The Kent Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education (SACRE) meeting on 13 June 2024 covered updates on local network groups, the Ofsted review into religious education, the development plan for 2023-2024, budget updates, and preparations for the 2024 NASACRE Conference. Key decisions included not providing physical copies of the RE Today magazine to attendees of the Kent-wide Local Network Group meeting and the addition of the Kent Grammar School RE Group to the development plan.

RE Advisor Verbal and Update on Local Network Groups

Mrs P Smith-Orr, the Consultant Advisor, provided an update on the Local Network Group meetings. She noted that meetings were successfully taking place, with contributions from Ms F Hawkes, Mr Shepherd, Mrs M Paddison-Chapman, and Ms N Brownfield. A Kent-wide Local Network Group meeting for religious education (RE) coordinators was scheduled for 25 March, with further details available on the Kent Education Learning and Skills Information (KELSI) website.

It was decided that providing a copy of the latest RE Today magazine to each attendee would not offer good value for money. Instead, Mrs Smith-Orr would explore the possibility of providing digital copies or back issues. Additionally, there was a suggestion to send sweet treats to attendees to raise SACRE's profile, but it was noted that attendee lists were not known in advance.

Consideration was given to holding an RE conference in the autumn for RE coordinators, with Ms Paddison-Chapman and Ms N Ralph offering their assistance in organising the event.

Wire Award Update

There were no submissions for the Wire Award at this meeting, but several schools were preparing their submissions. Certificates had been awarded to all previous recipients except Victoria Road School, which was scheduled to receive theirs on 22 March.

A competition was suggested for schools to create a logo for the Wire Award certificates. The winning child could receive a book token, and their school could receive a year’s subscription to RE Today. This idea would be discussed at the Local Network Group meeting on 25 March, and a link to the competition could be put on the KELSI website.

The Ofsted Review into Religious Education and National Standards for Religious Education

Mrs Smith-Orr summarised the recent Ofsted review, which found that RE could be taught better. Key points included:

• Insufficient time dedicated to RE.
• Teachers should focus on specific areas in depth rather than trying to cover everything.
• Teachers should research topics to gain a deeper understanding before teaching.

The National Standards for Religious Education document, aimed at those setting the curriculum, would be launched in May 2024. There was a discussion about whether RE should be part of the National Curriculum to ensure consistency across syllabuses. The publication did not mention RE in special schools, but Mrs Smith-Orr noted that adapted syllabuses and support were available for these schools.

Development Plan September 2023 - July 2024

The Kent Grammar School RE Group, led by the Head of Religious Studies at Sir Roger Manwood’s School, was added to the development plan. This group meets three times a year.

Budget Update

Mrs Smith-Orr presented the budget update, noting that £5000 remained in the budget for the 2023/24 year. Plans for the 2024/25 budget included spending on the autumn RE conference. Extended units from RE Today could be bought to provide additional resources for schools, and SACRE could produce a pack for schools to hold a Kent-wide RE day. Local Coordinator Network meetings could be used to ask teachers what support they needed and to share resources between schools. Some schools might benefit from assistance with transportation costs to visit places of worship.

Submission of the Annual Report 2022/23

The Annual Report for 2022/23 had been completed and circulated. It was also considered and noted by the Children’s, Young People and Education Cabinet Committee in January. Members were asked to contact Mrs Smith-Orr with any contributions for the 2023/24 Annual Report.

2024 NASACRE Conference - 20 May 2024 Venue: Hilton York

The 2024 NASACRE Conference would be held in York. Kent could send a maximum of two delegates, and interested members were asked to contact Mr J Clapson to make arrangements.

Films for Schools Update

Mr J Clapson mentioned that links to publicly available videos and podcasts were available on the KELSI website. Teachers wanting access to the films could contact Mrs Smith-Orr. She had not received any requests yet but would highlight their availability at the meeting on 25 March and try to show some clips.

Any Other Items

It was noted that it would be beneficial to see GCSE exam result trends and how RE results compared to other subjects. However, the Department for Education had not issued this data to Local Authorities since the Covid-19 pandemic. Ms Wigg offered to try and obtain the data. Mrs Smith-Orr would also feed back to NASACRE that the conference timing during the exam period made attendance difficult for some people.

For more details, you can refer to the 19.3.24 SACRE Minutes.