Conference and AGM

2014

Rising to the Challenge

22 May 2014

Over 120 delegates, representing 83 SACREs attended the annual conference and AGM.

Keynote address

Our keynote speaker, Stephen Lloyd, MP opened the conference. Stephen has kindly given permission for notes taken of his address to be made available.

SACRE presentations

Following the business meeting and lunch, 10 SACREs presented work which they have been doing. Go to the SACRE presentations page.

Re SACREs

Helen Harrison, vice chair of the Religious Education Council gave an address which explore how the REC is supporting and empowering teachers in delivering good RE and how this relates to the work of dedicated SACREs.

20+ ideas for SACREs

As the conference drew to a close, Lesley Prior read out a list of ideas which SACREs might consider in their meetings:

  1. Contact your local MP and encourage membership of the APPG
  2. The Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) recently passed a resolution that the union should be properly represented on all SACREs so delegates are encouraged to lobby other unions. Members of the NASUWT executive are also taking this forward
  3. Engage with initial teacher training (ITT) providers and get some of them involved in SACRE or presenting to a meeting
  4. Engage with the media locally and nationally and with social media to counter wider public ignorance
  5. Encourage schools to sign up for the RE Quality Mark (REQM)
  6. Think about who is in charge of academy chains and free schools in your area. Teachers from these schools can be included as representatives in Group C of SACREs
  7. Get your local authority scrutiny committee to engage with the Annual SACRE Report
  8. Develop youth SACREs and encourage young people’s contributions
  9. Hold SACRE meetings in schools and include a training session for teachers
  10. Report schools which do not include RE or do it properly to the local authority
  11. Make links with post 16 RE
  12. Develop a resource collection for loan to schools
  13. Have a sub-committee to support and deliver collective worship in schools
  14. Sponsor competitions eg artwork for inclusion in the annual report
  15. Work to support faith group visitors into schools
  16. Develop a young ambassadors project
  17. Engage governors. The information included in pages 40-41 of the Governors Handbook about RE is not clear and NASACRE might submit a rewriteRotate chairmanship through the four groups of SACRE
  18. Engage teachers in working parties when developing a locally agreed syllabus. Process is important not just the end product and this involves and develops teachers
  19. Find out if there are any subject leaders of education (SLEs) you could work with. You can find out from the National College website if there are any RE SLEs in your areas
  20. Ensure whatever you do has a positive impact on teaching and learning in classrooms.

Download 20+ ideas.