SACRE Annual Report for the Academic Year 2002/2003

Religious Education

Local Agreed Syllabus

The Lambeth Agreed Syllabus was adopted on the 9th May 2000. SACRE has monitored its implementation through Ofsted reports on Lambeth schools, reports from the Walcot Foundation Advisory Teacher and through discussions with teachers. Of those reports monitored, religious education was reported in the main as satisfactory, although SACRE wrote to three schools, which were identified as requiring support, to offer support and guidance from the LEA.

Standards in Religious Education:

During the year, SACRE considered standards in Religious Education in Lambeth schools by:

• Reading and discussing the relevant section from OFSTED Inspection reports
• Information from the local School Improvement Advisers and the Walcot Foundation Advisory Teacher
• Public examination results

Ofsted Reports

The inspection reports of four schools (one secondary, two primary and one special school) were considered by the SACRE during this year.

RE in the two Primary schools was noted to have made good progress and SACRE were delighted to be able to congratulate the Head of RE in the secondary school on a very good report for RE. In this school RE made a strong contribution to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and the report stated that ‘The quality of the teaching, together with the positive attitudes demonstrated by pupils, enables girls of all abilities to make clear and steady gains in their knowledge and understanding’.

SACRE were concerned that the special school required extra support to develop its RE programme and the RE Consultant Adviser made suggestions as to schools that the RE Subject leader might usefully link to in surrounding LEAs.

A number of schools where RE was causing some concern for the past year or more have been supported during the year by Sarah Thorley in her capacity as Walcot Foundation RE Advisory Teacher. This support, provided free of charge to schools, has made a good contribution to raising standards and therefore progress in schools which were reported in difficulty in last year’s Annual Report has been good.

GCSE Results: Summer 2003 compared with last year

As may be seen from this comparison, Lambeth LEA's data in 2003 continues to demonstrate increased entries for both long and short course GCSE.

In the higher grades, results have improved well in full GCSE but disappointingly have declined in the short course. At this time it is not possible to compare local results with national figures.

Percentage results at each grade 2003 & 2
	Full GCSE local 2003	Full GCSE local 2002	Full GCSE Local 2002	Full GCSE national 2003	Short course Local 2002	Short course national 2002
A*	5	1.8	8.5	2	2	6.6
A	8	9.5	14.6	6.9	7.1	11.1
B	18	19	19.5	10.9	18.3	16.4
C	26	20.6	19.1	19.8	24.3	19.6
D	18	18.4	13	18.2	17.2	15.6
E	10	10.4	10	15	11.3	13.1
F	8	7.4	7.2	11.6	8.4	8.8
G	3	3.9	4.4	6.6	5.7	5.4
U	3	8		2	1.4

XFull GCSE results compared over 3 years.

Grades
	2003	2002	2001
%A* - C	56.9	50.9	47.9
%A* - G	96.7	91	95
Number entered
	369	336	340

 

GCSE short course compared over 3 years.

Grade	2003	2002	2001		Grades
A*	2	2	6.9		2003	2002	2001
A	6.9	7.1	8.5
B	10.9	18.3	18.6	%A* - C	40	51.7	52.7
C	19.8	24.3	18.6	%A* - G	91.8	94.3	90.3
D	18.2	17.2	14.7		Number entered
E	15	11.3	9.9
F	11.6	8.4	8.7		722	646	505
G	6.6	5.7	4.4

Methods of teaching, the choice of teaching materials and teacher training:

During the year some training courses for teachers had been well received although recruitment for others had been disappointing and some had been cancelled. A free course publicising the use of the free ‘Faiths’ CD Rom produced by the London Grid for Learning and Espresso had been hosted at a local school but this had not been well attended. Those who had attended had got off to a good start in using the CD Rom and reported very favourably on its ease of use.

As well as the free CD Rom, SACRE members were informed of free Buddhism books circulated to all Primary schools during the year.

Last year Lambeth SACRE applied for a further grant from the Walcot Foundation in order to extend the work of the part-time RE Consultant Advisory teacher’s post for another year. This was granted and at the end of the summer term her work for this came to a conclusion. Her work was for one day per week (0.2) and the target group was those schools where RE development is indicated as requiring improvement by OFSTED.

During the year members of SACRE were again updated on the support she was giving to schools. Many schools were identified as doing very well, and in some cases the schools were preparing confidently for Ofsted inspections.

Regular updates on progress in the schools were discussed with the LEA and the Consultant RE Inspector and then brought to SACRE. Members hope that they will be able to seek a further grant during the next year to re-engage the service of this colleague as it has proved so supportive to schools.

Complaints concerning Religious Education

No complaints about religious education were received this year.