Agenda and minutes

Lynda Ford-Horne, in the Chair, welcomed members of the BCP SACRE to the meeting.

To receive any apologies for absence.

Apologies for absence were received from Deneen Kenchington, Trevor Willis, and Shellie Jones-Kingsley.

To confirm and sign as a correct record the minutes of the Meeting held on 18 October 2023.

The minutes of the meeting on 18 October 2023 were confirmed as a correct record.

The SACRE received an update on activity within the hubs and networks as well as further details regarding upcoming hub training sessions. The Committee was advised of the rescheduling of a cancelled hub training session and the future sessions that were scheduled.

An update was received regarding network meetings that had been held as well as the future meeting dates and the attendance.

Details were shared regarding the upcoming autumn term hub lead practitioner training with the date to be confirmed.

There were no matters raised regarding items not covered in the meeting.

The SACRE was updated on the positive work taking place in schools

and informed that there were no specific reports or concerns to raise by schools. However, if schools were to raise concerns about community tensions there are community teams within BCP that would be able to provide some support.

Details were given regarding the Call to action for high-quality RE to career leaders and to promote students to see the long-term options that the subject offers. As well as offering it as a resource to RE teachers which would be shared with the career leader network.

The Chair advised that the annual letter about Ramadan had been sent to schools to provide information and knowledge to teachers with students who were fasting. Additionally, resources from the organisation Together for Humanity would be sent to all secondary schools to guide teachers in teaching during the current challenges.

The 2024/25 Action Plan was updated at the beginning of the term and circulated. The action plan was noted, and contributions to the action plan were invited. It was requested that as a part of the released syllabus, more resources be shared with schools to build a bank of resources.

The Newsletter was released in January and the next one was being worked on, with contributions invited.

There was some discussion about whether an RE conference should be held this year, SACRE were keen for an RE conference to be organised.

The SACRE was advised that resources would be limited but there would be resources that could be delivered in-house. An RE conference does allow SACRE members to meet RE teachers and share expertise. 

It was agreed that a possible date for the RE conference could align with the next SACRE meeting on 19 June. Discussion would continue outside of the meeting to agree on possible dates for the RE conference to be held.

The Chair reported that the main event for Holocaust Memorial Day was held at the Lighthouse. A second-generation speaker shared her father's story at the event and then engaged with 450 year 8 students at a later visit to Parkstone Grammar School. Additionally, students were given a presentation about Holocaust Memorial Day in the BCP and Dorset area, with approximately 800 children having the opportunity to meet a Holocaust survivor or second-generation survivor.

During the meeting, the Chair suggested that schools should be contacted after interfaith week to see what work they have offered for students within that period and raised this to be added to the agenda for the September meeting. The discussion highlighted that since COVID, schools have been conducting more virtual sessions, which can be beneficial, but they miss the opportunity to meet speakers face to face. It was noted that it has become more difficult to hold events outside of schools due to transport costs for travelling to events, making it more challenging to attend these events.

BCP established a new interfaith group, which held its inaugural event, a peace visual, in January. The Chair announced that another peace visual is scheduled for some time in May.

Additionally, the SACRE agreed to reintroduce opening reflections at the start of each SACRE meeting and to include them on the agenda for the next meeting.

The following meeting dates were confirmed for the next academic year: 19 June 2024 (Summer Term), 13 November 2024 (Autumn Term) and 11 March 2025 (Spring Term).

The Chair raised concerns regarding the dates that have been scheduled without SACRE approval and asked if some dates could be changed to work with the Committee's availability. Additionally, it was requested that meeting times be pushed back to after 4.15 pm to cater for teachers' attendance.