The Chair explained that the proposal was to add another priority area to the action plan to SACRE. There were three suggestions:

·       Strengthen professional relationships between SACRE members, stating that it was important for its various members (Councillors, school and faith representatives) to know each other better. She suggested that SACRE members have a meal together after the next meeting in March 2024.

·       Establish a simple system to enable SACRE to support teaching and learning in RE in RBWM schools. This would involve SACRE becoming the ‘go-to’ hub for faith representatives to visit schools. The Chair acknowledged that this would require training for representatives through the Hub.

Anne Andrews said that the Hub website was a ‘one-stop shop’, and they offered free training for places of worship, organisations and speakers who wished to be accredited and Kitemarked to visit and talk at schools. She added that Anthony Lewis did not need to do this because all accredited Humanists speakers were automatically Kitemarked by the RE Hub, though she mentioned that this did not prevent Anthony Lewis from adding his details to the RE Hubs website.

Anne Andrews informed meeting attendees that the website was free to access and recommended the training. She offered to share the link to the Hub website.

The Chair suggested that the website link could be included in the meeting minutes.

ACTION: The RE Hubs weblink to be added to the minutes.

RE Hubs website:www.re-hubs.uk

ACTION: All faith representatives willing to make visits to schools to seek appropriate training.

The Chair elaborated that this would give SACRE an enabling and active role, stating that there were schools which wanted to invite speakers to visit and that the processes involved needed to be formalised.

ACTION: SACRE to develop a formal procedure for schools’ requests for faith group representatives to visit.

·       Hold a 'Worldviews Exhibition'. Having visited West Sussex SACRE in October 2023, the Chair said that this SACRE had held a ‘Worldviews Roadshow’. This involved an exhibition showcasing all faith groups with their representatives as well as teachers across the key stages being invited to build connections with faith leaders who could potentially visit their schools. It included religious films, artefacts and food (e.g., Jewish cake).

The Chair asked SACRE members what they thought about the proposals. Laura Dexter supported the idea of a Worldviews Exhibition for teachers to attend. Vicci Davidson also supported the idea, stating that it would be useful for everyone to better understand each other.

Michael Gammage highlighted that the Chair visited his house and gave a talk to a U3A group about RE in schools, namely what was taught and what should be taught as well as discussing RE in a broader societal context and the merits of SACRE.

The Chair extended her gratitude to Thomas Kingsley-Jones, Laura Dexter and Barbara Meaney (Vice-Chair, Roman Catholicism) for allowing themselves to be interviewed by her about RE teaching at their schools. Describing the interview process as wonderful, the Chair hoped to show these interviews to SACRE without requiring an additional meeting. She said that a suggested time would potentially need to be sought which was suitable for the three aforementioned teachers and anybody else who was interested.

ACTION: Schedule a time to share the three interviews about RE teaching from Laura Dexter, Barbara Meaney and Thomas Kingsley-Jones with SACRE members.

Anthony Lewis supported the three aforementioned proposals, stating that he enjoyed sitting on multi-faith panels, having sat on some in Buckinghamshire and West London.

Thomas Kingsley-Jones agreed with the Chair’s proposals, particularly the first one on the grounds that it was important for SACRE members to know each other and to build connections, elaborating that there would be little basis to the claim that teachers were advocating understanding of other people if they did not really know other SACRE members.

ACTIONS:

o   SACRE members to identify an ideal time of year for a ‘Worldviews Exhibition’ to be held in the Borough and to make initial plans for this to take place.

o   The Chair to confer with colleagues in order to find a suitable venue and SACRE members to consider having a meal together, at that venue, after the next meeting on 4^th March 2024.

(Barbara Meaney entered the meeting at 6:26pm)