The Rutland SACRE (Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education) meeting on 11 June 2024 focused on several key issues, including the finalisation of a schools' questionnaire, the engagement of SACRE members with local schools, and the presentation of verified RE exam results. Decisions were made to amend the questionnaire to better support RE leads and to adopt the NASACRE code of conduct.

SACRE Agreed Syllabus Schools' Questionnaire

Amanda Fitton, the RE Adviser for Cambridgeshire, Peterborough, and Rutland County Councils, presented the schools' questionnaire. Key points included:

• The questionnaire will now start with the question about the name of the RE Lead and include a follow-up question: Do you feel supported in your role as the RE Lead?
• The question Do you find the syllabus useful? will be revised to be more open-ended, asking for specific feedback on the new Agreed Syllabus.
• A new question will be added to identify the most and least popular modules within the syllabus.
• The questionnaire will be reviewed by Rutland County Council’s Information Governance team to ensure compliance with the Data Protection Act 2018.

SACRE Sub-Group: Report and Proposed Actions

Reverend James McWhirter provided a verbal report from the SACRE sub-group. It was noted that:

• Rutland SACRE will not have a second webpage but will enhance the existing one with a Further Information section, similar to the Peterborough SACRE’s webpage.
• Members are to send suggestions on improving the webpage and better engaging with schools by 27 March.

SACRE Members Engagement with Schools

The committee discussed the engagement of SACRE members with local schools. Key points included:

• The adoption of the NASACRE code of conduct, which will be updated to be Rutland-specific and published on the website.
• The need for more active engagement and attendance at schools by SACRE members.

House of Lords: Quality of Religious Education in Schools in England

The RE Adviser highlighted a report from the House of Lords on the quality of RE in schools, which pointed out that RE is often treated as an afterthought despite being a compulsory subject. The report is available here.

Rutland RE Exam Results: Verified Data

Elizabeth Papworth, the Service Manager for Learning and Skills, presented the verified RE exam results. Discussion points included:

• Rutland’s GCSE pass rate for grades 5 or above was 53.1%, below the national average of 61.3%.
• The impact of small cohort sizes on percentage figures was noted.
• Comparison data with neighbouring local authorities and previous years will be circulated with the minutes.

Update on Network Meetings

Amanda Fitton provided an update on network meetings, noting that despite extensive publicity, only one teacher from Rutland attended the March meeting. The next meeting in June will focus on Exercise Books vs Floor Books: pros and cons of usage.

Training Attended by SACRE Members

The RE Adviser attended NASACRE webinars on monitoring and data. It was noted that most NASACRE training events are free for Rutland members, and additional resources are available on the Humanists UK website.

Work Plan

The work plan was updated to include the election of a new Chair and Vice Chair, the appointment of new members, and feedback from the NASACRE Annual Conference 2024. The SACRE Development Plan 2023-28 was also discussed.

Any Urgent Business

The NASACRE Annual Conference 2024 will be held on 20 May 2024 in York and online. Members interested in attending should contact the Clerk.

For more details, you can refer to the Minutes of Previous Meeting and the Public reports pack.