Agenda item

To receive a presentation. 

(a)       That the presentation be received: and    

(b)       That a letter be sent to the Governing Body at HolywellHigh School: 

- noting the concerns of SACRE that the school was not submitting entries for the GCSE exam in RE

- asking how the pupils were evaluated for RE

- and asking how the school was meeting the statutory requirements to deliver the subject.

The Challenge Advisor explained that a discussion had taken place at the previous SACRE meeting on the provision of RE at Holywell High School and it had been resolved that Huw Jones, Head of RE at the school, be asked to provide information about delivery of RE to this meeting.  As he had been unable to attend, he had provided a presentation for SACRE for delivery by the Challenge Advisor.  The main features of the presentation were:-

·        What is affective

·        So what happens at Holywell

·        Year 10 and 11

·        Some clips which pupils had worked on

Councillor Chris Bithell raised concern that RE at GCSE level had been sidelined due to the views of the humanist leadership at the school and felt that pupils wanting to take the subject should be given the opportunity to do so.  He felt that the fact that the course was not being provided needed to be raised.  Councillor Hilary Isherwood concurred but said that the use of films to relate to RE issues, as was detailed in the presentation, was a superb approach and suggested that books could also be used. 

    The Challenge Advisor raised concern about the academic level of RE being provided at the school.  Councillor Nigel Steele-Mortimer concurred with Councillor Bithell and said that he was impressed with the way RE was being promoted at the school but asked if SACRE could do anything about RE not being studied at GCSE level. 

            Mr. Ron Keating felt that it was difficult to make comments about other ways of teaching and suggested that the presentation had raised more questions than answers.  He said that SACRE needed to be satisfied that the agreed syllabus was being delivered one way or another and he also raised concern about the rigour of the academic nature of the subject and whether RE was being undermined.  He felt that pupils should be given equal opportunities and that concern should be raised that RE was not being offered at GCSE level because this had been determined by the leadership of the school.  Mr. Keating said that the role and responsibility of SACRE was to ensure that standards in RE were achieved at the right level.  He praised the work of the staff at the school for their delivery of RE but raised significant concern that the pupils were not being offered the opportunity to undertake RE at GCSE level.  He commented on the short course in RE and the low outcomes and standards which were in place prior to the re-introduction of the short course.  Councillor Steele-Mortimer thanked Mr. Keating for the response but felt that it was the duty of SACRE to take the issue of non-provision further. 

            Councillor Bithell queried whether the lack of provision could be because of reduced numbers of pupils wanting to undertake RE studies and asked whether the school was meeting its statutory requirement.  He added that a new School Head was to be in post at HolywellHigh School in the near future.  Councillor Isherwood asked about the role of the Governing Body in the delivery of subjects in schools.  Mr. Keating advised that schools had a statutory obligation to deliver RE with the dominant time being spent on Christianity and the remaining time to look at other faiths. 

            In response to a comment from the Chairman about the pupils not being to undertaken RE at A level at Holywell High School, the Challenge Advisor said that schools should be providing Post 16 RE, which was sometimes undertaken through the Welsh Baccalaureate qualification, but he added that it was a difficult area to monitor.  He spoke of a document which gave details of provision of RE through alternative means and advised that he would re-circulate the document to schools.

            During the discussion, Councillor Bithell asked if a representative from Lifelong Learning could be invited to the next meeting of SACRE so that the issue could be raised.  The Challenge Advisor suggested that SACRE ask for an audit of RE being undertaken in Holywell High School at the beginning of the new Headship at the school.  Councillor Bithell also suggested that a letter could be sent to the Governing Body to express SACRE’s concern about the lack of entries for the course at GCSE level and to query why this was the case and seeking clarification that the practice would not continue.  The Challenge Advisor then suggested that a letter be sent to the Governing Body noting the concerns of SACRE that the school was not submitting entries for the GCSE exam in RE, and asking how the pupils were being evaluated for RE and how the school was meeting the statutory requirements to deliver the subject.  Mr. Keating said that it was important to note that the concerns were not a reflection on the teachers delivering RE in the school and Councillor Isherwood said that SACRE wanted to provide support to those teaching RE in difficult circumstances. 

RESOLVED:

(a)       That the presentation be received: and    

(b)       That a letter be sent to the Governing Body at HolywellHigh School: 

- noting the concerns of SACRE that the school was not submitting entries for the GCSE exam in RE

- asking how the pupils were evaluated for RE

- and asking how the school was meeting the statutory requirements to deliver the subject.