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Welcome to the news archive! You will find items which have featured on the home page archived here. June 2007 Staffordshire SACRE's spring term meeting For the first time since the present SACRE was constituted in 1989 it was decided to elect a vice-chair, to support and deputise for the chair, Rev. Preb. Michael Metcalf. Members were pleased to appoint Mrs. Hifsa Haroon Iqbal to the role. Hifsa, who represents the Stafford Muslim Community on SACRE, is already actively supporting RE in the county in a variety of ways. Members took this opportunity to review their terms of reference, again for the first time since the Council's inauguration. Suggestions were made and a working party volunteered to produce a draft document for the summer term meeting. Always helpful for providing new ideas to support the work of SACRE, QCAs review of Annual Reports for 2005 was summarised. Although this information is, by nature of the review, a little out of date, members were advised that overall, provision for RE nationwide was on an upward trend, although concerns remained about recruitment of specialist teachers, the attainment of boys, entitlement post-16 and the effectiveness of SACREs in supporting and monitoring collective worship. The results of the 2006 monitoring activity were presented at this meeting. Members were very pleased with the number of questionnaires returned by secondary schools but concerned that only around 50% of primary schools had returned the forms. These were to be reissued in the hope of building a clearer picture of provision in key stages 1 and 2. As always, there were updates for members on activities within the county (see articles on this page) and on the work of the national organisation for SACREs, NASACRE. Members left with a copy of the first Annual Report of the Student Council for RE, and were impressed with what had been achieved.
September 2006 SACRE's Second Annual Lecture 
The chair of Staffordshire SACRE, the Rev. Preb Michael Metcalf with the speaker, Indarjit Singh
The speaker at the Staffordshire SACRE’s second annual lecture was Indarjit Singh, Director of the Network of Sikh Organisations in the United Kingdom and editor of ‘The Sikh Messenger’. His theme was ‘The relevance of religion in education’. Over fifty people attended this opportunity to hear a nationally recognised representative of the Sikh faith who is a regular contributor to Radio 4’s ‘Thought for the Day’ and ‘Pause for Thought’ on Radio 2. The audience included teachers, School Improvement Officers, members of SACRE and representatives of different faith communities in the county.  Indarjit
focused on the importance of religion and
religions in the twenty-first
century as a gateway to a deeper understanding
of life. He gave examples of concerns and issues in the modern world,
such as drug abuse suggesting that good citizenship could tackle basic
morals. The teachings of religions, however, challenge norms and look
for deeper truths. In a society where civilization offers only a thin
veneer, and where materialism is the norm, religion puts the trivial in
its place and provides the balance in life. The main theme of this challenging session was to emphasize the areas of overlap between religions whilst acknowledging the differences. Indarjit urged the audience to respect the differences, and to take account of the shared values. Respect, he said, was at the heart of the way forward. He urged schools teach students the essential aspects of faiths, but to ensure that this teaching was complemented and enriched by the authentic voice of believers. This series of lectures
continues on 27th September 2007 with a Muslim
perspective, to be given by Yousuf Fenn, formerly multi-cultural
adviser with Staffordshire County Council, and currently headteacher at
Burnage High School for Boys, Manchester.
July 2006 SACRE Awards Staffordshire SACRE held its first annual awards ceremony on July 12th 2006. The sun shone, there were many happy smiles, and 36 nominees received certificates to acknowledge their contribution to RE in Staffordshire. The following were judged to be outstanding in their category, and received a PRESSie for Promoting Religious Education in Staffordshire Schools:
It was a great day, with entertainment from the pupils of St. John’s CE (C) Primary School (Stafford) choir, philosophical challenges from the sixth form of King Edward VI School, Lichfield, dancing, artefacts, the Scripture Union bus and a rather splendid afternoon tea. Certificates and awards were presented by Joan Furlong, RE Adviser for Lichfield Diocese and member of Staffordshire SACRE. Special thanks went to members of the Student Council who helped with the smooth running of the event. Founder members, now in Year 13 and moving on to greater things, received certificates to recognise their service and best wishes for their future. Read more about the afternoon, check the list of award winners, and nominate someone for the celebrations in 2007.
Autumn 2006
Where was God? The first Staffordshire Sixth Form Conference took place on November 16th at Staffordshire University. The theme of the Conference was 'Where was God' and over a hundred Year 12 students attended from high schools across the county. The Conference began at noon with lunch, followed by an introductory lecture from Rob Merchant, Principal Lecturer in Spirituality and Health at Staffordshire University. Rob explored the theme by looking at God in four ways:
Rob's presentation was much appreciated by students
and teachers alike. Workshops also
The day concluded with an open debate, based on written questions submitted by the students during the day. And the verdict of the students? The day was amazing – an
eye opening experience. Work has already begun on planning the next Conference. Watch out for publicity in the autumn term of 2006.
Summer 2006 An opportunity to become a Lead Practitioner The Specialist Schools and Academies Trust is looking for Lead Practitioners in a range of subjects including RE. Lead practitioners work creatively to support, identify and disseminate innovative and successful teaching and learning strategies across the network. You would commit to working with the Trust for between 10 and 40 days a year (funded) and in return receive excellent CPD opportunities and a chance to contribute to the national agenda. The work counts towards a Diploma in Education and Innovation plus 60 points towards an MA with Warwick University For further information, visit www.ssatrust.org.uk/practitioners.
March 2006 QCA Annual Report on Curriculum and Assessment The Qualification and Curriculum Authority (QCA) has produced its series of annual reports on all subjects of the curriculum, including religious education. The report is compiled from evidence gained from specific enquiries undertaken by QCA and other agencies such as Ofsted and UCAS. Findings for 2004/5 identify a range of strengths for the subject:
Areas for development include the assessment of RE, monitoring in the primary school and support for non-specialist teachers. The report highlights the critical role of the the co-ordinator in primary schools and the high quality of teaching at GCSE and A level. Non-specialist teaching is seen as having a negative impact on standards at Key Stage 3, and the low status of the subject is reflected in the fact that only 2% of primary school development plans feature RE as a priority. Much to celebrate - plenty to work on! Read the report for yourself on the QCA website.
Annual Report of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Schools 2004/2005:High praise for RE teaching post-16 Ofsted’s recently published subject reports identify religious education as being “particularly successful in post-16 courses…….making RE the subject with the most very good teaching”. In the secondary phase, the report comments on the continuing rise in examination entries and highlights RE as being one of the most improved subjects at Key Stage 4. Assessment, leadership and management remain areas of weakness. In the primary phase teaching was seen to be good in just under half of schools with a very small minority being identified as unsatisfactory. Assessment is good or better in one fifth of schools, but remains one of the weakest areas for RE. In all phases, RE makes a significant contribution to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Read the full text of the reports for further information, Primary or Secondary
December 2005 The hundred minute Bible
A new version of the Bible has been produced which takes around 100 minutes to read. Written for people in a hurry, the author Rev. Michael Hinton, says that he 'majored on Jesus, because he is the central figure in the Bible'. Copies are being sent into schools and churches. September 2005
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