Agenda item

­­­­­NORTHUMBERLAND COUNTY COUNCIL

AGREED SYLLABUS CONFERENCE

At a meeting of the Agreed Syllabus Conference held in Meeting Space, Block 1, Floor 2, County Hall, Morpeth, Northumberland, NE61 2EF on Wednesday, 2 February 2022 at 5:00 p.m.

PRESENT 

C. Weir
In the Chair

COUNCILLORS 

TEACHERS ASSOCIATIONS/UNIONS REPRESENTATIVES 

CHURCH OF ENGLAND REPRESENTATIVES 

REPRESENTATIVES OF OTHER CHURCHES & FAITHS 

CO-OPTED REPRESENTATIVES  

S. Dearlove 

OFFICERS IN ATTENDANCE 

There was one observer present.

1.       APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE

Apologies were received from Councillor Renner-Thompson, Councillor Thorne, J. Cousin, B. Rasa and P. Rusby.

2.       MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF AGREED SYLLABUS CONFERENCE HELD ON 14 JULY 2021.

T. Marley stated that he had given apologies for the last meeting.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting of the Agreed Syllabus Conference held on Wednesday, 8 December 2021, as circulated, be confirmed as a true record and signed by the Chair.

3.       SHORTLIST OF AGREED SYLLABUS OPTIONS

C. Weir – RE consultant, explained that during the last meeting copies of the potential syllabuses were not available and that copies were taken away and digested after the meeting. All committee groups had agreed with the officer’s recommendation of RE Today syllabus B.

RE Today had been contacted regarding questions submitted from the committee, potential changes and comments made from committee A, responses included:

·       It would not be possible to edit the “AIM” from Model B, as changing the aim would have a substantial impact on the rest of the document.

·       A Foreword and an Introduction would need to be submitted to RE Today along with Northumberland photos. RE Today would provide updated Census data for inclusion in the syllabus.

·       RE Today had suggested that Localised Units would be acceptable, but SACRE members would need to draft these.

·       An online copy would be circulated for members to view the syllabus.

·       Changes could be requested if any inaccuracies were found, however there was no guarantee that all suggested changes could be resolved.

·       The Model Syllabus did not include any Key Stage 4 teaching units or suggestions as standard as the syllabus recommended following a GCSE course, but SACRE members could adapt items from the previous syllabus.

Following questions from members, the following information and comments were provided:

·       If members were to provide localised units, then RE Today would require the units to add to the syllabus pack to be printed off together, which could delay printing.

·       Members had commented on the Model B syllabus saying that it made a point of defining people by their religion e.g. Christians, Muslims etc. Members explained that they would not like to be defined by their religion.

·       Model B syllabus would be a positive challenge for teachers and would be a significant leap from the current syllabus.

·       The proposed syllabus could be completed by April, depending on whether committee members wished to add localised units.

D. Cookson suggested calling an extraordinary meeting of the Agreed Syllabus Conference so members could review the entire syllabus before making the final decision to adopt it. Members would also have the opportunity to input on potential local units to include in the syllabus. D. Cookson also discussed which schools this syllabus would be for; it was agreed that all Locally Maintained schools would be provided for and D. Cookson would liaise with Academy Schools in Northumberland to understand if they required a new RE syllabus. 

RESOLVED that members were in agreement to pursue Model B.

CHAIR: ____________________

DATE:         _____________________