Mr Hugill’s report was that:

Exam Reform  

The DfE had accepted the case for the reform of GCSE and A level examinations in the subject on the same time-scale as EBacc subjects such as History and Geography, with first teaching from 2016.  The RE Council’s Qualifications Committee brought together a strong team of stakeholders representing member organisations for advisers, higher education and SACREs and teachers.  NATRE had five members of the Executive serving on it and they were supported by a reference group of representatives from organisations and communities of religion and belief.

Ofsted

The 2013 Ofsted RE report, Religious Education: Realising the Potential continued to inform discussions about future and quality of RE. 

The recent Ofsted inspections in Birmingham (connected to what had been termed “Trojan Horse”) had highlighted the contribution that high quality RE could make to a broad and balanced curriculum (and had highlighted some places where they saw it as lacking).  In the light of these inspections HMCI Michael Wilshaw had emphasized that Ofsted should inspect for a broad balanced curriculum when in schools.  This should be an aid to those fighting for RE provision in their schools. 

RE Regional Strategy Pilot?

This strategy to ensure that there were more robust arrangements for training and supporting teachers of RE was based on Recommendation 4 of the RE Council’s Review of Religious Education.  The RE Council and NATRE - working in collaboration with Culham St Gabriel’s - were implementing a pilot version of the strategy which they hoped would help teachers of RE to develop a regional strategy in their own area, adapted and suited to their own professional development priorities.?Culham’s St Gabriel’s was currently inviting expressions of interest.

RE Expert Advisory Group (EAG)

It had been established as part of the RE Council’s Curriculum and Assessment Committee and with the support of the DfE it would work alongside similar sector-led groups for other curriculum subjects.

Secondary Survey

NATRE had launched its fifth annual survey on RE in secondary schools in England and urged all those who taught RE to complete it.  Responses would provide invaluable detail to inform ongoing campaigns to secure the place of RE in the curriculum in all types of schools in the face of significant challenges from changes in the curriculum.  As a “thank?you” for completing the survey, NATRE was offering a £5 voucher to use on any RE Today publication.  The code needed to redeem this voucher was given at the end of the survey.  The deadline for completion was 25 July.  Members were urged to encourage any secondary teachers they knew, to complete it.

APPG

Had recently published a report on RE and community relations.  It would be meeting again later in July to review progress since the publication of its first report, ”The Truth Unmasked”, in March 2013 on teacher training and supply.  This was something NATRE continued to campaign and lobby the DfE about.

Birmingham Commentary of the Religious Education Council’s (REC) Review of Religious Education

SACRE’s clerk circulated a commentary from Birmingham SACRE on the RE Council’s Review of Religious Education.  The REC had responded in full to this (along with other member organisations).  It was felt that this criticism was:

“from a small and unrepresentative minority (though some have parliamentary connections which tends to exaggerate the significance of their criticism). The Catholic Education Service, the Church of England Board of Education and the Muslim Council of Britain, to mention but a few of our member bodies, remain firmly behind the Review.  It is important to remember that the Review was an RE Council project, not funded by government, which could not possibly command the total agreement of all members of our member bodies.  It is the outcome of as consultative a process as our funding allowed, and authorised by the RE Council Board.  The Review lays the foundation for further work by the RE Council working in partnership with the Department for Education, who have also welcomed the Review, and with member bodies and others.  Arguing well into 2014 about something that is now over and complete seems counter-productive and is potentially damaging to RE”

(http://religiouseducationcouncil.org.uk/about/chairs-blog/2014-02-01/forward-together-united).

At the conclusion of his report, the Chair proposed a vote of thanks to Mr. Hugill for all the work he had put into his support for Secondary education across Havering and the appreciation SACRE had for his input into its meetings.