Agreed Syllabus - Issues for Church schools

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An agreed syllabus is produced by a Local Education Authority to provide the basis for the teaching of religious education in all maintained schools within its area that do not have provision for denominational religious education. It should be used in all schools that do not have a religious character and in voluntary controlled and foundation schools that do have one, unless the parents have asked for denominational religious education. It is therefore a key document for most Anglican voluntary controlled and foundation schools. It is also potentially an important resource for Anglican voluntary aided schools.

Where it is required to be used, the agreed syllabus should have the same status as National Curriculum documents have for other subjects.

The voluntary aided Church school has, with advice from the diocese, to decide whether to follow the broad guidelines of the Agreed Syllabus and supplement it with distinctively Christian material, or to draw up their own syllabus again with support and advice from the diocese.

The arguments used by some dioceses and voluntary aided schools for following the broad guidelines of the LEA agreed syllabus are:

it helps in-service training in RE to work with other teachers from all types of school; pupils will go to a secondary school, in all probability not a voluntary aided Church of England/Church in Wales school, and need to have followed the agreed syllabus at Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 to ensure progression. the diocese is likely to have had a major input into the agreed syllabus and feel, therefore, it is a good platform upon which to build; advice from government curriculum agencies is usually based upon the needs of agreed syllabuses.

Guidance
Agreed syllabuses vary in quality and the support they offer to teachers. Generally, however, the guidance is aimed specifically at the syllabuses and relates directly to schemes of work and levels of attainment. Church schools may wish to follow these but if their syllabus varies significantly, it will not be possible to use the LEA advice in these areas.

There are many dioceses that produce a supplement to the agreed syllabus. This supplement will contain mainly Christian material for Key Stages 1 and 2. Some dioceses have produced a syllabus but it is not a statutory requirement that is to be followed by voluntary aided primary schools. It is support and guidance to voluntary aided schools, telling them, in effect what the DBE believes to be appropriate RE in a Church school context.

Challenging areas

These vary depending upon the syllabus. Some are very clear, document how to measure progress, and provide helpful guidance on teaching strategies. Others are not so helpful and teachers may need additional support.

Because the syllabus is specific to a particular LEA there could be problems when a child changes from one LEA to another. This has been obviated by the degree of convergence that exists between many agreed syllabuses. The work undertaken by QCA to produce model syllabuses from which LEAs could develop their local version has helped in this area. The model syllabus documents were published in 1994 and are available from the QCA. QCA has also published non-statutory guidance on levels of attainment and schemes of work which schools may find supportive (see qca.gov.uk and dfes.gov.uk). Further consistency would be ensured if the DfES and QCA decide to go ahead and produce a National Framework for Religious Education. A feasibility study has been undertaken by QCA, the results of which can be found on their web site (see http://www.qca.org.uk/news/press/20030226.asp).

Main areas of difficulty have not generally surrounded the content, at least not in recent years. If there are areas of contention they usually relate to the amount of time spent on non-Christian faiths, and concerns by members that their religion is appropriately presented. A further issue that can arise is a difference of educational philosophy i.e. should the teaching of RE be systemic, thematic or a mixture of both?

The last of these can, of course, be an issue in any school, including voluntary aided schools.

The law

The major reference that covers the agreed syllabus was originally part of the Education Act 1944. It can now be found in the Education Act 1996 Part V, Chapter 3, section 375 and in Schedule 31 of the same Act.

In some schools governors and teachers are unclear about whether they should be using the local agreed syllabus or not. Its legal status depends on two factors:

The school's category; Whether or not the school has a religious character as defined in The Designation of Schools having a Religious Character (England) Order 1999. In a voluntary aided school with a religious character, a syllabus that reflects the religious character of the school should normally be used. In a voluntary controlled school or a Foundation school with a religious character, parents may request such denominational religious education for their children.

In all schools without a religious character and in voluntary controlled schools and foundation schools that have such a character but where no request has been received from the parents, the agreed syllabus of the LEA should be used.

See also School Standards and Framework Act 1998 Chapter VI section 69 and 71.

FAQs

Do the diocese and voluntary aided schools need to pay attention to the agreed syllabus?

Yes and No. voluntary aided schools, in law, need pay no attention to the agreed syllabus. It is, however, always helpful to keep in mind what the requirements of the agreed syllabus are as it will affect in-service provision, progression etc. Also the diocese will have been involved in the creation and review of the syllabus and may well recommend that voluntary aided schools follow the general lines of the syllabus. There should, however, be additional Christian material produced by the school or the diocese for use in voluntary aided schools. RE in the aided school should be in accord with the foundation of the school. There is no direct legal force behind a diocesan syllabus for religious education. There is, however an indirect one. Most Anglican voluntary aided schools operate on a trust deed that makes it clear that, if there should be a dispute about the interpretation of the deed, then the Diocesan Bishop will decide the issue. Governors of voluntary aided schools must ensure that they provide religious education in accordance with the teachings of the Anglican Church. Should there be a complaint about the content of the religious education taught in the school the diocesan bishop would have to decide whether the complaint was justified or not. In this he would normally seek advice from the Diocesan Board of Education. If the bishop has indicated publicly that he endorses the diocesan syllabus, it must be assumed that he would use the syllabus as a basis for his decision about whether the religious education in the school conforms to Anglican teaching. The introduction to such syllabuses signed by the diocesan bishop commending the syllabus to schools is, therefore, more than a matter of politeness or marketing. It is a key indicator to the schools of the diocese of the importance of the document.

Do we have to use the agreed syllabus?

This depends on two factors. The school's category. A voluntary aided school with a religious character should normally use a syllabus which reflects the religious character of the school. Parents in voluntary controlled schools and foundation schools with a religious character may request denominational religious education for their children. (see 'The law' above)

Can the LEA reject the syllabus?

Strictly speaking there is no provision for a reference back to the Conference if the LEA rejects the work of the Conference. The Secretary of State has the power to intervene and set up a separate consultative process but this had never been invoked. The LEA officer or clerk to the Conference, acting as RE Adviser, would normally keep the LEA well informed to avoid any such problems.