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Rewriting Oxfordshire's agreed syllabus post 1988 Introduction
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Rewriting Oxfordshire's agreed syllabus post 1988
Derek Gillard June1992 © copyright Derek Gillard 2001
Citations
Chapter 5 The final stages Working Groups: October - December 1991 The task of the working groups during the remaining days was to prepare the programmes of study. The key stage groups began work on this on 29 October and, in four working days in November and December (and a considerable amount of time in between) produced drafts which were considered by the whole working group so as to ensure continuity and progression. Initially, the key stage groups divided their programmes into three sections under the headings:
Pupils should be introduced to:
So, for 'special occasions' we have: birthdays, birth and naming ceremonies, weddings, festivals (harvest, Christmas, Hanukkah, Divali, Easter, Eid-ul Fitr, Passover etc). A similar format was adopted for the other key stages, except that for Key Stages Three and Four we have "Pupils should be taught about ... " rather than "Pupils should be introduced to ... ". The Key Stage Five Group worked independently at this point. On 6 November the working groups were sorry to hear that the advisor, Isobel Vale, had been taken ill. She had sent a message, however, asking the groups to consider the following points:
The remainder of the day was spent in revising the first drafts of the programmes of study. In Key Stages One and Two, following Barbara Wintersgill's advice to be positive and forthright, "pupils should be introduced to ... " was replaced by "pupils should be taught about ... " The 'bullets' were grouped more logically and numbered so that progression through the key stages was clear. The last task was to provide examples of content. Key Stage Five The Key Stage Five working group had meanwhile prepared their document outlining programmes of study. The format was different from that of the earlier key stages: it was based on the following modules: Section A
The introduction to the Key Stage Five paper stated that "At this stage students will be moving towards making connections between different beliefs based on the knowledge and understanding acquired in earlier key stages. There will be much less emphasis on detailed study of specific beliefs and practices and more on analysing the impact on individuals and on communities worldwide." Underlining the distinctiveness of sixth form studies, it went on: "the range of choices between and within units is indicative of the approach which should be taken. The emphasis is on meeting the demands of attainment statements by using examples which teachers find suitable and relevant to the needs of their students." The essential feature of this key stage, then, lay in analysing and extending concepts through a flexible approach based on choice. To allow for even greater flexibility and choice, each module listed a number of possible courses of study. For example, 'Religion in a World Context' included:
Finally, the programmes of study listed the areas to be covered. For example, 'Grounds for Belief in God' suggested that pupils should be taught:
The consultation meetings held during November had indicated that, generally, teachers liked what the working groups had produced, though, inevitably, there were some criticisms. These were discussed at the final planned meeting of the working groups on 11 December. The concern mentioned most frequently was the need for information about faiths other than Christianity. While the working groups were anxious to meet this need, they were also concerned that the syllabus should fulfil the requirement to be 'in the main Christian'. Secondly, concerns were expressed that there was some disparity between the attainment statements and the content of the programmes of study. Key Stage Three was identified as the weakest in this respect: it was felt to be too content based, with little advice on approaches and strategies. Thirdly, the issue of biblical references was raised: these, together with lists of suitable resources, were felt to be essential. The working groups had already agreed to include a list of useful biblical references as an appendix to the syllabus. They agreed to add a list of resources: they did not want this to form part of the legal document as it would be so quickly out of date. Fourthly, concerns were expressed by some that the syllabus asked too much of teachers and by others that it did not ask enough. The groups decided this probably indicated they had got the level about right. And finally, there were anxieties about how quickly the new syllabus would have to be implemented: it was felt that at least eighteen months would need to be allowed for this process. With regard to the level of specificity in the syllabus it was agreed that Christianity should always be dealt with first and in some detail in the programmes of study; other religions would follow in less detail. The programmes of study were checked for continuity and progression and a number of minor changes were made. The programmes were also checked to see that they related adequately to the attainment targets and statements. It was felt that the syllabus fulfilled the requirements of the 1988 Act and the advice from the Department of Education and Science. The syllabus was almost ready to be presented to the meeting of the Statutory Conference in January 1992. The remaining matters which needed attention were some fine tuning of the programmes of study, recommendations to SACRE on implementation, advice on assessment, recording and reporting, and procedures to ensure continuity in Oxford City (where the three-tier system involves transfer of pupils in the middle of Key Stages 2 and 3). There was no time to discuss these matters on 11 December so it was agreed to have an evening meeting on 9 January 1992. At this meeting it quickly became clear that there would only be time to make corrections and additions to the programmes of study: the other matters listed above would have to wait until after the meeting of the Statutory Conference. A number of points were agreed in relation to the programmes of study: all of them must be taught, though there was no requirement that the same percentage of time should be spent on each one - teachers should aim to achieve a "reasonable balance." The programmes of study could be taught as separate units or they could be inter-related. A note was added about pupils with special educational needs which suggested that "all pupils, whatever their ability, should have an RE entitlement. Careful planning, differentiated work, a variety of teaching and learning styles, appropriate resources, will all need to be considered." Statutory Conference: 23 January 1992 Isobel Vale, the religious education advisor, was still ill at this time but had provided notes which were presented by Chris Wright, Head of Religious Education at Peers Upper School Oxford. First the Chair of the Conference, Connie Norman, thanked Isobel and the working parties for their long and hard work and suggested that Isobel's health might have suffered as a result of the pressures it had imposed. Teachers all over the county had approved of the results. Dr John Gay (for the Church of England) seconded these thanks. Chris Wright then introduced the syllabus, pointing out that the criticisms from the consultation meetings had been taken into account and that the format was the same as that of other National Curriculum subjects. He led the Conference through the key stages, attainment targets and statements of attainment, stressing that there should be flexibility in the method of delivery: there was no dictation as to how the syllabus should be delivered. He suggested that the content took note not only of conceptual development but also of physical development and cited, as an example, work on rites of passage at Key Stage 3 when most pupils would be entering puberty. Specificity in relation to the requirement that the syllabus should be 'in the main Christian' had been achieved by spelling out the sections on Christianity in some detail, but he stressed that this did not mean that the study of other religions was unimportant. The majority of the meeting - over ninety minutes - was then spent discussing the layout of the programmes of study. There was criticism that Christianity was dealt with first in each section in some detail, whereas the other faiths were listed in alphabetical order and often had only a word or two to suggest possible content. Penny Faust (representing Judaism) suggested that, on this basis, faith groups might wish to withdraw their children from religious education. Nick Eyre (Chair of SACRE) said we should see this as an educational document designed to help teachers. Others suggested that we should do what was right, rather than worrying about what the government required. Chris Wright suggested keeping Christianity as the largest part of each section, but putting it in alphabetical order. It was then pointed out that only Buddhism would come before it and that this would then look odd on the page. A suggestion was made that each programme of study should be presented in a circular form, with the topic in the centre and the religions spread out like a wheel around it. Christianity would still be the largest part but need not be at the top of the page. Another suggestion was that the order of religions should be rotated on each page but it was felt that this would make the document difficult to use. It was finally agreed that possible alternative formats should be investigated. There was also concern about the limited amount of information given for religions other than Christianity and it was agreed that members of the working party should meet representatives of the faith communities to seek their advice. It was pointed out that some faiths had been represented on the working party and that all had been invited. However, in the end it was agreed that this further consultation should take place and that there would therefore have to be another meeting of the Statutory Conference. This was fixed for Tuesday 24 March. Assessment, recording and reporting Before the next meeting of the Statutory Conference, a small working group was convened to discuss assessment, recording and reporting in religious education. This group met for two days, on 18 and 19 March, and, after examining a number of existing schemes and taking note of the recommendations of Westhill, proposed that teachers should be encouraged to use a planning sheet (a slightly modified version of that suggested by Westhill (Westhill 1991) [1] This would encourage teachers to follow Westhill's 'CASK' formula - concepts, attitudes, skills and knowledge - when preparing topics and lessons. Secondly, the group devised a transfer sheet - to provide information on the work covered - for the teacher or school to which a class would be transferring. Finally, advice on record keeping and reporting would be that teachers should follow the policies of their own schools. The working group agreed that this advice would be appended to the syllabus but would not be statutory. Statutory Conference: 24 March 1992 When the Statutory Conference reconvened on 24 March it was first reported by the Chair, Connie Norman, that only one response had been received from a faith group (the Buddhists) since the previous meeting. The Conference then agreed a number of amendments to the syllabus proposed by the religious education advisor, Isobel Vale. Among these were changes to the first section, one of which strengthened the post-phenomenological stance of the syllabus by suggesting that we should not only "teach about religion" but should encourage pupils to "reflect on religion in its many forms in the world." When Isobel began to suggest changes to the programmes of study, it became clear that there had been a misunderstanding as to the statutory nature of the examples provided. When it was made clear that every word in the programmes of study had statutory force, there were arguments about, for example, whether "eggs, flowers, young animals" could be included under the heading 'Christianity'. (Key Stage 1, Special Occasions - Easter). It was eventually agreed to delete these particular examples. Some felt that the statutory element in the syllabus should be of a minimalist nature, though it was agreed that major changes could not be made at this stage. These discussions took the Conference the whole morning, and it resumed after lunch to consider amendments from the Church of England's Diocesan Board of Education. Once again, members of the Conference were taken through the 72 page syllabus and asked to reconsider such matters as the definitions of 'faith' and 'concepts' in the glossary, and whether the inclusion of miracle stories was appropriate at Key Stage 1. Discussions of the validity of Goldmanian theories of religious education took up some considerable time. In the end, it was agreed to leave the miracles in. Another debate centred on the Christian notion of creation, and whether Genesis chapter 1 was an appropriate text to illustrate it. In Key Stage 5, the Church of England was anxious about the module on Science and Religion, and in particular, about dealing with belief and proof. Some argued that debates about rival epistomologies might be rather advanced for sixth-formers. The Conference was anxious to accommodate the Church of England's views as far as possible, since this would ensure that the Diocesan Board of Education would recommend its use in aided schools, and this was felt to be important. The day was thus taken up almost entirely with theological considerations. While it was, of course, essential to get these matters right, it is interesting to note that comparatively little was said about educational concerns. But perhaps this was understandable: the Conference had to ensure that the syllabus was correct and appropriate: it would be up to teachers to make it valid educationally. By 4.30pm, the Conference had agreed the wording and layout of the syllabus. Unfortunately, it could not proceed to a vote for two reasons. First, the two councillors who had been present in the morning had had to leave so the meeting was no longer quorate. Secondly, the Church of England representatives indicated that the Diocesan Board of Education would not authorise them to vote for the syllabus without itself reviewing the changes made during the day. This came as something of a bombshell to the Conference, especially when it was pointed out that there would be no meeting of the Board of Education to approve the new wording for some months. After some fairly acrimonious discussion about the rights of one group to delay agreement of the syllabus - possibly for a year - it was agreed that the Chair would write to the Board of Education requesting that it review the matter urgently and respond positively. A final meeting of the Statutory Conference was arranged for 29 April for the purpose of voting on the new syllabus. At this meeting Dr John Gay announced that the Church of England representatives had been authorised to vote on the syllabus. Members of the Conference then spent an hour debating further issues concerning details of wording and, at 5.18pm, voted unanimously to accept the new syllabus. I was especially delighted that this final decision of the Conference had been taken in my own school library.
References 1 Westhill (1991) Assessing, Recording and Reporting RE p.67 
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