Agenda and minutes

It was agreed that Paula Ridgway be elected as chairman of the Agreed Syllabus Conference for 2011-12.

To approve as a correct record the minutes of the meeting on 10 November 2011.

The minutes of the meeting held on 8 March 2012 were agreed as a correct record.

Jo Fageant reported that the methodology for the syllabus had now been agreed as the questions had been revised for Key Stages One, Two and Three. The questions had emerged from questions already in place. An obvious progression could be seen from Key Stage One, to Two and then to Three, in the example Jo Fageant gave. The syllabus would include subject material to help answer the questions.

Work would now need to be done around the content on the major faiths sections and this would be an area where the input of SACRE faith representatives was crucial. A session will be held on 19 March, at Tilehurst Free Church, Meadway, Reading between 1pm and 8pm to which all Group A and Group B SACRE representatives would be invited to offer their input on their respective faiths, which could then be added to the syllabus. SACRE Faith group representatives were not expected to attend the whole session but to drop-in between 1pm and 8pm.

It was crucial that consensus was reached within each faith, by those in different groups in each faith, as to what the content should be in the syllabus, as Jo will not be responsible for this aspect of the syllabus. To this end, email addresses would be shared within faith groups to allow them to develop consensual guidance by 19 March, which could then be added to the syllabus.

All material will be added to the West Berkshire website by the end of the week, to ensure all SACRE members had access to the draft syllabus.

After 19 March, it was hoped that the syllabus will then be in a final draft format.

SACRE members noted that the content in the syllabus had been developed over many years and asked whether it was likely that there would be much change to this content. Jo Fageant stated that changes were likely to be limited, however if faith communities fed into the process, it was hoped that some specialist content may be added, making the syllabus more authentic and diverse.

The Vice-Chairman thanked Jo Fageant for all her amazing work on this syllabus and in those in past years.

15 May 2012 – the Agreed Syllabus will be approved at this meeting.