To discuss and decide when next RE syllabus is produced.

Stephen Pett explained the situation relating to the next RE syllabus.

1. It was explained that a local authority reviews its agreed syllabus every 5 years where SACRE raises that and then an agreed syllabus conference is held, a separate committee, to look at and put together a syllabus and recommend it to the local authority to adopt.
2. For the last two agreed syllabuses for Herefordshire, there was a license for an RE Today sllabus in which a license fee is paid per school to allow the use of the syllabus and this represents a more cost effective approach than spending the money on trying to develop a bespoke syllabus.
3. Currently, RE Today is working on a revision the current syllabus to build on the current practice and the idea would be to effectively keep the core of the syllabus the same, but to add adaptations, development, some additional elements that might emphasize more about world views, more about Ofsted’s ideas of ways of knowing, and the idea of looking at different disciplines as well.
4. There is work being done between RE Today and another local authority on a more radical development of a syllabus which represents a bigger step change.
5. Stephen Pett summarised that the options are for Herefordshire to stick with what it currently has, whether it has a revision to the current syllabus, or whether it goes to a more slightly radical change.
6. There are also other options available which are not RE Today’s syllabus which if the board wanted to view, then these could be presented as such options as well.

The Chair asked what the price difference of the different models were.

Stephen Pett pointed out that there is a licensing arrangement per school and they were the same when the different syllabus offerings were presented last time.

The Chair asked what the best method of being able to decide which syllabus is the one to go with.

Stephen Pett noted that updates would be provided at each stage and if discussions are had in the autumn and from Spring 2024, there will be draft options. The final decision will need to be made in Spring 2025 for a summer launch for a September start and there will be examples and example units to look at during this timeline.

Ruth Stanier asked whether it was already established which aspect of the syllabus is going to be changed and which are going to stay the same.

Stephen Pett responded that this was ongoing.

The Chair asked if a bespoke syllabus were chosen, how much it would roughly cost.

Stephen Pett responded that it would depend on how the board would want to create a new syllabus as it would involve teacher groups and the extent of the change that is wanted. Given the challenge of acquiring funding, it would cost more to create a bespoke syllabus because it would need to get teachers together and working parties would be needed, for example.

Cllr John Stone noted that financially, it would be better off going with the suggestions provided by Stephen Pett, on behalf of RE Today.

The Chair asked Tracy Westlake for her thoughts on the next RE syllabus from a teacher’s perspective.

Tracy Westlake commented that a bespoke syllabus would require a lot of people who have a lot of time and that this may not be realistic at the moment because people are so stretched. Instead, it was thought that to have something be put together by professionals from across the UK would represent a more realistic option.

Jonathan Nicholas asked if the license fee would be a one-off payment or an annual payment, and whether understanding Christianity would still be part of the syllabus provided by RE Today.

Stephen Pett confirmed that it would be a one-off payment for the five years and that the revision of the current syllabus would continue to have a large number of the understanding Christianity units within it.

Mark Harrington asked if a Westhill award application would be considered in the future where SACREs are funded to put a piece of work together with several produced videos using local faith leaders as a resource for their schools and use that money that way.

The Chair noted that if it was for something other than the actual syllabus, we could.

Stephen Pett added that Shropshire SACRE has a resource which is about local faith community representatives, which was funded through the Westhill grant.

The board agreed and approved that the next syllabus is a revised version of the current syllabus and not a bespoke one.