Management Information Sheet
Statutory Review of the Norfolk Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education
Every Standing Advisory Council for Religious Education (SACRE) is required to convene an Agreed Syllabus conference every five years to review the locally agreed syllabus for religious education. This process is about to begin again in Norfolk, as the last review was completed in 2005. As part of preparing for this review SACRE would like to consult with both teachers and pupils. This information sheet outlines these two processes.
A: Consultation with teachers
Teachers will have two opportunities to be involved in the initial consultation process. Firstly, a questionnaire is being sent to all primary RE Co-ordinators and secondary heads of RE seeking views on the strengths and weaknesses of the current syllabus, as well as the impact of changes to and developments in education since 2005. The deadline for teachers to return the questionnaire is Friday 9th July 2010. If, as a headteacher or chair of governors, you would like to take part and express your views by completing a questionnaire please contact gina.maccoll@norfolk.gov.uk.
Secondly, network meetings for teachers during the next few months will provide additional opportunities to engage in discussion about the current syllabus and to draw out key areas for development. The primary RE adviser, Ali Ranson, and secondary RE consultant, Kathryn Wright, will inform schools of dates for these events.
As part of the review, it is also likely that Kathryn Wright will be visiting approximately 10 secondary schools early in the Autumn Term to review the implementation of the 2005 syllabus. We will give you more details of this once confirmed.
B: Consultation with pupils
A key element of SACRE's development plan is wider consultation with pupils. As we haven't consulted with students on such a wide scale before, we have worked with the Robin Konieczny, County Active Citizenship Co-ordinator, to devise an on line questionnaire for use in schools between 6th June and 24th September. We intend that young people in school years 5-11 will take part during their normal RE (Religious Education) lessons during this period.
i. Confidentiality/Data Protection
The Data Protection Act 1998 sets out how Norfolk County Council and schools must look after the information you share with us. Norfolk County Council and schools will only use the information collected from students in this survey to review students' responses to how RE is taught in school. Any information from the survey that we share with other people will be done in such a way that the person receiving it will not be able to identify students or their school.
Students completing the online questionnaire are asked no personal questions other than to identify their year group and gender. All other questions relate to how they perceive RE as a subject. The pupil's school cannot be identified. If a school does not already have consent for students to be consulted in this way they may wish to give out the parental information sheet which will be sent to co-ordinators and heads of RE. The form at the end of this information sheet provides a space for parents/carers to sign to agree that their child can take part. All teachers should also ensure that the children and young people know why they are completing the survey and how their answers will be used.
ii. Process for conducting the survey
The survey should take approximately 10-15 minutes to complete and mainly requires multiple choice answers. Ideally students need access to a computer with internet access to complete the survey, which is why we have allowed an extended period of time for it to be completed. The online tool we are using is called Survey Monkey; one recommended and recognised by the County Council. Our aim is that students will undertake the survey in their RE lesson. If online facilities are not available, the survey can be downloaded and paper copies given to students. These can then be sent to Robin or Kathryn for uploading manually. The link to the survey is: www.surveymonkey.com.
iii. Sharing of results
Results are automatically collated by the survey tool. Results will be shared in a letter to schools in October, through network meetings and to the Agreed Syllabus Conference at their first meeting. We will expect teachers to share the results with the children and young people who took part.
C: Consultation with the community
An Agreed Syllabus conference reflects the composition of the Standing Advisory Council on RE, so includes representatives of Norfolk County Council, of teacher groups and of a wide range of faith communities. The primary aim of the councillors is to represent the views of the county and of their own Divisions. Local census information is used to inform the conference, as well as feedback from teachers about parental views relating to RE.
D: Consultation with faith communities
Faith communities are well represented on the Agreed Syllabus Conference. At the current time, Norfolk has representatives from the following faith community groups who regularly consult with their sending bodies:
For further information and any questions you may have about the Agreed Syllabus review consultations please contact David Orsborne: david.orsborne@norfolk.gov.uk or 01603 307704.
A: Consultation with teachers
Teachers will have two opportunities to be involved in the initial consultation process. Firstly, a questionnaire is being sent to all primary RE Co-ordinators and secondary heads of RE seeking views on the strengths and weaknesses of the current syllabus, as well as the impact of changes to and developments in education since 2005. The deadline for teachers to return the questionnaire is Friday 9th July 2010. If, as a headteacher or chair of governors, you would like to take part and express your views by completing a questionnaire please contact gina.maccoll@norfolk.gov.uk.
Secondly, network meetings for teachers during the next few months will provide additional opportunities to engage in discussion about the current syllabus and to draw out key areas for development. The primary RE adviser, Ali Ranson, and secondary RE consultant, Kathryn Wright, will inform schools of dates for these events.
As part of the review, it is also likely that Kathryn Wright will be visiting approximately 10 secondary schools early in the Autumn Term to review the implementation of the 2005 syllabus. We will give you more details of this once confirmed.
B: Consultation with pupils
A key element of SACRE's development plan is wider consultation with pupils. As we haven't consulted with students on such a wide scale before, we have worked with the Robin Konieczny, County Active Citizenship Co-ordinator, to devise an on line questionnaire for use in schools between 6th June and 24th September. We intend that young people in school years 5-11 will take part during their normal RE (Religious Education) lessons during this period.
i. Confidentiality/Data Protection
The Data Protection Act 1998 sets out how Norfolk County Council and schools must look after the information you share with us. Norfolk County Council and schools will only use the information collected from students in this survey to review students' responses to how RE is taught in school. Any information from the survey that we share with other people will be done in such a way that the person receiving it will not be able to identify students or their school.
Students completing the online questionnaire are asked no personal questions other than to identify their year group and gender. All other questions relate to how they perceive RE as a subject. The pupil's school cannot be identified. If a school does not already have consent for students to be consulted in this way they may wish to give out the parental information sheet which will be sent to co-ordinators and heads of RE. The form at the end of this information sheet provides a space for parents/carers to sign to agree that their child can take part. All teachers should also ensure that the children and young people know why they are completing the survey and how their answers will be used.
ii. Process for conducting the survey
The survey should take approximately 10-15 minutes to complete and mainly requires multiple choice answers. Ideally students need access to a computer with internet access to complete the survey, which is why we have allowed an extended period of time for it to be completed. The online tool we are using is called Survey Monkey; one recommended and recognised by the County Council. Our aim is that students will undertake the survey in their RE lesson. If online facilities are not available, the survey can be downloaded and paper copies given to students. These can then be sent to Robin or Kathryn for uploading manually. The link to the survey is: www.surveymonkey.com.
iii. Sharing of results
Results are automatically collated by the survey tool. Results will be shared in a letter to schools in October, through network meetings and to the Agreed Syllabus Conference at their first meeting. We will expect teachers to share the results with the children and young people who took part.
C: Consultation with the community
An Agreed Syllabus conference reflects the composition of the Standing Advisory Council on RE, so includes representatives of Norfolk County Council, of teacher groups and of a wide range of faith communities. The primary aim of the councillors is to represent the views of the county and of their own Divisions. Local census information is used to inform the conference, as well as feedback from teachers about parental views relating to RE.
D: Consultation with faith communities
Faith communities are well represented on the Agreed Syllabus Conference. At the current time, Norfolk has representatives from the following faith community groups who regularly consult with their sending bodies:
| The Ba'hai Tradition | The Muslim Tradition |
| The Baptist Church | The Orthodox Church |
| The Buddhist Tradition | The Roman Catholic Church |
| The Church of England | The Salvation Army |
| The Hindu Tradition | The Sikh Tradition |
| The Jewish Tradition | The Society of Friends |
| The Methodist Church | The United Reformed Church |
For further information and any questions you may have about the Agreed Syllabus review consultations please contact David Orsborne: david.orsborne@norfolk.gov.uk or 01603 307704.