The Lewisham Standing Advisory Council of Religious Education (SACRE) met to discuss the Agreed Syllabus Conference, feedback from the NASACRE Conference and AGM, and the Young Mayor's project. The meeting was also scheduled to include discussion of Holocaust Memorial Day, and a review of the SACRE and ASC Code of Conduct.

Agreed Syllabus Conference

The meeting was scheduled to include an oral progress report on the Agreed Syllabus Conference (ASC). The ASC is a group that must be formed every five years to review the locally agreed syllabus for religious education¹. The report pack indicates that members' nominating bodies were due to receive an email regarding the ASC, inviting current members to express their interest in being representatives. The email was also scheduled to mention that the ASC would have separate business and meet separately, allowing nominating bodies to choose a different representative if needed.

NASACRE Conference and AGM

The agenda included feedback from the NASACRE² Conference and AGM. The report pack included a SACRE Annual Report analysis, a message from Lord Khan, and feedback from attendees and members who had attended webinars. The NASACRE annual conference was scheduled to be held at Stratford Town Hall on Monday 19 May, with five places allocated to the committee. A programme of webinars was scheduled to follow the main event, covering topics such as a Faith and Belief Forum and controversial issues.

Young Mayor's Project

The meeting was scheduled to include an update on the Young Mayor's project. According to the minutes of the previous meeting, Shane Grant, Lewisham's Young Mayor, had sent his apologies for not being able to attend a previous meeting due to illness. Nicholas Gunner reported that one of the Young Mayor's manifesto commitments was running interfaith events in the borough, driven by his observation that there is a lot of misunderstanding and even violence among young people based on faith.

To this end, the Young Mayor was planning a pilot youth event from 10am to 3pm on 18 June at the Civic Suite, inviting all schools to send young people of faith. The event was intended to be non-formal, experience-led, and youth-led, featuring games and potentially a broadcast on Lewisham Radio.

Other Matters

The agenda also included:

• Feedback from the Lewisham as Places of Belonging conference, presented by Anthony Doudle.
• An update on Holocaust Memorial Day. Gerald Rose reported that a meeting had been held online on 24 February to discuss how the National Holocaust Day and Hannukah would be commemorated in 2026. Lewisham's Holocaust Memorial Day (HMD) event was scheduled to be held from 2pm to 4pm on 27 January 2026.
• A reminder to members of the existence of the SACRE and ASC Code of Conduct. Councillor Liz Johnston-Franklin suggested that this document be included in the next annual report.
• An information exchange and any other business.
• Confirmation of the dates of future meetings.