Agenda and minutes

The Chair welcomed attendees to the meeting, and noted recent and forthcoming religious festivals, wishing well to those who had and would be commemorating.  These included Shavuot on 1 – 3 June in the Jewish community, Eid al-Adha celebrated by Muslims on 6 June, and the Sikh festival of Martyrdom of Guru Arjan Dev on 16 June.

The Chair also welcomed the two new members who had joined SACRE since the last meeting, Mayan Leadley-Yoward (Group A), and Mary Lou Byrne (Group C).

A short verbal report was given on the NASACRE conference, which had taken place on Monday 19 May.  Delegates were welcomed by the Chair of Newham SACRE, who highlighted the borough’s linguistic and religious diversity.  The conference focused on the role of SACREs in fostering flourishing communities, with Bill Moore urging SACREs to take a stand on key issues and promote curiosity through RE.  A recorded message from Lord Khan of Burnley emphasised RE’s role in social cohesion and its inclusion in curriculum reform.  Dr Joyce Miller explored how Religion and Worldviews can support identity and community in schools. The importance of engaging with NASACRE to represent North Yorkshire, and highlight its specific challenges, was highlighted by the Chair.

Apologies were received from Tom Clayton (Group A), Councillors Janet Jefferson, Annabel Wilkinson, and Simon Myers (Group D).  In addition, Abhijeet Kulkarni and Mohinder Singh Chana had contacted the Clerk to say they were unable to join the meeting for technical reasons, and gave their apologies.

Members to approve the minutes of the meeting held on 1 April 2025 as an accurate record.

The minutes of the meeting held on 1 April 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 12 March, 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 (RE Lead at Escrick C of E Primary School) gave his apologies as he was unable to join the meeting due to technical reasons.

Agreed:  That the presentation be deferred to the next meeting.

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 updating the SACRE on local and national RE matters and informing on work undertaken since the last meeting.  Two Primary RE Networks held in the spring term were attended by 31 teachers and focused on assessment in RE, with teachers sharing a range of practical strategies and challenges.  The training programme for 2025–26 was confirmed, including termly Primary RE Networks and a two-part leadership course for new or developing subject leads.  Nationally, a recent FFT Education Datalab report highlighted that GCSE Religious Studies offers strong academic outcomes, particularly for girls and disadvantaged pupils, suggesting its value in promoting equity and progress.  A new blog from the National Governance Association was highlighted, which urges governing boards to champion RE as a vital subject for fostering critical thinking, social cohesion, and cultural literacy.

Members discussed the report and asked about the level of input from the community and faith representatives.  It was highlighted that SACRE members were engaged to check the content of advice to be shared with schools, and asked for contributions to the SACRE Newsletter.  The need to adequately represent different parts of the Primary RE network was acknowledged, and the benefits of repeated attendance – including from some SACRE members – was also highlighted as allowing for greater professional development.

Agreed:  That the report be noted.

To inform Members on work undertaken by the Local Authority since the last SACRE meeting.

The Principal Education Advisor (Monitoring) presented an update on recent activity supporting SACRE.  It was noted that the report was not included in the agenda pack in a clerical error, and it was agreed that the report would be presented verbally.  The Principal Adviser agreed that they would repeat the content in the report pack for the subsequent meeting in September.

The report covered the distribution of the Summer term newsletter and the coordination of training opportunities through NASACRE.  Officers attended the NASACRE Annual Conference and associated training, and have launched the annual RE and Collective Worship survey for schools.  Work had begun on the next SACRE development plan, and support continues for RE subject leaders and governors through dedicated staffing and resources.  Ofsted reports from ten schools were reviewed, highlighting positive pupil attitudes towards diversity, tolerance, and respect, with several schools demonstrating strong alignment with the aims of the agreed syllabus.

Members discussed the recent Ofsted report for Carnagill Community Primary School, which was broadly positive but included a comment that “pupils’ understanding of British values is not well developed.”  The discussion explored SACRE’s statutory role in offering support and guidance to schools where such issues are identified, and clarified that the impact of the RE curriculum is likely to be considered as part of the British Values judgement, but they are not the same thing.  Officers advised that it was best practice for SACRE to assist constructively in these cases and countered that the were positive comments regarding ethos and values and the area for improvement was more directly related to pupils’ knowledge and ability to recall of the 5 British Values.  Members reflected on the importance of language when addressing sensitive topics, noting the role of RE in equipping pupils to explore belief and values critically and independently, rather than through imposed narratives.  It was agreed that officers would signpost relevant resources and support to the school to assist in responding to the feedback.

Agreed:  That the report be noted.

To seek comments and contributions from members on the Draft SACRE Development Plan 2024-26.

Members considered the Draft SACRE Development Plan, seeking feedback on a new version which would be a new standing item on the agenda.  The previous 2022-24 Development Plan had rolled over by default, and input was sought from members to create an updated draft 2024-26 Development Plan.  Initial comments from the Cahir, Vice-Chair, and lead officers were provided, and contributions from the remainder of SACRE would be considered and approved at the next meeting.

The need to consider Collective Worship (Item 4 on the NASACRE Self-Evaluation Toolkit, which was used as a framework for the Development Plan) was noted.  Currently a Working Group had met in 2024, and further information was being sought from schools on the current picture of Collective Worship in schools.  This would inform a review of the support and guidance offered by SACRE to schools, which was recognised as being out-of-date.

Members also expressed an interest in attending schools in order to find out more about the reality of RE in schools, both as part of formal visits and holding SACRE meetings at school sites.  The need to work collaboratively with schools to ensure the visits were supportive and collaborative was recognised, as well as updates which were required to a school visits framework, which would ensure that the aims and objectives of such visits were clear.

During the discussion, the Chair suggested that one meeting per year might be held at a school, which might also be combined with a visit prior to the meeting.  It was agreed that officers would discuss this proposal at the next Mid Cycle Briefing, with a view to holding the June 2026 meeting at an external venue, and report back at the next meeting.

Agreed:  That the comments be incorporated into a Draft SACRE Development Plan for 2024-26, to be considered at the next meeting.

The next meeting of the SACRE will take place on Tuesday 30 September 2025, at 4:00 pm. It will be a hybrid meeting, held in The Grand meeting room, County Hall, Northallerton, with the option of attending via Teams.

The date of the next meeting, on Tuesday 30 September at 16:00, was noted.