Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from:

Group A:         Mr K Ranganathan and Ms Breda Parsons.

To approve the minutes of the meeting held on 22 March 2007.

RESOLVED

That the minutes of the meeting held on 22 March 2007 were approved.

Matters arising:

SACRE 13

Rev Allaway had been substituted for the meeting held on 33 March 2007.

SACRE 19

The meeting date for 6 September 2007 was changed to 12 September 2007.

SACRE 20

Ms Chaplin advised the Committee that the Islam Expo Exhibition had been postponed for a year as the timescale was too short to organise an event on the same scale as last year.   Islam Awareness week would still take place and the theme for the week was the same as last year ‘One world one people’.

To consider members attendance during the Municipal year 2006-07.

The Committee was informed that Cllr Santry had tendered her resignation from the Committee.  The Clerk was requested to seek confirmation of Cllr Santry’s resignation in writing and the name of her replacement.  It was also noted that Eddie Griffith could not be a council representative as he was already on SACRE as a Church of England representative.

The Committee also reviewed the report attached to the agenda and requested that dates where Members were not expected to have attended the meetings should be shaded.    Members further discussed and considered the co-option of young people and parents onto the Committee.   The Committee decided to look at this in more detail once the Agreed Syllabus for RE was launched in September 2007.

RESOLVED 

That confirmation be sought that Cllr Santry had resigned from the Committee.  That replacement Members be sought for Cllr Santry and Cllr Griffith.

The Committee was informed by Ms Breed that the Authority recognised that most schools acknowledged different religions in their schools and that students took time off for religious festivals.   The Director of Children & Young Peoples Services, Ms Sharon Shoesmith would be writing to all schools to support their young people and allow pupils authorised absences from school to celebrate religious festivals.    This would include, for example,  Muslims who attended Roman Catholic schools.  Ms Shoesmith had requested that SACRE support her letter.

The Committee considered the proposal and requested that the letter to all schools should include the following:

• That the letter should be written in general terms not attaching specific dates.
• That staff as well as students should be granted authorised absence.
• That the letter should be accompanied by guidance for schools which would be helpful.

RESOLVED

That the Committee agreed to endorse the Director’s letter in support of pupils being granted authorised absence to celebrate religious festivals.

The Committee was asked to note the proposed school open days for 2008.

RESOLVED

That the report be noted.

The Launch take place on Tuesday 25 September 2007.

Mr Breed advised the Committee that the invitations to the launch of the Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education had been issued.   Mr Yarrow offered to invite to the launch the children from Hornsey School for Girls Gospel Choir to sing.   Ms Parmar offered to identify elements of some work she had been doing linked to the use of ICT and teaching about Hinduism.  Mr Ibrahim offered to contact the Wightman Road Mosque for a Muslim contribution to the launch.  Ms Breed further requested that all members invited to the launch to RSVP.

The Chair reported that along with Ms Chaplin, she had attended the Haringey Forum meeting held on 18 April 2007.  Concerns had been raised there about young people not being allowed by their school to have leave of absence to attend religious holiday events.   Discussion had taken place around information made available to schools about different faiths and concern had been expressed that schools were unaware of what information was available.  It was suggested that schools should have open dialogue with their faith communities.  Ms Chaplin advised that there was already a lot of information on the Haringey website.  It was suggested that the materials be reviewed and updated as necessary and that SACRE consider how to signpost schools and faith communities to these materials.

The Chair announced that she had attended the Conference in Birmingham representing Haringey SACRE.  Delegates were introduced to proposals for a National Strategy for Religious Education and SACRE were able to see what these included. 

There was a useful page in the strengthening SACREs information about how a SACRE can monitor RE differently in the years following an Agreed Syllabus launch, which our SACRE could consider.

Ms Chaplin advised the Committee that the attached plans for SACREs effectiveness had been produced by NASACRE to inform the Strategy proposals.

RESOLVED

That Members note the report.

Ms Chaplin informed the Committee that she had tabled a press release and published Ofsted report for members to take home and read in order to keep abreast of what as happening nationally and to bring back to the next meeting.

RESOLVED

That members consider and note the tabled Ofsted press release and report.

Confirmed dates following approval at the Council AGM on 21 May 2007.  All meetings will start at 7:00pm.

Wednesday 12 September 2007

Tuesday 8 January 2008

Tuesday 4 March 2008

It was agreed that a meeting would be needed in December to agree the Annual report.  The proposed date for a meeting in January was changed to 13 December to ensure this could happen.  Two further meetings will need to be agreed for the next municipal years in the school summer term.

The September meeting may be held at St Thomas More School – Ms Kambalu to check availability.

Wednesday 12 September 2007 ~ confirmed date.

Thursday 13 December 2007 ~ provisional date.

Tuesday 4 March 2007 ~ confirmed date.

All meetings start at 7:00pm.

Possible Agenda items for the next meeting:

1. Launch of the Syllabus.
2. SACRE website and the Council website.
3. Ofsted Long Report on RE.
4. Membership of young people on SACRE.
5. SACRE being proactive – going out into the community.

The meeting ended at 9:30pm.