Archived decisions

Contact: Clive Erricker - County Inspector - RE (02392 441459)

1. Summary

1.1 Hampshire SACRE is required to produce an Annual Report summarising its activity over the previous year.

1.2 A draft report for 2003-4 is attached for SACRE's approval. This will be forwarded to QCA and OFSTED and made publicly available on Hantsnet.

1.3 QCA produce an annual analysis of the reports it receives.

Recommendation

That SACRE approves the report.

Background Papers

The following documents disclose facts or matters on which this report or an important part of it, is based and has been relied upon to a material extent in the preparation of this report.

NB The list excludes:

1. Published works.

2. Documents which disclose exempt or confidential information as defined in the Act.

Annual Report of Hampshire SACRE 2003-4

1. Overview

1.1 This Annual Report covers the period from 1 September 2003 to 31 August 2004 during which time Hampshire SACRE met on three occasions. In addition the SACRE Monitoring Sub-Group also met on three occasions.

2. Religious Education

2.1 Locally Agreed Syllabus

The Hampshire Agreed Syllabus was reviewed in 2003-4. A working party of teachers and SACRE members from Hampshire, Portsmouth and Southampton LEAs was set up to conduct the review. As a result of the review a new shared Agreed Syllabus, Living Difference, was produced. This was published on July 12 2004 and launched on July 15 2004. It became the statutory guidance for RE in Hampshire, Portsmouth and Southampton on 1 September 2004.

2.2 Standards in Religious Education

OFSTED Findings

The findings of OFSTED for religious education are routinely monitored by the SACRE Monitoring Sub-Group. A summary of the findings is submitted to the full SACRE at its autumn term meeting.

Key Stages 1 and 2

Reports have been received from 68 schools in the primary phase during 2003/2004. In the previous year 37 reports for religious education were received.

The major findings reported to SACRE were that:-

_ at Key Stage 1, 88% of schools made satisfactory or good improvements since the last inspection and at Key Stage 2, 84% of schools have made improvements in the provision of RE since the last inspection.

_ at Key Stage 1, 86.5% of pupils achieve standards which are average or above and at Key Stage 2, 94% of pupils' achievements in RE are in line with or above expectations.

_ 10% of teaching was identified as less than satisfactory at Key Stage 1. 7.5% of teaching was identified as less than satisfactory at Key Stage 2. This represents a decline from last year when no teaching was judged unsatisfactory at either key stage.

_ A number of particular strengths were identified in the provision for RE at Key Stages 1 and 2 notably:

- High quality management of the subject

- Effective, good quality planning


- development of a good range and effective use of artefacts and other resources


- effective assessment procedures have been implemented in some schools.

_ Some features which are in need of further development have been identified as:

- development of cross curricular opportunities in religious education


- continued development of assessment and monitoring procedures in some schools.

_ two schools at Key Stage 1 were judged to be allocating insufficient time to the teaching of religious education. One of these schools was judged not to be meeting the legal requirements of the Agreed Syllabus for this reason.

Key Stages 3 and 4

Reports were received on 11 secondary schools during 2003/4. This does not include short inspection of schools within which religious education is not identified.

The main findings reported to SACRE were:

Key Stage 3

· Achievement of pupils: 63% of pupils achievement was judged as above average compared to 57% in 2002/3

· Quality of teaching and learning: 66.5% of teaching and learning was judged good or better compared to 71% in 2002/3. 33.5% was judged less than satisfactory compared to 0% in 2002/3

· Progress since last inspection (a new category): 72.5% was judged as good or better, 18.5% was judged as less than satisfactory

Key Stage 4

· Achievement of pupils: 63% of pupils achievement was judged as above average compared to 50% in 2002/3

· Quality of teaching and learning: 72.5% of teaching and learning was judged good or better compared to 83% in 2002/3. 9% was judged less than satisfactory compared to 0% in 2002/3

· Progress since last inspection (a new category): 72.5% was judged as good or better, 9% was judged as less than satisfactory

Overall findings

· In 7 out of the 11 schools inspected management of religious education departments is judged to be good, very good or excellent. In 2 of the schools management is satisfactory and in 2 schools the judgement is that management is unsatisfactory.

· In 6 of the schools, reports indicate that insufficient time is allocated to RE for non GCSE examination students at Key Stage 4.

· The majority of reports indicate that schools provide good or better teaching and learning in religious education.

e.g. "Good learning is a result of good teaching and very good attitudes. Resources such as aids to reading and writing, video and ICT help all students to be fully involved in their own learning."

Special Schools

One report was received on a school for pupils with special needs. The main findings were:

· Pupils make satisfactory progress at Key Stage 1 but the time allocated to the subject is not clearly prescribed and continuity of learning is not assured

· At Key Stage 2, due to careful planning, continuity in learning and good progress is assured

GCSE Results 2003

The results for GCSE (Religious Studies) and GCSE Short Course (Religious Education) are included as Appendix 1.

The main findings were:

· Long Course Numbers
There was a decline in numbers of Full course candidates in 2003, by 108 candidates, compared to 2002. This reverses the trend over the last five years, in which there was an increase each year.


· Short Course Numbers
There was an increase in numbers of Short Course candidates in 2003, by 1,452 candidates, compared to 2002. This was the largest annual increase so far.

· Long Course performance
Full Course performance improved by over 5% in 2003 compared to 2002. This improvement applied to both boys and girls but girls significantly outperformed boys.


· Short Course performance
Short Course performances declined by 9% in 2003, compared to 2002. Girls significantly outperformed boys.


· The residuals for the Long Course indicate a more positive performance than in 2002. The LEA residual in 2003 was just above the national residual. Long Course performance improved by over 5% in 2003 compared to 2002. This improvement applied to both boys and girls but girls significantly outperformed boys.

SACRE Monitoring Sub-Group

Hampshire SACRE Monitoring Sub-Group meets on a termly basis to review all available information about religious education in Hampshire and make recommendations about action to be taken.

The Sub-Group reviews Ofsted reports and GCSE and other examination data. It receives reports from officers about the results of LEA inspections, monitoring and intervention.

The Sub-Group identifies schools which have been particularly successful, and writes to them commending their achievement. It also identifies schools where there are concerns in relation to religious education and seeks further information from the LEA.

A report on the work of the Sub-Group is submitted to the full SACRE on a regular basis.

SACRE Self-Evaluation Sub-Group

SACRE decided to conduct a self-evaluation of its operation in June 2004. A sub-group was identified to determine the procedure for conducting the self-evaluation. The self-evaluation will be conducted during 2004-5. The sub-group will report back to SACRE on a regular basis.

Methods of teaching, the choice of teaching materials

Major new handbooks of guidance for secondary and primary schools are being produced to accompany the new agreed syllabus. These will include advice on schemes of work, assessment and resources in religious education across key stages. Four County development groups, two primary and two secondary, have been set up to produce the handbooks by July 2005. In the interim the work produced by the development groups will be disseminated through the newsletters and RE website for ongoing development in Hampshire schools.

Schools in Hampshire receive regular advice through the work of the Hampshire Religious Education Inspection and Advice Team and the County Religious Education Centre. Regular newsletters are available to all Hampshire schools which include advice on issues such as planning, assessment and resources. These are now also electronically available on the RE Centre website. The Inspection and Advice Team continue to regularly visit primary and secondary schools, working with coordinators, heads of department and RE staff, at the request of schools, to improve planning and delivery of RE.

SACRE supports the incorporation of a number of religious education activities within the current LEAs Education Development Plan. These include:

· Supporting RE departments within specified secondary schools.

2 departments were identified for additional support in 2003-4, this has resulted in improvement of planning, in terms of addressing teaching and learning based on the methodology for enquiry and skills in the new agreed syllabus

· Identifying good practice in secondary RE departments

8 departments were visited to identify good practice in RE. Good practice identified has been disseminated through the Secondary RE Newsletter and enabling other RE departments to make contact with good practitioners. Teachers who evidenced good practice have been invited to join County development groups and produce units of work to accompany the new agreed syllabus. Further examples of good practice will be identified in 2004-5

· Identifying good practice in primary RE

A large number of schools in the primary phase provide exemplary practice for religious education. 7 schools were selected and visited by a member of the RE inspector team in order to identify and disseminate their good practice through the RE Primary News and the RE website. A summary of the findings has also been submitted to be included on the HANTSWEB good practice website. A number of the RE managers from those identified schools are members of the development group responsible for producing support materials to accompany Living Difference.

· Key Stage 3 Foundation Strand Strategy

Hampshire LEA has continued to implement the national Key Stage 3 Strategy Foundation Subject Strand, which includes RE. Two leading teachers of RE have been identified to join the County team. The County Inspector liased closely with the two Key Stage 3 Consultants concerning their work in schools with RE teachers. Good practice has been disseminated through the RE Newsletter.

· Advanced Skills Teachers

Two Secondary ASTs in RE have been appointed in the county who assist the County Inspector for RE in raising standards in religious education and disseminating good practice. Their remit includes assisting the County Inspector in ensuring the ongoing development of departments in need of support, contributing to RE courses and newsletters and providing examples of effective planning in relation to the new agreed syllabus.

· Ofsted Licensed Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural courses for schools are offered by Hampshire to its schools. These are lead by the County Inspector for RE and the Intercultural Inspector. They supplement the work done in religious education by developing school provision for SMSC. Five of these courses ran successfully in 2003-4.

· Disseminating Effective Practice

Disseminating effective practice in RE during 2003-4 has concentrated on courses emphasising the importance of :

- Thinking skills and providing challenge

- Addressing the needs of more able pupils

- Inclusion, in terms of pupils with differing learning styles and pupils from differing faith and cultural backgrounds

- RE and ICT.

- Assessment and Target Setting

- Leadership through The Annual Heads of RE Conferences (Primary and Secondary), Managing RE course

The Hampshire RE website has continued to develop (www.hampshire-reweb.co.uk). It is an effective means of disseminating good practice and further information on courses, events and recruitment. The progress of reviewing the agreed syllabus has been presented on the website for information and to provide opportunity for teachers and SACRE members to respond to developments. The RE Newsletters are now posted on this site as well as being subscribed to in hard-copy. The website continues to provide support and guidance on teaching and learning in RE. The new agreed syllabus has been posted on this site and working group developments toward the construction of the new agreed syllabus were presented there during 2003-4.

Teacher Training

A full programme of in-service training courses has been provided (see Appendix 2 for details). The annual Primary and Secondary Conferences continued to recruit successfully. These are complemented with a series of inset courses which generally recruited successfully. All courses are offered to teachers in the neighbouring LEAs of Portsmouth and Southampton. In the Autumn Term 2004-5 a series of regional courses for effectively implementing the new Agreed Syllabus have been provided.

Complaints

No complaints were received about religious education under the local statutory complaints procedure.

Collective Worship

Advice

Advice for primary schools for providing worthwhile collective worship in schools was issued in the Spring 2004 RE Newsletter. Advice was given to specific secondary schools updating their policies on Collective Worship and good practice was disseminated to other schools. The regular newsletters have also included information about religious festivals and resources applicable to Collective Worship.

Monitoring

An analysis was undertaken of the provision and quality of Collective Worship in Hampshire schools as reported by Ofsted in 2003/4. In primary schools no issues arose but there is concern over some secondary schools not meeting statutory requirements. The findings do not include information about schools that received a `short' inspection.

Primary Phase Schools

All the inspection reports for primary phase schools that were scrutinised by the monitoring group indicate that the statutory requirement for providing collective worship is met.

A number of reports identified how collective worship contributes to areas of the curriculum and pupils' spiritual, social, moral and cultural development.

e.g. "Collective worship makes a good contribution to enriching religious education learning. Local ministers regularly lead school assemblies bringing opportunities for the pupils to learn about local places of worship."

"Pupils' self knowledge and spiritual awareness are well developed through planned provision for reflection in lessons and in collective worship."

"Collective worship is well co-ordinated and structured."

"Arrangements for collective worship are good and effective."

Secondary Schools

Not all the inspection reports of secondary schools made specific reference to the provision of collective worship. 4 out of the 11 reports received indicate that the schools inspected do not meet the statutory requirement in providing a daily act of collective worship.

Special Schools

One report was received on a special school. It commented that:

`Acts of collective worship are of very good and sometimes excellent quality and regular time is set aside in each class for reflection'

Training

No specific training opportunities in relation to collective worship were organised during the year. Requests for support from the County RE Team are met on a school -by-school basis.

Determinations and Complaints

No requests for determinations or formal complaints were received during the year.

Links

National and International Links

SACRE continues its membership of the National Association of SACREs and has been represented at their meetings and QCA conferences. SACRE was represented in the consultation process of the National Framework for RE.

The Inspection and Advice Team attended meetings of the Association of Religious Education Inspectors, Advisors and Consultants (AREIAC), including their national conference, and one of the team is an executive member of the association. This ensures Hampshire SACRE is fully informed of national developments and initiatives.

The County Inspector has maintained links with research into RE and Spiritual Development through editorial involvement on leading national and international journals, books and conferences. An article referring to the process of development of the new agreed syllabus has been published in a Turkish journal on beliefs and values. A paper on the new agreed syllabus for religious education and spiritual development has been given at an international conference on spiritual education and to postgraduate research students at Birmingham University and lecturers in RE in England and Wales. Through the County Inspector Hampshire has also been represented at international conferences on children's spirituality in Canada and at Bishop Grosseteste College, Lincoln, UK.

Local Links

The LEA maintains links with the local diocese RE teams, with other local faith communities, and with RE specialist teacher providers in regional institutions of higher education. The LEA continues with a partnership arrangement with Portsmouth and Southampton LEAs in respect of religious education and the support of SACREs. Through SACREs links with Southsea Synagogue a video was made for primary schools. A second video is planned with Southampton Medina Mosque. Links with the Wessex Jamaat Shia community near Fareham have been ongoing with a specific focus on teaching and learning that has informed the development of the new Agreed Syllabus.

SACRE Arrangements

Professional and Administrative Support

Hampshire County Council continues to provide professional and administrative support through the services of the Chief Executive's Department and the Education Directorate. The Hampshire Inspection and Advisory Service (HIAS) has one County Inspector and one General Inspector providing professional support.

Finance

A service level agreement between the Directorate and the Hampshire Inspectors and Advisory Service secures 45 days of professional support to SACRE. A further 45 days was made available for the review of the agreed syllabus in 2003-4. In 2004-5 60 days SACRE support has been made available and 20 days for the implementation of the new agreed syllabus through the development groups established.

Other Issues

Provision of Specialist RE Teachers in Hampshire Secondary Schools

During the year links established with regional providers of newly trained specialists, notably in Chichester, Southampton and Roehampton were consolidated. The County Inspector met with course providers and students, at Chichester and Southampton, in the course of the year to inform them of the revision of the agreed syllabus and RE vacancies in the county. Schools continue to be advised to advertise vacancies on Hantsweb. Despite the difficulties of recruitment nationally, reflected locally, Hampshire schools recruited five good NQTs during 2003-4 and twelve for 2004-5. The newly established development groups in the county should enable the support of specialist and non-specialist teachers in the county through the development and dissemination of good practice. They also provide an opportunity for the accreditation of teacher's work in partnership with University College Winchester.

Other SACRE Matters

· The County RE Centre continues to be successful in supporting the work of teachers across Hampshire, Portsmouth and Southampton. The development of provision in 2003-4 has included the ongoing development of the RE website as a major reference point for teachers, the production of a CD Rom video of a visit to Southsea Synagogue which is sold to primary schools, and the continued addition of artefact boxes and library acquisitions.

· SACRE was involved in the consultation process on a non-statutory national framework for religious education. SACRE representatives and officers attended a consultation day in May 2004, and the full SACRE made a written response to the draft framework. SACRE has also approved a new locally agreed syllabus for religious education

· SACRE has decided to conduct a self-evaluation during 2004-5

Appendices:

Appendix 1 GCSE tables

Appendix 2 Inset Courses in RE 2002-3

Appendix 3 List of SACRE members

Appendix 4 Hampshire SACRE meetings 2002-3