Archived decisions

HAMPSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL

Report for Information

Title:

Item 6. A report of the SACRE Monitoring sub group

Presented to:

SACRE

Presented by:

Director of Children's Services

Date:

9 July 2009

Distributed to:

All SACRE Members

Method:

Hard Copy

Date:

1 July 2009

Contact name:

Judith Lowndes

Tel:

02392 441518

Email:

[email protected]

1) Purpose of Report:

    1.1. To inform SACRE of the activities and findings of the Monitoring sub group

2) Contextual Issues:

    2.1. This paper supports the Corporate Strategy (maximising well being) by ensuring children's provision in religious education is secure.

3) Self Evaluation forms (SEFs) completed by schools

    3.1. The group scrutinised some of the SEFs provided by schools on the provision of RE. SEFs from 4 primary schools and 2 secondary schools were discussed. This activity provided the following findings:-

        i) A number of the schools (primary and secondary) made generous evaluations about the provision of RE in the schools judging it to be satisfactory or good when there were major shortcomings identified.

        ii) Most of the SEFs were insufficiently rigorous and critical in their evaluations.

        iii) All the schools judged their overall provision of RE to be satisfactory or good.

        iv) Schools had identified areas in need of development. These were in relation to reviewing and establishing schemes of work in line with the requirements of Living Difference and implementing assessment procedures.

4) SACRE members' visits to schools for monitoring the RE provision.

    4.1. Six members of SACRE attended a one day training session provided by the RE Inspector/Advisors about the agreed syllabus and good practice in schools. Arrangements were made for those SACRE members to visit nine primary phase schools in the Spring term 2009, accompanied and guided by the Primary RE Inspector, and to then report to the monitoring sub group. A summary of the findings from the visits was discussed by the group (Appendix 1)

5) Emerging arrangements for teaching and time management of RE in some primary phase schools.

    5.1 The group discussed the issue about arrangements for RE in some primary phase schools. There is a growing trend towards RE being taught by unqualified staff in limited time slots.(Appendix 2). The group brings this unsatisfactory situation to the attention of the full SACRE.

6) Conclusions:

That SACRE notes the report.

That SACRE provides advice to Head teachers and governing bodies of primary phase schools about suitable arrangements for the teaching and time management of RE to enhance children's learning (Appendix 3).

Section 100 D - Local Government Act 1972 - background documents

 

    The following documents discuss facts or matters on which this report, or an important part of it, is based and have been relied upon to a material extent in the preparation of this report. (NB: the list excludes published works and any documents which disclose exempt or confidential information as defined in the Act.)

 

    Document

    Location

   
   
   
   

Appendix 1

SACRE monitoring visits to schools: Spring Term 2009

1.

The purpose and arrangements for visits

1.1

Funding was provided by the local authority to enable six SACRE members to participate in training and half day visits to nine primary phase schools in Hampshire accompanied and supported by an RE Inspector/Advisor.

1.2

The purpose of the visits was to:

· Monitor the provision of RE in a small number of schools

· Provide training opportunities for SACRE members to observe good practice and good management in RE

· To provide schools with useful feedback about their provision in order to inform their development plans

To disseminate features of good practice to other schools

1.3

The schools were selected because their RE managers have attended County RE development groups for several years and RE is likely to be well established and well managed as a result.

The schools visited were:-

1. A Church of England Junior School (179 on role) in a semi rural location on the outskirts of a market town.

2. A Church of England Primary School (421 on role) in a residential area on the outskirts of a city.

3. A Primary School (206 on role) in a small village in a rural setting.

4. A Junior School (323 on role) in a residential area.

5. A Primary School (381 on role) in a residential area within a semi rural setting.

6. A Primary School (408 on role) in the heart of a large town

7. A Junior School (215 on role) on the outskirts of a small market town.

8. An Infant School (268 on role) in a built up, residential area.

9. An Infant School (172 on role) in a small village in a rural location.

2.

The Findings

2.1

In all the schools visited the management of the subject was judged to be good, very good or outstanding. Features of good management of the subject included clear provision of planning for staff, staff training led by the RE manager, provision of suitable resources and maintaining a high profile for RE in the school. This was achieved through RE displays, leading staff meeting and monitoring RE teaching and learning.

2.2

In all but one of the schools visited the RE planning was good or outstanding. In one school the planning was satisfactory. The high quality RE planning provided an overview of RE units of work which supported continuity in pupils enquiry into concepts and learning about religious belief and practice. The medium tem plans were thorough and clear, and where outstanding planning was provided it was due to regular evaluation and refinement of the documentation to support teaching and learning.

2.3

Twenty lessons were observed altogether. Out of all the lessons, two were judged to be satisfactory, and others were good or outstanding. The good and outstanding lessons utilised well focussed questioning techniques and provided plenty of opportunities for pupils to reflect on and respond to the concepts in focus and issues that were raised during learning.

2.4

Pupils' attainment was generally in line with and in many cases above expectations. Where the teaching or the planning was less clear, and in some of the classes that were not observed, there were a small number of samples of work below expectations.

3.

Dissemination of good practice

There were a number of features of effective RE which have been disseminated through the RE Primary News publication and via the IT learning platform, the RE Moodle site. Features of good practice include

    · Useful links made between RE and Literacy to improve speaking and listening

    · An audit carried out with end of key stage pupils to evaluate their RE experience during their time in school

    · Well focussed and searching questioning techniques employed

    · Effective links made with other curriculum areas

    · Good use of resources, such as persona dolls (at Key Stage 1) and artefacts

    · Levelling and moderating samples of pupils' RE work with all staff

    · High quality displays which illustrate all areas in the required cycle of learning

    · Use of a wide range of teaching and learning techniques

    · Opportunities for pupils to respond thoughtfully and openly with their responses to the concepts in focus

Appendix 2

Emerging Curriculum arrangements for RE

As well as trained and qualified teachers, schools also appoint Teaching Assistants (TAs)who work alongside teachers completing tasks such as photocopying, preparing materials for lessons, putting up displays and working with small groups of pupils. Their work is invaluable in supporting teachers in the classroom.

Recently a system has been introduced that enables some TAs (Higher Level Teaching Assistants ) after brief training, to take whole classes, unsupervised. This might happen to cover an unforeseen absence or if a teacher needs to attend a meeting or a course or prepare or mark pupils' work . All schools are required to provide non contact time for all teaching staff (PPA time for Preparation, Planning and Assessment). The understanding is that the lesson plans and work for pupils is made available by the qualified teaching staff in the school to the TAs who might supervise pupils in their absence.

It has become apparent that in a number of Primary phase schools in Hampshire the responsibility for teaching RE in the school has been given to HLTAs (Higher Level Teaching Assistants) and not the qualified teachers in the school. This is an entirely unsatisfactory situation for the following reasons:-

    · RE must, by law, follow the requirements of the agreed syllabus, Living Difference. Teaching assistants have not had access to any teacher training in the requirements of teaching RE, the particular approach of the syllabus or the significance of the concept led methodology for teaching and learning in RE. They are, therefore, likely to be unprepared to teach the syllabus effectively.

    · In schools where the teaching of RE has been given to a Teaching Assistant, it is usually a weekly slot for 1 hour or, in some instances, half an hour to release teachers for their entitled PPA time. This fragmented approach to timetabling RE inhibits effective learning. Limited slots of time prohibit opportunities for pupils' to engage in lively and worthwhile reinforcement activities such as art, drama, role play, discussion, debates and use of visits and visitors. The concept led, enquiry approach of the syllabus flourishes on flexibility within a school timetable to enable learning to be focussed during a blocked unit of time. Schools that have arranged for RE to be taught in larger blocks of time report on greater efficiency in use of time, greater enthusiasm among pupils, more effective learning and higher attainment in the subject.

    · Many schools are developing meaningful links between different subjects to provide a more coherent approach to children's learning. RE can play a major role in contributing to pupils' learning across different subject areas such as literacy, music, art, design and technology, history, geography, ICT and so on. Pupils that are taught RE separately, by an unqualified and untrained member of staff in a weekly time slot are denied that holistic approach to learning that is being developed in other areas of the curriculum.

Appendix 3

Dear Headteacher

It is the role of SACRE (Standing Advisory Council for Religious Education) to monitor the provision of RE in schools and annually report on its findings to QCA and Ofsted.

We have been very pleased to note from our monitoring of schools and from research from an outside agency that the RE in Hampshire is of a very high standard which has been recognised by Ofsted and QCA. This is due to the continued diligence of head teachers and teachers in establishing Hampshire as a leading local authority in the field of RE with an excellent reputation for effective practice in the subject.

It is also the role of SACRE to provide advice to schools within the authority about maintaining and developing effective provision for RE. It is in this capacity that we are writing to all primary phase schools.

There are two issues that are currently having impact on effective implementation of RE and those are:

    · the development of the integrated curriculum in response to the proposals for the primary curriculum review

    · the effective use of teaching staff.

The development of the integrated curriculum

The current guidance on the review of the primary curriculum recommends that RE, along with other foundation subjects, should be integrated and linked with other areas of the curriculum where possible to provide a holistic approach to children's learning. On some occasions, RE units can be taught discreetly, where no obvious links can be made.

Following advice from Ofsted and QCA and in the light of research, we recommend that RE is taught in blocked units, such as whole days or three or four consecutive afternoons, as there are a number of benefits.

    · A unit of work for RE can be usefully related to pupils' other areas of learning and skills development across the curriculum.

    · Pupils have time to pursue their enquiry into a concept and teachers have time to reinforce learning and skills through role play, art, ICT, literacy, visits and visitors etc. Pupils become immersed in the focus concept and learning has impact and is more effective as a result.

    · Teachers can utilise the resources effectively in a short space of time allowing more time for them to be used elsewhere in the school.

    · Schools report that pupils in the classes where RE is blocked have more enthusiasm for the subject and reach higher levels of attainment than pupils who received weekly RE lessons

    · HMI for RE at Ofsted recommend the use of blocked units for RE, nationally.

The effective use of teaching staff

In order to ensure that children are provided with their legal entitlement for RE we recommend that RE is taught by class teachers who are trained and competent with the implementation of the agreed syllabus, Living Difference. This will enable them to identify and develop links with other areas of children's learning.

When class teachers are released for PPA time, the cover teacher should also be fully qualified, competent and well versed with the requirements of Living Difference and be well prepared to develop the part of the cycle of learning that they have been allocated.

It would be entirely inappropriate to allocate all the teaching of RE to teachers who are untrained in the requirements of the agreed syllabus or unqualified staff such as higher level teaching assistants.

We recognise the pressures that are on schools in these times of curriculum development. If you have any feedback about RE in your school or wish to receive advice or support, this can be organised by the HIAS support staff for RE (contact Judith Lowndes, Inspector/Advisor for RE).

May we thank you for your continued interest and support of the subject.

Yours faithfully

Anna McNair Scott

(Chairman of SACRE )