To receive apologies for absence.

Apologies were received from Councillor P.E. Harling and Mr Z Pandor.

To receive details of any Member nominated to attend the meeting in place of a Member of the Conference.

There were no named substitutes.

To approve and sign the minutes of the meeting held on 28th November, 2005.

RESOLVED: That the minutes of the meeting held 28th November, 2005 be approved as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

To consider the second draft of the Herefordshire Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education, to consider any further amendments in the light of further consultation and to consider formally recommending the revised Agreed Syllabus to the Local Education Authority.

Note: If the Agreed Syllabus Conference is minded to agree the Religious Education Syllabus then all Committees constituting the Agreed Syllabus Conference must UNANIMOUSLY AGREE to recommend the Agreed Syllabus to the Local Education Authority for use in schools for which, or for the class or description of pupils for which, it was prepared.

(Copies of the second draft Agreed Syllabus have been issued to Members of the Conference and are available to the public on request.)

The Syllabus Conference considered the second draft of the Herefordshire Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education, considered any further amendments in the light of further consultation and considered formally recommending the revised Agreed Syllabus to the Local Education Authority.

Arising from the redrafting work undertaken by the various working parties involving teachers, the comments made by schools to the consultation draft and the subsequent deliberations by the Agreed Syllabus Conference Working Group, the Agreed Syllabus Conference considered the proposed second draft Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education, copies of which had been issued to Members prior to the meeting.  The Consultant for RE reported upon the response made by schools, a synopsis of which had been included in the agenda.

The Consultant reported that bullet point 6 in the right hand column on page 68 included reference to “special objects and symbols found in some Jewish homes and in a synagogue and …” which had also been included in column 3 bullet point 5 on page 69.  She suggested that the words “and in a synagogue” be deleted, in “Belonging” on page 69, as this would bring the emphasis in line with the section theme of “Belonging”

The Agreed Syllabus Conference agreed that the ‘enquiry approach’ to the review had been the right approach and considered that the revised second draft should be sufficiently robust to direct Religious Education for the next 5 years.

The Clerk to the Syllabus Conference emphasised that all Committees constituting the Agreed Syllabus Conference must be satisfied with the proposed Revised Syllabus and explained the voting procedure for recommending the Syllabus to the Local Education Authority.

RESOLVED:

That    (a)                    subject to making the suggested amendment concerning “and in a synagogue” (as referred to above) and the amendment of any minor layout or typographical errors found during final proof reading the revised Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education for Herefordshire be agreed;

                                    and

(b)                It be UNANIMOUSLY AGREED that the revised Herefordshire Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education be recommended to the Local Education Authority.

To receive a report on the Local Education Authority (LEA) proposals for the layout, printing, production, distribution, follow up training and provision of non-statutory guidance etc, connected with the issue and implementation of the new Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education.

The Agreed Syllabus Conference received a report on the Local Education Authority (LEA) proposals for the layout; printing; distribution; follow-up training and provision of non-statutory guidance connected with the issue and implementation of the new Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education.

The Consultant for RE reported that:

• To reduce the printing time a draft had already been given to the printers to set up, however, there was still a lot to do in relation to proof reading the printers copy etc.  It was still intended to publish the Syllabus in a four ring binder with the ‘programme of study’ as a fold out page.  The published document should be in schools by May 2006.

• Teachers would be invited to attend training sessions, which would be held in 4 primary schools around the County and in 1 secondary school.  Members of the syllabus working parties would be involved in providing the training.  Details about Training dates would be included when the Syllabus was despatched.

• Both primary and secondary school non-statutory guidance had been written and the training sessions would be based on this guidance.  Unfortunately, due to time constraints, the Schemes of Work would not be as comprehensive and detailed as those currently available.  Further examples would be added in due course and the teachers who had worked on the development of the Schemes of Work available were thanked for doing so.

• Despite requests to schools the draft Syllabus was lacking in appropriate (electronic format) art work/photographs, however, the LEA would look at its library to see if it held anything suitable.  Mrs J. Brown, Barrs Court School, also undertook to review their library of photographs for possible use.

• The Syllabus required a ‘Foreword’ and Bridget Knight would arrange for a joint text from the Chairman and the Director of Children’s Services to be produced.

• In addition to the printed version the intention was to produce the Syllabus on CD and ultimately make it available on the Council’s web site.

RESOLVED: That the proposals for the publication and implementation of the Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education as outlined by the LEA be approved.