This meeting was the second of two Agreed Syllabus Conferences held to consider proposed amendments to the Richmond Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education, which is required to be reviewed by law every five years. The meeting was provided with a revised draft of the 2020 Syllabus, which included the changes proposed at the previous meeting, held on 3 October 2024. The meeting was also provided with a draft of the proposed revisions to the Early Years Foundation Stage section of the Syllabus. Please note that this article only describes what was scheduled to be discussed, as detailed in the meeting documents, and not what was actually discussed.

Draft Revisions to the 2020 Syllabus

The meeting was scheduled to discuss the proposed amendments to the 2020 Agreed Syllabus. It is unclear what form this discussion took, or if any decisions were made.

At the previous meeting, members discussed the relevant changes that had occurred since the publication of the last Agreed Syllabus in 2020, and considered what should be incorporated into the revised syllabus. These included updates to reflect the 2021 census data, the shift in Religious Education teaching to Ways of Knowing: Theological, Philosophical and Sociological, changes to the Ofsted framework, the new Labour Government's curriculum review, and changes to the Early Years Foundation Stage learning goals.

The minutes note that:

The SACRE and the Agreed Syllabus on R.E was required to reflect the religious traditions of the local area. The 2020 Agreed Syllabus had been based on the 2011 census data, but data was now available from the 2021 census.

[...].

Within the teaching of R.E, there had been a shift in the last four years to ‘Ways of Knowing: Theological, Philosophical and Sociological’, which had replaced attainment goals. The targets in the syllabus therefore needed to reflect this and the Ofsted requirements. It was also noted guidance was likely to change as the new Labour Government had launched a curriculum review.

At the previous meeting, it was agreed that:

• Ian Nicholson, consultant at R.E Today¹, would set out the core concepts to be incorporated into the syllabus.
• Helena Moore, a consultant with Achieving for Children², would update the Early Years Foundation Stage section of the syllabus.
• Councillor Penny Frost, the Chair of the committee, would discuss the creation of a shared resource for religious education teachers with the Primary Heads Forum.
• Another Agreed Syllabus Conference would be held in early December (ie this meeting) to consider a draft version with the proposed amendments incorporated into it.
• The timeframe for completion was to have a completed draft ready for sign off at the 3 April 2025 SACRE meeting, to be agreed at the May 2025 Full Council meeting, and promoted to schools in the summer term.

Draft Revisions to the Early Years Foundation Stage Section of the Syllabus

This discussion was likely to be based on the Richmond SACRE RE Curriculum - EYFS amendments 2 document provided to attendees. This document is a line-by-line review of the proposed amendments.

Minutes

It is unclear whether the minutes from the previous meeting (DRAFT ASC Minutes 3 October 2024) were discussed, or if they were approved.