Issue - meetings

Denise informed the Committee that there was a need to review the agreed syllabus for Haringey. It was agreed that in doing so, SACRE would need to take account of the religious affiliation of pupils in Haringey schools.

The Children’s Service did not have figures for the religion of schoolchildren, as it was not data that they collected centrally. The Chair presented figures on religious affiliation from the census of 2001, which had a religion question. These figures, however, covered adults not children.

Approximately 50% of the population of Haringey described themselves as Christian, 11% as Muslim and just over 2% each as Hindu and Jewish. There were 20% of the population who stated that they had no religion and 12% of respondents did not state their religion.

Looking at other boroughs with similar demographics, it was the case that – as Christianity and Islam were the 2 most commonly-followed religions in Waltham Forest – they had decided to make study of Christianity and Islam compulsory for each Key Stage in their syllabus. Other religions would be taught, but only in one or two of either Key Stages 1, 2 or 3.

Lambeth had also drafted an agreed syllabus, copies of which were circulated by the clerk. This syllabus had been based on Greenwich’s one, which they had bought the rights to modify.

In order to work on an agreed syllabus, there would have to be an Agreed Syllabus Conference. This would consist of representatives from all the groups represented on SACRE (Groups A, B, C and D). All 4 groups would have to agree in order to move forward with a new agreed syllabus. A suggestion was made by the Chair that a meeting could be held relating to the establishment of an agreed syllabus conference on 1 November 2006.