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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 meeting of Conwy SACRE held on 17 November 2023 be approved as a correct record.
RESOLVED: That a report be presented to Council requesting a change to the Conwy SACRE constitution to allow for representation from Churches Together in Wales.
RESOLVED: That the presentation from Ysgol John Bright on the Curriculum for Wales emerging practice and the use of the supporting guidance be noted.
RESOLVED: That the Religious Education Consultant draft a questionnaire for pupils in respect of their views on how Religion, Values and Ethics was being taught and received.
RESOLVED: That material to support schools with collective worship would be presented at the next meeting of Conwy SACRE.
RESOLVED: That the Religious Education consultant invite secondary school Religion, Values and Ethics leads to relevant meetings of the teacher network.
RESOLVED: That the Religious Education consultant be requested to share information regarding the Religion, Values and Ethics teams network to relevant teachers via e-mail.
RESOLVED: That the Religious Education consultant be requested to respond to the Jewish Association of South Wales advising that their Holocaust training materials would be circulated to Conwy Schools as part of a wider package of training materials relating to the historical context of the Israel/Palestine conflict
RESOLVED: a) That the minutes of the Wales Association of Standing Advisory Councils on Religious Education held on 25 October 2023 be noted. b) That a link to the booking form for the Wales Association of Standing Advisory Councils on Religious Education annual conference to be held on 13 June 2024 be circulated to Members of Conwy SACRE.
RESOLVED: That the next meeting of Conwy SACRE be arranged in June 2024.
Apologies for absence were received from Reverend Sam Erlandson (Church in Wales), Huw Roberts (Welsh Presbyterian Church), Janine Tenant-Jones (Teacher – Special School) and Councillor Jacob Williams.
None.
None.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED: That the minutes of the meeting of Conwy SACRE held on 17 November 2023 be approved as a correct record.
The minutes of the meeting of Conwy SACRE held on 17 November 2023 were submitted for approval. RESOLVED: That the minutes of the meeting of Conwy SACRE held on 17 November 2023 be approved as a correct record.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED: That a report be presented to Council requesting a change to the Conwy SACRE constitution to allow for representation from Churches Together in Wales.
Pupil Referral Unit (PRU) representation A PRU representative was not included within the Conwy SACRE Constitution and therefore no representative would be sought. SACRE Questionnaire • The Chair had attended a primary Head teachers meeting to brief them on the purpose and work of Conwy SACRE. • The Conwy SACRE questionnaire had been promoted and the Chair of the Primary Head teachers meeting had agreed to set a deadline for final completion. • An update was provided on the Conwy SACRE management plan’s focus on collective worship and the availability of new supporting material. • Almost all Head teachers had yet to read the Conwy SACRE Annual Report. • A reminder would be placed in the Local Authority newsletter to schools. Initial Teacher Training • The RE consultant advised that support in respect of Religion, Values and Ethics (RVE) was being provided by GwE to students undertaking the Bachelor of Education undergraduate degree and the Postgraduate Certificate in Education. • A presentation on the support available would be provided by the RE consultant at a future Conwy SACRE meeting. Welsh Translation – Conwy SACRE Annual Report • It was confirmed that the translation in respect of philosophical convictions had been amended within the Conwy SACRE Annual Report in order to reflect the wording used by Welsh Government. GCSE Pupil Numbers at Conwy Schools • Concern had been expressed in relation to the decline in the number of pupils taking Religious Education GCSEs as well as the short course, due to their continued academic nature. • The RE consultant would follow up on a request to the Local Authority for data in relation to the number of pupils undertaking a GCSE RE qualification within Conwy Schools. Local Authority SACRE newsletter – Agreed Syllabus • The next Denbighshire and Conwy SACRE newsletter would include information on the agreed syllabus and associated guidance. • A draft version of the newsletter would be presented to the next meeting of Conwy SACRE. Links with the Global South • The Chair had met with Robin Millar MP in order to discuss possible links with the Global South and a joint letter to schools. • A definition in respect of these links had now been received. Monitoring time allocation for Religion, Values and Ethics (RVE) • The RE consultant advised that there was no specific guidance with regards to time allocation for RVE. • The amount of time spent on RVE in Schools would be referred to the Education Improvement Team and a report would be presented to the next meeting of Conwy SACRE. Basis of increasing faith representation on Conwy SACRE • Representatives from The English Presbyterian Church and Welsh Baptists were being sought. • It was felt that a representative from Churches Together in Wales (CYTUN) on Conwy SACRE would be beneficial as CYTUN represented a wider range of religious groups than Conwy SACRE. RESOLVED: That a report be presented to Council requesting a change to the Conwy SACRE constitution to allow for representation from Churches Together in Wales.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED: That the presentation from Ysgol John Bright on the Curriculum for Wales emerging practice and the use of the supporting guidance be noted.
The Religion Values and Ethics (RVE) Lead, Gwyn Bellis of Ysgol John Bright presented on the Curriculum for Wales’s emerging practice and the use of the supporting guidance. Key points highlighted included the following: • A positive reference to RVE within a recent ESTYN inspection report. • Meetings with primary schools were held in order to ensure continuity of RVE from primary to secondary school. • The A55 Alliance consortium of secondary schools met to share best practice. • The importance of the agreed syllabus, which complemented the Curriculum for Wales. • Examples of RVE content. • Quality assurance measures. • Self-evaluation. • Next steps, including developing further religious links with the community and mapping out how RVE was touched upon within other subject areas. The following was discussed: • The excellent work undertaken and in particular the links with primary schools was acknowledged. • Whilst atheism and humanism were currently explored as part of RVE at Ysgol John Bright, work was ongoing in respect of introducing further non-religious philosophical convictions. • As the school had approximately 7 feeder schools, who all had different approaches to RVE, similarities within the school’s approaches had been a key focus. • The Agreed Syllabus had been deliberately developed to incorporate and build on the Curriculum for Wales and was invaluable during the planning process. • The RVE guidance would be highlighted at the next A55 cluster meeting and would be tabled at the next Secondary Head Teachers meeting. The chair thanked Gwyn Bellis for his excellent presentation on the impressive work in RVE at Ysgol John Bright. RESOLVED: That the presentation from Ysgol John Bright on the Curriculum for Wales emerging practice and the use of the supporting guidance be noted.
The Religious Education (RE) consultant provided an update in respect of RE at GCSE. The following points were highlighted: • Concerns regarding the academic nature of the qualification. • The adoption of the Agored qualification was being encouraged to those schools that were not teaching a formal qualification to years 10 and 11. • Some Religion, Values and Ethics (RVE) qualifications such as the NCFE Level 2 Certificate in Equality and Diversity had almost no religious content • A new GCSE was being developed, but no details had been shared to date. • The Wales Association of Standing Advisory Councils on Religious Education (WASACRE) had expressed concerns that there was no requirement to include RVE at GCSE level. The following was discussed: • Broader qualifications for less academic pupils would be welcomed. • In respect of the new GCSE being developed by the Welsh Joint Education Committee (WJEC), it was suggested that good practice in respect of qualifications offered in England should be considered. • It was suggested that concerns in respect of the proposed new RE GCSE should be raised within the teacher network. • It was felt that more than one accreditation route should be available. This would be raised with WASACRE.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED: That the Religious Education Consultant draft a questionnaire for pupils in respect of their views on how Religion, Values and Ethics was being taught and received.
The Religious Education (RE) consultant had met with the Youth Council to seek their views on how Religion, Values and Ethics was being taught and received. The Youth Council were happy to endorse a questionnaire to pupils, to assist with response evaluation and to make recommendations. The RE consultant would draft a questionnaire. RESOLVED: That the Religious Education Consultant draft a questionnaire for pupils in respect of their views on how Religion, Values and Ethics was being taught and received.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED: That material to support schools with collective worship would be presented at the next meeting of Conwy SACRE.
The Chair advised that 50% of SACRE’s remit was collective worship and that a review of support was a major aspect in the Conwy SACRE Management Plan for 2024-2025 The level of collective worship in schools was dependent on the leadership within the school. RESOLVED: That material to support schools with collective worship would be presented at the next meeting of Conwy SACRE.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED: That the Religious Education consultant invite secondary school Religion, Values and Ethics leads to relevant meetings of the teacher network.
The Religious Education (RE) consultant provided an update on the teacher network. The following points were highlighted: • A teacher network teams group was in place in order to share information and examples of good practice. • Terms of reference were being developed. • The network would ensure that key messages from Conwy SACRE were relayed to schools. • The network was primary based, but communication lines with secondary schools were in place. The following was discussed: • It was suggested that secondary school Religion, Values and Ethics (RVE) leads be invited to relevant meetings of the teacher network, especially in order to discuss the future direction of the subject. RESOLVED: That the Religious Education consultant invite secondary school Religion, Values and Ethics leads to relevant meetings of the teacher network.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED: That the Religious Education consultant be requested to share information regarding the Religion, Values and Ethics teams network to relevant teachers via e-mail.
Given the lack of Religion Values and Ethics (RVE) specialist in North Wales, the Chair advised that there was a need to provide a framework of support for less experienced RVE leads, which would encourage them to come forward when they required support. The following was discussed: • Teacher representatives highlighted the need for adequate preparation time. • Whilst a Microsoft Tams network with ample information was available, this was not accessed by all RVE leads and therefore it was felt that further promotion of this resource was required. RESOLVED: That the Religious Education consultant be requested to share information regarding the Religion, Values and Ethics teams network to relevant teachers via e-mail.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED: That the Religious Education consultant be requested to respond to the Jewish Association of South Wales advising that their Holocaust training materials would be circulated to Conwy Schools as part of a wider package of training materials relating to the historical context of the Israel/Palestine conflict
The Religious Education (RE) consultant advised that he had received a request from the Jewish Association of South Wales to circulate Holocaust training materials to Conwy schools. It was suggested that the material be circulated as part of a package of materials to include, guidance on how to approach discussions on events in Israel and Palestine and information on the historical context. RESOLVED: That the Religious Education consultant be requested to respond to the Jewish Association of South Wales advising that their Holocaust training materials would be circulated to Conwy Schools as part of a wider package of training materials relating to the historical context of the Israel/Palestine conflict
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED: a) That the minutes of the Wales Association of Standing Advisory Councils on Religious Education held on 25 October 2023 be noted. b) That a link to the booking form for the Wales Association of Standing Advisory Councils on Religious Education annual conference to be held on 13 June 2024 be circulated to Members of Conwy SACRE.
The minutes of the Wales Association of Standing Advisory Councils on Religious Education (WASACRE) held on 25 October 2023 were presented for information. An invitation was extended to all Conwy SACRE Members to attend the WASACRE annual conference on 13 June 2024. RESOLVED: a) That the minutes of the Wales Association of Standing Advisory Councils on Religious Education held on 25 October 2023 be noted. b) That a link to the booking form for the Wales Association of Standing Advisory Councils on Religious Education annual conference to be held on 13 June 2024 be circulated to Members of Conwy SACRE.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED: That the next meeting of Conwy SACRE be arranged in June 2024.
RESOLVED: That the next meeting of Conwy SACRE be arranged in June 2024.
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