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There is no summary of this meeting yet. One is written once the council publishes the minutes. The agenda and papers are below.
a) Apologies for absence Tanya Simmonds, Shahinoor Alom, Andrew Lightbown, Cllr F Hussain, E Keen. b) Minutes of the previous meeting The minutes of the previous meeting were approved as a true and accurate record. c) Declarations of interest None recorded. d) Matters arising The forum retrospectively approved the contents of the annual report from the previous meeting.
The forum attended a presentation with the Acting Head of RVE at St Joseph’s Roman Catholic High School, looking at the curriculum studied by students in Years 7-9. The forum also considered the work undertaken by pupils in these year groups, and how the curriculum progresses through the year groups. The forum thanked the school for the extensive presentation on the RVE Curriculum.
The item was presented by the Educational Achievement Service (EAS) Advisor for Religion, Values and Ethics (RVE). The update contained information on professional learning within school networks, focusing on changes to the RVE GCSE, and how the professional networks are assisting schools in subject delivery. The networks focus on developing teacher skills, and teaching content within the new curriculum. Schools focus on interdisciplinary approaches within humanities. Resources will be shared with schools once produced by the networks. The forum were notified that some Newport schools are awaiting inspection from Estyn. The Head of Education noted that Estyn reports have been especially focused on previous recommendations. The forum questioned how compliance with RVE is assessed in schools, as Estyn inspections do not investigate such matters. The EAS Advisor confirmed that the EAS played an integral part in this assessment though school visits and work evaluations, which is then reported back to SACRE via the EAS Advisor. The Head of Education confirmed that there were no all-Wales audit processes ongoing, because of Estyn’s coverage of compliance with the RVE curriculum. Faith representatives noted the importance of sharing good practice within schools, while requesting an update on whether school networks were fulfilling this role effectively. The EAS Advisor explained that this relied on effective attendance within the networks. The Chair discussed support available to primary schools within the Newport area. Representatives from Malpas and Charles Williams Church in Wales (CiW) primary schools confirmed that support was well established between denominational primary schools, albeit this is not as well developed as in other faith schools, as there is not a CiW secondary school in the Newport area. The Head Teacher for Malpas CiW Primary School highlighted their schools’ role as a partner school for RVE, as values and skills taught in RVE are embedded across the school curriculum. The forum considered barriers to contact between schools in developing their RVE professional learning. The teacher representatives explained the benefits of teaching skills from RVE in strengthening a whole school curriculum. Faith representatives within the forum explored accessibility issues to providing feedback on this aim. The EAS Advisor confirmed that it would be revisited outside of the meeting.
The update was presented by the EAS Advisor. It was confirmed that the next meeting of WASACRE would take place on the 19th of March, which would include nominations for executive members.
The item was presented by the EAS Advisor, with use of a presentation to brief the forum on assurances of the quality of teaching in RVE. The forum was reminded of its role in the following areas: • Monitoring provision • Provision of advice and guidance • Support implementation of RVE statutory guidance • Promotion of quality teaching and learning The forum revisited meetings held at schools in the Newport area, including within Caerleon and St Julians school clusters. The Chair highlighted the importance of schools focusing on interfaith work in a local context through engagement with faith groups. The EAS Advisor noted that this aim is focused on looking at RVE through community, applying information to new contexts. Teacher representatives shared their experiences from their respective schools. The Chair emphasised the benefits of RVE in expanding the horizons of pupils. The forum requested an update on staff confidence with the introduction of the Curriculum for Wales. The Head of Education acknowledged that this was a challenging time for education, but Newport schools are benefitting from cohesion and clarity in its implementation, because of the continuity of support and guidance that schools are receiving. The EAS Advisor contributed that schools are beginning to understand the new curriculum through the enquiry model. The representative from Malpas CiW Primary School shared their experience of embedding the enquiry model across the school curriculum, and success in bringing enquiries to resonate with individual students. Faith representatives shared with the forum successful practices they had observed at other Newport schools in creating ethical individuals.
The forum discussed inviting attendees from local faith groups to future meetings. The Chair confirmed that the next meeting would take place on the 23rd of June at The John Frost School. The Chair closed the meeting at 11:09.
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