Dear Father,

We thank You for everyone here and we ask for Your blessing and help as we are gathered together.

Fill us with Your Holy Spirit, guide us and inspire our hearts.

Fill our lives with Your love and Fill our conversations with Your grace and truth.

We ask this in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Amen

The opening prayer was read by Mr Andreas Menzies.

To confirm the minutes of the meeting of the Rutland SACRE held on 13^th October 2015.

The following corrections were requested to be made to the minutes of the meeting of the Rutland Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education (SACRE) committee held on the 13^th October 2015:

Item 3, a), 1: ‘the VOICE’ should be amended to ‘VOICE’.

Item 5, b): The RE short course would NOT be ending in 2016.

Item 5, c): The RE Studies course would NOT be renamed as ‘Philosophy & Ethics’.

The remaining minutes, copies of which had been previously circulated, were confirmed and signed by the Chair.

1.    Dr Sharif reported that Megan Davis would attend future meetings as the NAHT representative and Katy Walker would attend as the representative of Rutland’s Headteachers’ Forum. 

2.    Mr Rawes reported that Jonathan Watt was unable to commit as the NASUWT representative at future SACRE meetings.  However, Dr Sharif reported that Mr Ritchie Gale from Catmose College had agreed to attend as the representative of the National Union of Teachers (NUT).

AGREED:

1. Dr Sharif would email Mr Gale’s contact details to Miss Waller so a formal letter of invitation could be sent.

ACTION: Dr Sharif & Miss Waller

3.    Dr Sharif reported that no schools had applied for the RE Quality Mark.

4.    Miss Waller reported that she would visit Oakham Church of England Primary School on the 27^th January 2016 and that she would also be visiting St Mary and St John Church of England Primary School.

5.    Miss Waller reported that letters had been sent to the Headteachers of Uppingham Community College and Casterton College Rutland (née Casterton Business and Enterprise College) regarding their 2015 RE results but no responses had been received.

6.    Miss Waller reported that she had contacted Northamptonshire SACRE board regarding her attendance at a future meeting as per their invitation and was awaiting their response.

7.    Miss Waller reported she had not written to Sir Alan Duncan, MP but instead proposed writing to Baroness Shirley Williams of Crosby, regarding raising the profile of SACRE’s.

AGREED:

1. Miss Waller would write to Baroness Williams regarding raising the profile of SACRE, with a copy to Sir Alan Duncan, MP.

ACTION: Miss Waller

8.    Dr Sharif stated that the changes would be made to the survey form as requested.

AGREED:

1. Mr Menzies would add some additional wording to the survey form before it was issued.

ACTION: Mr Menzies

2. The Clerk would email the survey form to members for comments (deadline 22/01/16) and then circulate to schools’ RE representatives on the 25/01/16.

ACTION: Miss Narey

9.    Dr Sharif distributed details of Casterton College Rutland’s RE GCSE short and full course results to attendees.

AGREED:

1. Dr Sharif would notify Mr Sharpe which GCSE boards Casterton College Rutland and Rutland County College used.

ACTION: Dr Sharif

10. Dr Sharif reported that she had obtained statements from Harington School ‘A’ Level RE pupils.

Ms Walker stated that some statements from RE pupils from primary schools had received but no response had been received from Empingham, Brooke Hill or Exton Primary Schools.

Dr Sharif distributed to attendees a case study from Casterton College, Rutland.

Mrs Davis reported she had sent a statement for the annual report, including positive comments, regarding the agreed syllabus and the new website to Dr Sharif.

AGREED:

1. Ms Walker would contact Empingham Primary School, Miss Waller would contact Brooke Hill Primary School and Mrs Davis would contact Exton Primary School for statements from their RE pupils for the Annual Report.

ACTION: Ms Walker, Miss Waller, Mrs Davis

2. Dr Sharif would email members the statement received from Mrs Davis  ...  view the full minutes text for item 3.

No OfSTED inspections have been undertaken since the last meeting

No OfSTED inspection reports had been received since the last meeting.

AGREED:

1.    Mr Menzies would attend the NASACRE Annual Conference being held in the Central Hall Westminster on Tuesday, 17^th May 2016.

A copy of the Annual Report 2013-2014 is attached for reference

A discussion was held regarding the annual report.

AGREED:

1.    The School Improvement Strategic Plan would be discussed at the next meeting.

AGENDA

2.    Miss Waller would draft a paragraph from the letter by Lord Nash and send to Miss Narey for inclusion in the Annual Report.

ACTION: Miss Waller

A discussion was held regarding Collective Worship, which needs to be included in the Annual Report.

AGREED:

1.    Ms Walker and Mrs Davis would produce details of the ways primary and secondary schools approach collective worship for discussion at the next meeting.

ACTION: Ms Walker and Mrs Davis

AGENDA

The Rutland Standing Advisory Council for Religious Education Development Plan for the academic year 2016-2017.

This item would be carried forward for discussion at the next meeting.

a)    Mr Sharpe reported that there was no approved GCSE syllabus for 2018.

The next meeting is due to be held on the 5^th April 2016 but this is during the school holidays.  Should the meeting be moved to Tuesday, 19^th April 2016?

a)    The next meeting was due to be held on the 5^th April 2016 but this would be during the school holidays.  Should the meeting be moved to Tuesday, 19^th April 2016?

AGREED:

1.    The next meeting would be held on the 17^th March 2016, 4.30 – 6.30 p.m. in the Martinsley Room at Rutland County Council.