To receive an update on the SACRE Annual Conference 2007.

Due to transport arrangements and to enable the students to return to school the Chairman agreed to take Agenda Item 8 – SACRE Annual Conference – Update, as the next item.

The Chairman welcomed Miss L Wells, Miss E Pearson, Master A Neilson and Master L Vincent who were students from Wigmore High School.

Kate Mayglothling explained that a number of Year 10 students from Bordesley Green Girls School, Birmingham, visited Wigmore High School in March for a one-day conference, when Muslim and Christian speakers shared their views with students on the theme of ‘what it is to be human’.  Though different in culture, Bordesley Green being an urban all girls predominantly Muslim school, both sets of students had enjoyed discussing their common humanity.

With the aid of a PowerPoint presentation compiled by student from Wigmore the four Wigmore students gave an excerpt from the presentation they intend to give at the SACRE Annual Conference in September.

The students reported that the day conference had taken the form of four workshop sessions based on exploring Christian or Muslim perspectives on ‘being human’ and feed back sessions.  A major learning point had been that what you hear or read in the news may not be the full picture in that the extremist actions in the name of religion by a few should not be seen to be representative of the whole.  An outcome of the day had been the wish to have videoconference links with other schools to further their development of understanding and contact with other school/faith communities.

SACRE noted that the students had had time to talk informally and had ascertained that the preconception of the Bordesley Green students had been that the Wigmore students would be atheists and have inferior morals.  Rather than having any major religious concerns the Bordesley Green students seemed to have been more surprised by the rural location and the lack of local facilities e.g. a shopping mall.

Questioned further on areas of difference between the two sets of students the Wigmore students had found, apart from some language difficulties, they had actually more areas in common e.g. music and sport.

Kate Mayglothling reported that while the event had taken a lot of organising it was hoped that a similar visit to Bordesley Green Girls School could be arranged.  SACRE appreciated the effort Kate Mayglothling had put into both the day conference and the preparation of the presentation and commended this type of exchange of view to other schools.

The Chairman thanked the Wigmore students for their presentation and looked forward to the full presentation at the SACRE Annual Conference on 27th September. 

At this point the meeting adjourned for 5 minutes.

On resuming The Consultant for Religious Education reported that arrangements were proceeding well for the Annual Conference to be held at Hedley Lodge Belmont, however, she was a little disappointed that at this stage the take up of places had been slow.

It was commented that as a number of school self-evaluation forms had identified the provision of further professional development in Religious Education to be an issue, it was a concern that schools hadn’t, as yet, taken up this opportunity to attend. 

RESOLVED That the presentation and the report be noted.