Agenda and draft minutes

Members to declare any personal or prejudicial interests in any business identified to be considered at this meeting.

 

No Declaration of Interests.

 

Notice of items which, in the opinion of the Chair, should be considered at the meeting as a matter of urgency pursuant to Section 100B(4) of the Local Government Act 1972.

 

No Urgent Matters.

 

To approve and sign as a correct record minutes of the previous meeting held on the 20^th June, 2016.

 

The minutes of the Standing Advisory Council for Religious Education (SACRE) meeting held on the 20 June 2016 (previously circulated) were submitted.

 

Matters Arising - Page 9 – Item 5 Analysis of Estyn Inspection Reports.

The Challenge Advisor for GwE confirmed letters of congratulations had been sent to the relevant schools.

 

RESOLVED that subject to the above, the minutes of the SACRE meeting held on the 20 June 2016 be received and approved as a correct record.

 

To receive a presentation from a pioneer group member regarding the pioneer school programme.

 

The Challenge Advisor GwE, Phil Lord, introduced Andrea Taylor, GwE, who had been invited to give a presentation to SACRE Members regarding Pioneer Schools and the New Curriculum.

 

On 30 June, the Minister for Education and Skills announced that the Welsh Government would accept, in full, all of the recommendations set out in “Successful Futures”, Professor Graham Donaldson’s independent review of the curriculum and assessment arrangements in Wales.

 

In July 2015, schools from across Wales applied to become a “Pioneer School”.  These schools would become the task force for working in response to the Successful Futures report. 

 

The Pioneer schools would be split into three groups:

 

·       Curriculum Pioneers

·       Digital Pioneers, and

·       New Deal Pioneers (now called Professional Learning)

 

The Plan set out how to build a broad, balanced, inclusive and challenging curriculum, together with the four purposes at its heart, to give all children and young people the opportunity to become:

 

·       Ambitious, capable learners – who were ready to learn throughout their lives.

·       Enterprising, creative contributors – who were ready to play a full part in life and work.

·       Ethical, informed citizens – who were ready to be citizens of Wales and the world.

·       Healthy, confident individuals – who were ready to lead fulfilling lives as valued members of society.

 

The new curriculum was to be aspirational but also realistic.  To ensure this was the case, Pioneer Schools would work in close partnership with their wider clusters (including the non-maintained sector), networks and beyond, to ensure that as many of our schools as possible were part of the design and development process.

 

Curriculum Structure

 

Six areas of learning and experience:

·       Expresses Arts

·       Health and well-being

·       Humanities

·       Languages, literacy and communication

·       Mathematics and numeracy, and

·       Science and technology

 

 

Three cross-curriculum responsibilities:

·       Digital competence

·       Literacy

·       Numeracy

 

The school curriculum would be designed to help all children and young people to develop in relation to clear and agreed purposes.  The purposes would be constructed so that they could directly influence decisions about curriculum, pedagogy and assessment.

 

To underpin the work, 4 key principles were identified to realise the new curriculum.  Realisation of the new curriculum would be:

 

·       Evidence led, and based on subsidiarity

·       Ambitious and inclusive

·       Manageable, with pace, passion and professionalism, and

·       Unified.

 

All Pioneer Schools, regardless of their initial focus (Digital, Curriculum and/or New Deal), would need to work closely together to challenge and learn from each other.  Together, they would provide a vehicle to realise the new curriculum across Wales, including ongoing, high quality support in developing their skills in pedagogy and leadership.

 

RESOLVED that the Committee note the presentation.

 

To consider a report to approve the draft SACRE Annual Report.

 

The Challenge Advisor, GwE, referred to the previously circulated report and explained that rather than discuss the contents of the report, the Committee’s role was to agree that it was an accurate reflection of what had been considered over the course of the previous year.

 

RESOLVED that the Draft Annual Report 2015-16 be received and its contents noted.

 

To receive a presentation regarding a GwE initiative to support the new GCSE specification in Religious Studies.

 

The Challenge Advisor, GwE, presented a verbal update of the lead practitioner programme and how it related to Religious Studies examinations.

 

The Welsh Government had provided funding for local consortia to support the implementation of the new GCSEs.  GwE had commissioned 3 teachers from across North Wales to support this venture.

 

RESOLVED that the Committee receive the verbal update.

 

Promote teacher representation through school to school collaboration.

 

The Challenge Advisor, GwE, provided a verbal update on the training event and the way forward.

 

Schools were encouraged to work collaboratively with other schools to support and develop all areas within the curriculum.  50 schools met in June and July to receive training on the three core skills in the agreed syllabus.

 

Schools were hoping a resource would be put together and all the information from the training sessions would be available both nationally, and on the Welsh Hub.

 

The Challenge Advisor, GwE stated that the information may be in written form and possibly could be presented at the next SACRE meeting.

 

RESOLVED  that the Committee receive the verbal update.

 

(i)              To receive the minutes of the last meeting of the Association

(ii)             To agree attendance at the next WASACRE meeting, Carmarthenshire 18 November 2016.

 

Minutes of WASACRE – 23 June 2016

 

The minutes of the meeting of the Wales Association of SACREs (WASACRE) held at Denbighshire on the 23 June 2016 (previously circulated) were submitted for Members’ information.

 

It was requested that a Humanist representative be invited to a future meeting of SACRE.  The Challenge Advisor GwE agreed to send out an invitation.

 

RESOLVED that the minutes of the WASACRE held on 23 June 2016 be received and noted.

 

13 February 2017.

 

The next meeting of the Denbighshire SACRE had been scheduled for 13 February 2017.  Venue to be confirmed as Members requested the meeting to take place in Denbigh High School.  The Challenge Advisor confirmed he would contact the school.

 

 

The meeting concluded at 11.55 a.m.