Agenda and draft minutes

The Clerk to invite nominations for Members to serve as the Chair and Vice Chair of the North Yorkshire SACRE for the 2025–26 Academic Year.

The Clerk introduced the election of the Chair and Vice-Chair for the 2025-26 academic year.  Members were advised that only nominations received were for the incumbents, Cllr Alyson Baker as Chair, and Sarah Beveridge as Vice Chair.

With the assent of the meeting, Cllr Baker and Sarah Beveridge accepted the nominations.

Cllr Alyson Baker in the chair

The Chair welcomed members to the first meeting of the academic year, expressing appreciation for their continued commitment to SACRE and its role in promoting leadership and understanding across diverse communities.  Reference was made to the inclusion of the Constitution and Code of Conduct in the meeting papers, and to the new NASACRE Handbook.  The Chair also acknowledged the significance of current religious observances in the Jewish calendar and recognised the longstanding contributions of Tara Askew (Group B) and Heather Russell (Senior Education Advisor) to SACRE, who had both left recently.  The Chair expressed the thanks of SACRE for their work over the years.

Apologies were received from Prof John Adams, Tom Clayton, and Chris Devanny (Group A); Lee Talbot (Group B); Councillor Robert Heseltine, and Councillor Simon Myers (Group D).

Members to approve the minutes of the meeting held on 17 June 2025 as an accurate record.

The minutes of the meeting held on 17 June 2025 were agreed as an accurate record.

There were no declarations of interest.

Members of the public may ask questions or make statements at this meeting if they have given notice to Edward Maxwell, Clerk to North Yorkshire SACRE (contact details below) by midday on Thursday 25 September, three working days before the day of the meeting.  Each speaker should limit themselves to 3 minutes on any item. Members of the public who have given notice will be invited to speak:

·         at this point in the meeting if their questions/statements relate to matters which are not otherwise on the Agenda (subject to an overall time limit of 30 minutes);

·         when the relevant Agenda item is being considered if they wish to speak on a matter which is on the Agenda for this meeting.

If you are exercising your right to speak at this meeting, but do not wish to be recorded, please inform the Chair who will instruct anyone who may be taking a recording to cease while you speak.

There were no public questions or statements.

Members to hear a presentation from a North Yorkshire school, on implementation of the RE syllabus.

James Broxup delivered a presentation outlining the implementation of the updated RE syllabus at Escrick C of E Primary School, following the launch of the North Yorkshire Locally Agreed Syllabus in June 2024.  He described a need for the school to strengthen disciplinary structure and personalisation.  With support from colleagues and training, the school undertook a significant curriculum redesign.

The revised curriculum now incorporates “golden threads” across all year groups, with clearly defined themes such as practices and worship, festivals and celebrations, morality and values, community and belonging, and beliefs and sacred texts.  Planning documents have been tailored to the school’s context, integrating substantive and disciplinary knowledge, progression mapping, and opportunities for personal knowledge.

The professional development gained through this process and the positive feedback received from staff, were highlighted.  The early stages of the curriculum’s implementation were noted, with further work planned around spirituality and enrichment opportunities.  Members expressed appreciation for the presentation and the collaborative approach taken, and welcomed future updates on its impact.

Agreed:  That the presentation be noted, and James Broxup invited to attend the September 2026 meeting of SACRE to present an update reflecting on changes over the intervening year.

To inform Members on work undertaken by the Professional RE Adviser since the last SACRE meeting, and to provide members with local and national updates on RE.

The Professional RE Adviser presented a report summarising key developments in since the previous meeting.  Information from the June 2025 meeting was carried forward to highlight ongoing training and support, including the continuation of RE Networks and the re-running of the Primary RE Leadership course, with a focus on curriculum development.  The SACRE newsletter was noted, and members were invited to contribute.  Commentary from RE organisations was included in the report, reflecting both concerns and celebrations within the sector.  Recent updates to Ofsted toolkits were highlighted, including references to the statutory nature and quality of RE, as well as its contribution to wider personal development.  These themes will be explored further in the autumn term RE Network.

Members raised concerns about the sustainability of specialist RE teaching, noting the cyclical impact of recruitment challenges and the closure of theology departments in higher education.  It was confirmed that annual workforce data, once received, would support local monitoring of specialist and non-specialist provision, particularly in secondary schools.  The importance of subject knowledge support and national lobbying was emphasised, with reference to the work of the RE Council and affiliated organisations in influencing curriculum policy and public understanding.  Local initiatives, including teacher networks and leadership training, were highlighted as valuable support mechanisms.  Clarification was sought on the scope of lobbying activity and its alignment with the curriculum and assessment review.

Agreed:  That the update be noted.

To inform Members on work undertaken by the Local Authority since the last SACRE meeting.  The report to the last SACRE meeting in June 2025, covering the period April to June is also included for information.

An update was provided by the Local Authority outlining key developments since the previous SACRE meeting.  Members were informed of progress in communication and resourcing, including the publication of the SACRE newsletter and the drafting of the Annual SACRE Report.  Updates were given on support for senior leaders and governors, with continued liaison through the School Improvement team.  The Local Authority confirmed that the relevant pages on CYPS-info had undergone their annual review, and Ofsted inspection outcomes were summarised, with commentary on RE and collective worship provision across a range of school types.  SACRE’s remit in relation to curriculum and worship was clarified in the context of inspection findings.

Members noted the departure of Heather Russell and welcomed Stuart Anslow, a former SACRE member and headteacher, who will pick up the role of SACRE Support Officer.  Inspection outcomes were discussed, with 26 additional reports received since the last meeting.  The overall picture was described as positive, with only one school receiving a comment relating to weaknesses within pupils’ recall of knowledge of other faiths and cultures.  It was clarified that the school had received ‘requires improvement’ judgements applied across all categories, with RE not specifically singled out.  Members welcomed the positive feedback and noted the importance of continued monitoring.

Agreed:  That the report be noted.

To review and comment on the Draft SACRE Annual Report for 2024-25, ahead of its planned consideration at the 9 December 2025 SACRE meeting.

Members received the draft SACRE Annual Report for review, with final approval scheduled for the December meeting.  It was noted that the report includes updated data from 2024, though Key Stage 4 and 5 data for 2025 may be unavailable due to anticipated delays.  The inclusion of findings from the annual teacher survey and the repeat of the biennial 'Growing Up in North Yorkshire’ 2024 survey data (which would be updated in the 2026-26 report) were highlighted.  Members welcomed the addition of photographs, though a correction was noted regarding image placement under the collective worship section.  The current Development Plan, included as an appendix, will be replaced in the next report cycle.  Members discussed ongoing challenges with data availability, particularly from examination boards.

The Chair expressed thanks for the work of officers in the School Improvement and Design Teams for helping prepare the draft.

Agreed:  That the draft report be noted, and a final version brought to the December meeting for approval.

Members to review and comment on the SACRE Development Plan 2024-26.

Members considered the SACRE Development Plan, offering comments and feedback on future items of work which would contribute to its effective implementation.

The importance of developing a visits framework was discussed, with members wishing to work towards combining an in-person meeting with a visit to a school in June 2026.  It was reported that, pending the approval of the dates of the 2025-2026 calendar of meetings, planning could begin for that visit in the next few weeks.  The need to work closely with a host school to ensure the supportive and collaborative aims of any visit was also emphasised.  It was agreed that the next Mid Cycle Briefing would discuss specific arrangements for this visit.  Members also noted a correction required to remove a reference to “NYCC”, to be changed to “NYC”.

Agreed:  That the comments be noted.

The next meeting of the SACRE will take place on Tuesday 9 December 2025, at 4:00pm.  It will be a hybrid meeting, held in The Brierley meeting room, County Hall, Northallerton.

The following dates are proposed for the following five meetings, and if approved by Members will be added to the public calendar.  All are hybrid meetings, beginning at 4:00pm.

a)    Tuesday 21 April 2026.

b)    Tuesday 16 June 2026.

c)    Tuesday 22 September 2026.

d)    Thursday 3 December 2026.

e)    Tuesday 20 April 2027.

Members considered the proposed dates of meetings to be held, up to April 2027.

Agreed:  That the dates be confirmed and calendar invites sent to members.

As this is the first meeting of the new academic year, North Yorkshire SACRE’s Code of Conduct and Constitution are included for information.

The Chair drew SACRE’s attention to the Code of Conduct, Constitution, and new NASACRE handbook which had been circulated for information.  It was confirmed that the next meeting would include a training session on the NASACRE handbook, and members were requested to review it in detail ahead of the next meeting.

Agreed:  That the reports be noted.

To receive a briefing on the newly updated NASACRE Handbook.