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Agenda item

To receive a verbal up-date report by the GwE Improvement Support Adviser on the following matters:

 

·         ESTYN Inspection Framework – implications to SACRE’s monitoring procedures

·         Lifelong Curriculum – response to Successful Futures’ recommendations

 

 

Minutes:

(a)  Draft Self-Evaluation Form.

 

The GwE Supporting Improvement Officer referred to pages 32-33 of the Agenda which included the self-evaluation form sent to schools to be submitted for monitoring by SACRE.

 

Members were reminded that ESTYN's Inspection Framework had changed since September 2017, in co-operation with co-workers and SACRE officers, the Supporting Improvement Officer had adapted the form and a draft was submitted to the Members to ascertain their opinions on the contents.  

 

It was explained that inspection area 1 in the new Framework referred to religious education standards, asking how well were the pupils progressing in religious education, namely being aware of the pupils' standards.

 

The second area referred to Well-being and attitudes towards learning - perhaps SACRE would be eager to learn how pupils felt towards religious education at School; did they enjoy the subject and did it contribute towards their development to become successful citizens.

 

Inspection area three referred to the children's experiences.  There was an opportunity to refer to the lessons - whether the pupils had a cross-section of religions, and whether they went on visits that would help the children improve their religious education.

 

In terms of care, support and guidance in religious education - i.e. religious education's impact, schools were asked to note to what extent did religious education bring the community together, and whether the pupils got ample experiences in their communities.

 

In the context of guidance and management, it was asked to what extent did teachers scrutinise religious education, and whether they identified the strengths and weaknesses to ensure that religious education was consistently good.

 

The Committee’s opinion was sought about the contents of the draft form above, and in response, the following points were highlighted:

 

(a)  That the form would be transferred to subject Heads to complete and would not necessarily be completed by the school's Headteacher.

(b)  That the request was too much for this year as Headteachers had to get to grips with the new Inspection Framework.  The idea of retaining the form for another year was discussed as Headteachers had to cope with the new arrangement anyway. 

(c)   Were the questions slightly generic? i.e. what evidence would be used to respond to the questions and would the child's self-development be lost?

(d)  That all other subject were banded within quartiles in KS3 except for religious education.  However, schools submitted data to GwE but it was not easy to track at a wider level.

(e)  Religious education was not addressed annually in primary schools as a subject self-evaluation

 

One member noted that he/she would be willing to complete the form on behalf of Ysgol Eifionydd.

 

 

Resolved:       To provide schools with the option of which form to complete, but perhaps choose some Schools to trial it in the new year. 

 

(b)  The New Religious Studies GCSE

 

Concern was expressed in regards to the lack of textbooks for the GCSE and Higher Standard courses, namely that the books were late being published, nearly a year after the commencement of the course which added to the teaches workload.

 

It was mentioned that a letter was sent on 23 June 2017 to the Joint Education Committee expressing concern and requesting that schools would receive Welsh medium resources as soon as possible, but no response was received.

 

Further concern was expressed that teachers would be judged on the results.

 

Resolved:       To ask the Assistant Education Quality Improvement Officer:

 

(a)  To correspond with the Education Minister and the Welsh Language Commissioner to express concern about the above situation.

(b)  To refer the matter to be addressed further by the Council's Education and Economy Scrutiny Committee.

 

(c)  Religious Education and the new curriculum

 

GwE's Supporting Improvement Adviser reported that in preparation for the new curriculum that a group of innovative schools, that are responsible for the development of the Humanities curriculum, had researched other countries' curriculums and had received guidance from external experts.  It was further noted that the Government had commissioned experts to prepare papers on "what's important" in religious education (Barbara Wintersgill), History (Dr Elin Jones), Geography (Elinor Rawling) and Business (Cardiff University).  The Wales Association of SACREs was also commissioned to prepare a report, and Miss Bethan James noted that she had contributed to this work.  It was noted that Barbara Wintersgill had identified six ideas including:

 

1.    Parhad, Newid ac Amrywiaeth / Continuity, Change and Diversity

2.    Geiriau a Thu Hwnt / Words and Beyond

3.    Bywyd Da / A good Life

4.    Gwneud Synnwyr o Brofiadau Bywyd / Making Sense of Life’s Experiences

5.    Dylanwad, Cymuned, Diwylliant a Phwêr / Influence, Community, Culture and Power

6.    Y Darlun Mawr / The Big Picture

 

The Wales Associating of SACRE's Working Group had identified three important things:

 

1.    Awareness of life experiences and the questions raised from them

2.    Beliefs, education and exercises

3.    Audit and personal responses

 

and a report would be submitted to the Humanities Group on 13 November.

 

(ch) Religious Education's E-magazine

 

It was noted that the fourth issue related to the environment on the HWB website.

 

 

Resolved:                      To accept, note and thank GwE's Supporting Improvement Adviser for the above update.