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The decisions as the council's minutes record them. A plain-language summary follows once it has been written.
RESOLVED- That the minutes of the meetings of the Agreed Syllabus Conference and Conwy SACRE held on 30 June 2022 be approved as a correct record.
RESOLVED: That meetings of Conwy SACRE continue to be held during the working day.
RESOLVED That the update be noted.
RESOLVED: That the Conwy SACRE Annual Report for 2021/2022 be approved.
RESOLVED: That the head of RE – Ysgol John Bright be invited to provide a presentation to Conwy SACRE in respect of best of use of Religion, Values and Ethics supporting guidance.
RESOLVED: That a question be included within the teacher’s questionnaire regarding how confident teachers were in accessing support in respect of Religion, Values and Ethics.
RESOLVED: That the minutes of the Wales Association of Standing Advisory Councils on Religious Education held on 29 June, 2022 be noted.
RESOLVED: That the next meetings of Conwy SACRE be arranged for February and June 2023.
Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Julie Fallon, Abdul Khan, Angie O’Grady, Julia Buckley Jones (Headteacher), Hayley Jones (teacher), Eirian Pierce (teacher), Nicholas Richter (Co-opted member) and Suzy Sturley (humanist representative).
None.
The Chair made reference to an invitation received by Conwy SACRE members to a humanities event held by Qualifications Wales, which outlined the wider proposals for future qualifications that included Religious Studies. A consultation response was required by 14 December, 2022 and teacher input into the response would be welcomed. It was not clear how pupils would choose which religion or philosophical convictions to study. At key stage 4, for most other subjects, assessments would be 50% via coursework and 50% final exam, whereas for RE, an exam which would count for 70% of the final mark would be taken at the end of year 11. The following was discussed: • The current GCSE uptake for RE had fallen and it was important that teachers had an opportunity to respond to the consultation. • The Agored qualification would provide an opportunity for those pupils who were less academic. • A presentation would be provided at the Wales Association of Standing Advisory Councils on Religious Education (WASACRE) on 16 November 2022 in respect of the Qualifications Wales consultation. RESOLVED: That the Chair, the RE consultant and a teacher representative provide a response, on behalf of Conwy SACRE to the Qualifications Wales consultation on wider proposals for future qualifications that included Religious Studies.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED- That the minutes of the meetings of the Agreed Syllabus Conference and Conwy SACRE held on 30 June 2022 be approved as a correct record.
The minutes of the meetings of the Agreed Syllabus Conference and Conwy SACRE held on 30 June 2022 were submitted for approval. Thanks were extended to Phil Lord (RE consultant) for his hard work in respect of supplementary guidance for the religion, values and ethics curriculum. RESOLVED- That the minutes of the meetings of the Agreed Syllabus Conference and Conwy SACRE held on 30 June 2022 be approved as a correct record.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED: That meetings of Conwy SACRE continue to be held during the working day.
The RE Consultant advised that, as there were several new Conwy SACRE members, an online training session would be arranged in respect of the Wales Association of Standing Advisory Councils on Religious Education (WASACRE) handbook, the Conwy SACRE constitution and the new curriculum for Wales. The SACRE summer newsletter had been circulated to Conwy schools. Awareness of the newsletter would be raised during teacher training sessions and as part of the Conwy SACRE questionnaire to teachers. The Chair of Conwy SACRE would write to schools in respect of the availability and benefits of the Agored Cymru RE qualification. The RE consultant had met with Conwy’s Education Improvement Team (EIT) in order to discuss the promotion of the agreed syllabus. The agreed syllabus was available on the Conwy County Borough Council (CCBC) website along with supplementary guidance. Members of Conwy SACRE had been given the opportunity to complete a questionnaire in respect of preferred meeting time for Conwy SACRE. A variety of responses had been received, with the majority indicating daytime meetings as their preference. As the humanist representative had indicated that she was only able to attend evening meetings, contact would be made with Humanists UK, to seek an alternative representative. RESOLVED: That meetings of Conwy SACRE continue to be held during the working day.
The following update was provided in respect of Conwy SACRE membership: • The Chair advised that although Karl Lawson was a Deputy Head Teacher he had an in depth knowledge of RE and would therefore be a valuable member of Conwy SACRE. • Conwy SACRE would be included as a standing item of the Head Teachers Federation meeting in order that head teachers be kept informed of any relevant information. The following was discussed: • Co-opted Member Tania ap Sion advised that census data was usually utilised in order to determine SACRE membership. Religious data in respect of the 2021 census was not yet available. • Wrexham SACRE had set parameters in respect of who could be appointed as a member of the SACRE, which included the need to live or work within the County or have a close association with the area. - The Chair and RE consultant would discuss the parameters for membership in respect of Conwy SACRE. • It was suggested that a special school representative was required on Conwy SACRE. The Chair would contact Ysgol Y Gogarth to request a representative.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED That the update be noted.
The RE consultant provided an update in respect of the Conwy SACRE Strategic Management Plan. The following points were highlighted: • Most actions were on schedule other than establishing a teacher network as a cluster based model was now being explored. • Training material in respect of Religion, Values and Ethics (RVE) had been made available to schools. • A second SACRE newsletter had been created. • Supporting of collective worship within schools had been deferred due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The following was discussed: • Concern was raised in respect of the time allocated to RE within RVE as part of the new curriculum and how this was monitored. - The Chair felt that it was the role of Conwy SACRE to provide support to schools. - The Head of Education Services advised that the Local Authority was working closely with schools and the regional consortia in respect of embedding the School Improvement Framework which would be statutory from 2024. - GwE had provided a presentation at the Education and Skills Overview and Scrutiny Committee on 18 October 2022, which had included reference to the School Improvement Framework. Conwy SACRE members would be provided with the presentation. - Whilst case studies and good practice from schools would be useful, it was noted that each school’s curriculum had been developed for their own needs and should therefore not be used as a template. - The Head of Education Services raised concerns in respect of pressures faced by schools and suggested that pre-existing process be utilised in order to monitor progress and delivery of RVE. - The RE consultant would discuss with Wales Association of Standing Advisory Councils on Religious Education (WASACRE), the possibility of a shared resource of all-Wales case studies. • It was queried as to whether guidance was available in respect of school self-evaluation and how results were scrutinised and utilised. - The Head of Education Services advised that guidance was provided within the School Improvement Framework. - Key partners had been identified in respect of school improvement and joint working. - The regional consortia would provide training for school governors. - Schools and the Local Authority were familiarising themselves with the School Improvement Framework guidance prior to its implementation. - Schools had their own self-evaluation processes in place, which were complex and included pressures faced by schools including financial pressures. RESOLVED That the update be noted.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED: That the Conwy SACRE Annual Report for 2021/2022 be approved.
The Chair presented the Conwy SACRE Annual Report for 2021/2022. Thanks were extended to the Chair and the RE Consultant for their hard work in respect of the annual report. RESOLVED: That the Conwy SACRE Annual Report for 2021/2022 be approved.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED: That the head of RE – Ysgol John Bright be invited to provide a presentation to Conwy SACRE in respect of best of use of Religion, Values and Ethics supporting guidance.
The RE consultant provided an update on the development of a teachers network. The following points were highlighted: • The RE consultant had presented the idea of a teacher network to primary head teachers who had been supportive of the proposal and would feed back to their clusters. • A presentation had also been given to secondary head teachers, however it was felt that one area of the curriculum should not be separated from others, as other curriculum areas did not have their own networks. • Secondary head teachers would support a cluster model. • A further meeting would take place with primary head teachers in respect of representatives and terms of reference. • The terms of reference would include representatives feeding back to clusters and to Conwy SACRE. • The Head of Education Services and RE Consultant would discuss the next steps with the Education Improvement Service (IES) team. • Due to Local Authority budgetary pressures, it was likely that there would be an impact on funding for the development of a teacher network. • It would be appropriate for a teacher to lead the network. • A lack of RE specialists was a concern. - In response, the Head of Education Services advised that this was a challenge across all Local Authorities and that work was ongoing with higher education networks. - Conwy County Borough Council (CCBC) was looking to develop their own specialists. • Religion, Values and Ethics professional learning modules had not yet been published by the Welsh Government (WG). • Reference would be made to the teacher network within a letter to schools regarding the Conwy SACRE Management Plan. The following was discussed: • Concern was raised in respect of a lack of resources for initial teacher training in relation to the new curriculum. - In response, Tania ap Sion (co-opted member) advised that the Wales Association of Standing Advisory Councils on Religious Education (WASACRE) along with the WG had raised this as an issue. - The professional learning modules would be relevant for teacher training. • Teachers had indicated that CCBC RVE Supporting Guidance was useful and assisted with planning. - The Head of RE at Ysgol John Bright had created a document showing how best to utilise the supporting guidance and it was suggested that he be invited to provide a presentation to Conwy SACRE. RESOLVED: That the head of RE – Ysgol John Bright be invited to provide a presentation to Conwy SACRE in respect of best of use of Religion, Values and Ethics supporting guidance.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED: That a question be included within the teacher’s questionnaire regarding how confident teachers were in accessing support in respect of Religion, Values and Ethics.
The following update was provided in respect of monitoring of delivery: • A questionnaire for schools had been produced in order to support the work of Conwy SACRE and to highlight the agreed syllabus and supporting guidance. • A questionnaire for School Governors had also been developed. • An introduction would be included with the questionnaires from the Chair of Conwy SACRE and the Head of Education Services. The following was discussed: • It was suggested that the tone of the questionnaires should be supportive. • It was felt that questions in respect of time allocation for Religion, Values and Ethics (RVE) be delayed until the new curriculum has been embedded. • It was suggested that a question be included within the teacher’s questionnaire regarding how confident teachers were in accessing support in respect of RVE. • It was not clear whether governors were responsible for particular areas of learning. - It was suggested that, in respect of the governors questionnaire, that contact should be made with the Chair of the Governors Association. - The Head of Education Services suggested that the RE consultant make contact with the Governor Support Officer. • Thanks were extended to Huw Roberts, for his excellent work as Chair of the Governors Association. RESOLVED: That a question be included within the teacher’s questionnaire regarding how confident teachers were in accessing support in respect of Religion, Values and Ethics.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED: That the minutes of the Wales Association of Standing Advisory Councils on Religious Education held on 29 June, 2022 be noted.
The minutes of the Wales Association of Standing Advisory Councils on Religious Education (WASACRE) held on 29 June, 2022 were submitted. RESOLVED: That the minutes of the Wales Association of Standing Advisory Councils on Religious Education held on 29 June, 2022 be noted.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED: That the next meetings of Conwy SACRE be arranged for February and June 2023.
RESOLVED: That the next meetings of Conwy SACRE be arranged for February and June 2023.
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