This meeting was scheduled to include a review of the minutes of the previous meeting, discussion of the provision of religious education in Lewisham's schools and consideration of the national guidance on the teaching of religious education.

It is important to note that the documents that form the basis of this summary only describe what was scheduled to be discussed, and do not tell us anything about what was actually discussed, or what (if any) decisions were actually made.

Religious Education in Lewisham's Schools

The meeting was scheduled to include discussion of a report on the performance of Lewisham's schools. This report showed that:

• 67% of pupils in Lewisham achieved grade 4 or above in English and Maths in 2024. This represents a 4% increase on 2023, and an 8% increase on 2019.
• The average A Level grade achieved in Lewisham was a B.

The meeting was also scheduled to consider the curriculum for religious education in Lewisham's schools. The Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education in Lewisham was last set in 2019 and is due for review.

The meeting was also scheduled to receive an update on the work being done to review the Council's guidance on how schools should meet their legal requirements with regard to Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural (SMSC) development. This guidance is supplementary to the Agreed Syllabus.

National Curriculum for Religious Education

The meeting was scheduled to include consideration of the National Association of Standing Advisory Councils on Religious Education's (NASACRE) response to the Department for Education's consultation on proposed changes to the curriculum for Religious Education in England's schools.

NASACRE is a national charity that supports local SACREs. You can read more about the organisation on the NASACRE website.

The government is currently considering whether to make Religious Education a compulsory subject in all state-funded schools in England. Currently, only community schools are required to teach Religious Education, but even they can choose to teach a curriculum other than that set out in the locally agreed syllabus if they so choose. You can read more about the legal basis for Religious Education in England on the gov.uk website.

The document presented to the Committee included the following quote:

NASACRE knows from its membership there are SACREs who are against RE becoming a national curriculum subject because they are worried about centralisation, political bias, the loss of control and the marginalisation of minority faiths, beliefs and worldviews in a national approach to RE.

The meeting was also scheduled to discuss the organisation's participation in the next NASACRE In Conversation event, which was scheduled for 26 November 2024. This event is an opportunity for chairs, vice-chairs and officers of SACREs to discuss matters relating to religious education with NASACRE.

Other Business

The meeting was also scheduled to receive an update on the Jewish Life Exhibition that was scheduled to take place in December 2024. This exhibition, organised by Lewisham Synagogue, will provide opportunities for residents and school pupils to learn more about Jewish life and culture.

The previous meeting had included a presentation on the BLACHIR (Birmingham and Lewisham African and Caribbean Health Inequalities Review) report which highlighted the role that faith groups can play in reducing health inequalities. The meeting was scheduled to receive an update on progress against the recommendations of this report.