring 2023 – Reviewed at each meeting
• Summer 2023 - Reviewed at each meeting

Action: SACRE members attend termly SACRE meetings (3 per year) and, when possible, teacher meeting and training events.

• Timescale: Termly SCARE meetings: Autumn 2022, Spring 2023, Summer 2023
• People responsible: SACRE Chair/ SACRE Advisor, SCARE members, SACRE Clerk
• Cost: SACRE Advisor to prepare and attend x 3 SACRE meetings a year. SACRE Clerk to administer each meeting. LA officers and adviser prep time
• Autumn 2022 – Thursday 6 October
• Spring 2023 – Thursday February 9 4:30pm
• Summer 2023 – Thursday June 1 4:30pm

Action: Produce annual SACRE Report 

• Timescale: Autumn Term 2022 
• People responsible: SACRE Chair
• Cost: SACRE chair 
• Autumn 2022 - Complete draft Autumn 2022
• Spring 2023 - To be completed Jan 2023 and sent to NASACRE by end of Feb 2023

Action: Review the action plan at each meeting and discuss updates

• Timescales: At each SACRE meeting 
• People responsibility: SACRE Adviser and SACRE 
• Cost: SACRE Adviser time
• Autumn 2022 - At each SACRE meeting 
• Spring 2023 - At each SACRE meeting 
• Summer 2023 - At each SACRE meeting 

Action: Subscribe to NASACRE. Representation at annual AGM and conference. Attend other useful events

• Timescales: Ongoing
• People responsibility: SACRE clerk, SACRE Adviser, Adviser to find out and inform
• Cost: Subscription £105. NASACRE Conference and AGM - SACRE Adviser time to attend NASACRE conference?
• Autumn 2022 - Subscription rate £105 
• Spring 2023 - SW SACRE conference –March 2023. DR to attend- feedback to network and SACRE – other SACRE members welcome to attend (small cost) 
• Summer 2023 - NASACRE AGM. 22 May 2023 – Fishmongers hall London – will anyone attend?

Action: Provide and review the agreed syllabus for RE (2017)

• Timescales: Ongoing review – next syllabus due 2023? 
• People responsibility: Agreed Syllabus conference from SACRE 
• Cost: Extra budget to allow for consultation groups, teacher time, adviser time 
• Autumn 2022 - Collaboration with BCP approved and costs agreed. Next step to involve Dorset SACRE and teachers (from Feb 2023) 
• Spring 2023 - Collaboration with BCP approved and costs agreed. Next step to involve Dorset SACRE and teachers (from Feb 2023) 
• Summer 2023 - Collaboration with BCP approved and costs agreed. Next step to involve Dorset SACRE and teachers (from Feb 2023) 

Aim B: To support teachers of RE to continually improve RE learning in their schools

Action: Provide a RE teachers and leaders conference 

• Timescales: Summer 2023? 
• People responsibility: SACRE (and Adviser)
• Cost: TBC
• Autumn 2022 - Pre pandemic the RE conference was an annual event in early March – Decide if we keep the timing or move to the summer term (we should definitely have one – tie in with syllabus renewal process) 
• Spring 2023 - Pre pandemic the RE conference was an annual event in early March – Decide if we keep the timing or move to the summer term (we should definitely have one – tie in with syllabus renewal process) 
• Summer 2023 - Pre pandemic the RE conference was an annual event in early March – Decide if we keep the timing or move to the summer term (we should definitely have one – tie in with syllabus renewal process) 

Action: Collate and distribute a termly newsletter – these can include NASACRE updates 

• Timescales: Termly 
• People responsibility: SACRE Adviser – SACRE members to offer suggestions
• Cost: Adviser time 
• Autumn 2022 - Started Summer 2020 – now an established termly support structure (has enabled greater contact with RE leaders). Newsletter sent out January 2023 – several new RE leads have been in touch 
• Spring 2023 - Started Summer 2020 – now an established termly support structure (has enabled greater contact with RE leaders). Newsletter sent out January 2023 – several new RE leads have been in touch 
• Summer 2023 - Started Summer 2020 – now an established termly support structure (has enabled greater contact with RE leaders). Newsletter sent out January 2023 – several new RE leads have been in touch 

Action: Connect with RE leaders through networks 

• Timescales: Termly
• People responsibility: TBD
• Cost: Adviser time
• Autumn 2022 - New SACRE backed RE networks to begin for primary Tues 14 March 2023. Secondary forums led by Steph Rann – next one on Wednesday 8 February at 3:15pm
• Spring 2023 - New SACRE backed RE networks to begin for primary Tues 14 March 2023. Secondary forums led by Steph Rann – next one on Wednesday 8 February at 3:15pm
• Summer 2023 - New SACRE backed RE networks to begin for primary Tues 14 March 2023. Secondary forums led by Steph Rann – next one on Wednesday 8 February at 3:15pm

Action: Subject Leader Training x 1 half-day sessions 

• Timescales: Yearly – in Autumn term 
• People responsibility: SACRE RE adviser 
• Cost: Adviser time 
• Autumn 2022 - Could be held once a year – could be virtual
• Spring 2023 - Could be held once a year – could be virtual
• Summer 2023 - Could be held once a year – could be virtual