Agenda and minutes

The meeting opened with welcome and a statement from Councillor Dr Michael Hardacre who reported he would be exiting the role of Cabinet Member for Education, Skills and Work in the new municipal year to become Deputy Mayor. He stated how enjoyable being a member of City of Wolverhampton SACRE had been and commended the Committee’s effectiveness and thoughtfulness in carrying out its activities. Thanks were extended to the Chair and Lat Blaylock for their contributions and support.

It was acknowledged that the meeting was not quorate and it was agreed to proceed on an informal basis with any agreed actions being ratified at the next quorate meeting.

Resolved:

That the meeting proceed on an informal basis with any agreed actions being ratified at the next quorate meeting.

Apologies were received from Aman Rai, Janine Wright and Laura Jude.

Apologies were also received from Emma Bennett.

[To approve the minutes of the meeting of 7 October 2021 as a correct record.]

Resolved:

That the minutes of the meeting of 7 October 2021 be approved subject to ratification at the next quorate meeting.

[To consider any matters arising from the minutes of the meeting held on 7 October 2021.]

There were no matters arising from the minutes of the meeting of 7 October 2021.

[To receive an update report from RE Today.]

Lat Blaylock, RE Today presented the report from Religious Education (RE) Today and highlighted key points.

Attention was drawn to the collating of Ofsted reports which refer specifically to RE and a summary was provided of the 11 common themes emerging. Links had been provided in the report for further reading.

It was raised that following research into the provision of government support for subject specific projects, there had been no funding allocated from the Department for Education (DfE) for religious education. It was reported that RE Today had been lobbying government to rectify this. Councillor Dr Michael Hardacre agreed to endorse and sign a letter drafted by Lat on behalf of Wolverhampton SACRE to local Members of Parliament and the Secretary of State to support this effort.

The NASACRE Conference was highlighted and it was reported that it was being held in person this year. It was suggested that a member of SACRE might like to attend as it would be hugely beneficial. Phil Leivers offered to attend as a representative of the local authority and SACRE members were encouraged to attend. It was confirmed that there was funding available to cover this and if the SACRE member happened to be a teacher, costs could be covered. An email would be circulated to the SACRE membership to offer the opportunity to attend.

Other items highlighted were the NATRE Spiritual Arts 2022 competition and themes, the RE:ONLINE writing competition as well and a series of links to training opportunities and free resources.

It was raised that a tailored version of the RE Today Report could be cascaded as a newsletter to subject leaders in schools. In response to a query, it was confirmed all information would be shared in RE Network Meetings.

Resolved:

1. That a letter endorsed by Councillor Dr Michael Hardacre be sent to local Members of Parliament and the Secretary of State to lobby for support in funding for RE in schools.
2. That an email be circulated to SACRE membership to encourage attendance at the NASACRE conference.

3.    That a tailored version of the RE Today Report be circulated as a newsletter to subject leaders in schools

[To receive an update on the progress of the Westhill Project.]

Lat Blaylock, RE Today and Phil Leivers, Representative of City of Wolverhampton Council provided a verbal update on the progress of the Westhill Project. Phil Leivers reported that two conferences to involve pupils and teachers had been set up, the first being scheduled for secondary schools on 26 May 2022 and the second (yet to be announced) for primary schools.

Lat Blaylock recapped the bid which had successfully secured £4,500 for an RE-based project, the theme for which had been chosen by Wolverhampton schools as using values in RE to reduce prejudice and racism. Lockdown restrictions had caused some difficulties due to inability to engage in consultation in person, however the project was progressing well.

It was reported that number of schools currently booked to attend was lower than the number that had expressed an interest, however Phil Leivers reported that efforts were being made to encourage attendance. It was hoped that there would be representation from a wide range of faiths and non-religious world views which would be valuable to informing the report required by Westhill for the next phase of the project.

Lat Blaylock offered to contact RE heads in secondary schools as well to offer places at the conference and also suggested increasing the number of places available for schools already booked on.

Resolved:

That the Westhill Project Update be received.

[To receive an update on Ofsted findings during the last quarter.]

Phil Leivers, Representative of City of Wolverhampton Council delivered the presentation outlining an update on the outcomes of Ofsted visits since the last meeting in October 2022. The schools that had been inspected had all received a rating of ‘good’ which for some was an improvement on the last inspection and for others a stable result. It was noted that St Stephen’s CE and Goldthorne Primary’s inspections had been the first since transforming into academies as had Ormiston SWB Academy and Ormiston NEW Academy. It was highlighted that the latter two had made a marked improvement since the last inspection and Councillor Dr Michael Hardcare had written to both.

It was noted that only Claregate Primary School and Ormiston SWB Academy had been subject to a deep dive into RE provision and there was only one comment made specific to RE recorded for Claregate Primary School, although it spoke positively of the teaching approach. Although there had not been many undertaken, the Council were still providing schools with support in preparation for deep dive exercises.

Resolved:

That the Ofsted Findings During the Last Quarter be noted.

[To receive an update on findings from SIAMS and Inspection 48 Visits.]

There had been no visits made since the last meeting of City of Wolverhampton SACRE.

·       16 June 2022

·       6 October 2022

·       9 March 2023

It was confirmed that meetings would still be held at 6.00 pm in the evening and the next scheduled dates were:

• 16 June 2022
• 6 October 2022

·       9 March 2023

The Chair extended his thanks to Councillor Dr Michael Hardacre on behalf of Wolverhampton SACRE for his contributions and wished him well before closing the meeting.