To consider the outcome of a survey of Religious Education from a cross section of Primary Schools in Herefordshire.

SACRE considered the outcome of a survey of Religious Education in 10 Primary Schools, representing a cross section of schools in Herefordshire.

The Head of Inspection, Advice and School Performance Service (IASPS) introduced Mr Mike Carter, retired Primary Inspector and Headteacher, who had undertaken a survey of Religious Education in Herefordshire Schools.   Mr Carter reported that with the support of the Board of Education of Hereford Diocese, a list of 10 primary schools, which represented a cross section of schools within the County, had been selected.  Of these schools, 3 had been church schools.  His comprehensive report had been issued in the agenda for the meeting.  He reported that all church schools involved in the survey had opted to use the agreed syllabus.  The following is a summary of the findings of the survey:

Ø      Although no observation of teaching and learning in RE formed part of the survey, it was apparent from the evidence being presented to support discussions with the Headteachers and RE Coordinators, (policies, guidelines, schemes of work and samples of pupils’ work), that RE was being taught imaginatively and creatively.

Ø      Section 23 inspections of the three church schools visited indicated that RE was well taught and managed and was a particular strength of each school.

Ø      The standard of assessing progress and achievement in RE was high in many of the schools visited, although recently appointed coordinators voice concerns about the management of the process.

Ø      All schools saw RE making an important contribution to citizenship and personal and social development, in which a climate of confidence was created that enabled children to hold, share and question their own and other people’s beliefs, values and attitudes.  Effective links were being made in some schools between RE and values education.

Ø      Schools worked hard to ‘practise what they preach’, ensuring that RE had a practical impact and influence within the wider community in which they were set.  Some played an active part in community issues that had their roots in the teaching of RE, such as involvement with the Christmas Shoe Box Appeal, participating in a parish plan, supporting the Tengeru Project in Africa and a noticeable improvement in supporting charitable events.

Ø      There was little evidence of sustained opportunities for pupils to benefit from visits to other faith communities or to receive visitors representing other faith groups.  The will to develop such links was there, but the practicalities of arranging visits to distant locations for these experiences were costly and time consuming.

Ø      Just under half the schools were experiencing changes in the appointments of RE Coordinators.  Training in the management of the subject had been experienced by existing RE Coordinators, but those new to post expressed an interest in training, particularly in the way that RE was assessed and the use and management of RE resources.

Ø      Schools were well resourced to support the teaching of Christianity but most conceded that they probably had insufficient resources to support the teaching of different religions.

SACRE were pleased to note that, overall, schools considered that they were well served by the Locally Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education and the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) guidelines for the subject.  SACRE debated the problems being experienced by schools in interacting with other faith groups.  It was noted that while Herefordshire was seen as being part of the West Midlands, and therefore looked towards Worcester, Birmingham and Wolverhampton, the possibility of contacting faith groups from Gloucestershire and South Wales should not be overlooked.  While organising school trips to go and see, first hand, religious customs, buildings and artefacts was commendable, it was suggested that an alternative may be to invite a religious representative, or a group of pupils, to visit the school.  This could be extended so that the representative visited a number of schools in the County.

Mr Pandor suggested that the Muslim community in Gloucestershire may be able loan artefacts or occasionally provide a representative speaker.

It was suggested that contact details of various religious groups in the region could be collated and circulated to schools or made available via a website.  However, it was acknowledged that the initial compilation of a database may be resource intensive and that the database would need to be up dated on a regular basis.  The Head of IASPS requested that he be informed of any funding to undertake such a project.

In relation to training for RE co-ordinators the Consultant for RE reported that a package of training was currently available and that the Working Group had commenced looking at training packages for subsequent years.  However, this work had been put on hold pending the outcome of the National Framework for RE.

SACRE thanked Mr Carter for an excellent report and suggested that it be made available to schools in the County.  SACRE agreed that this had been a very worthwhile exercise and considered that a similar survey should be undertaken on an annual basis.

RESOLVED: That report be noted and it be recommended to the Local Education Authority that a similar survey be undertaken on an annual basis.