The Bexley Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education (SACRE) met to discuss local and national updates on religious education (RE), including concerns about community tensions and the removal of the Initial Teacher Training (ITT) bursary for RE teachers. The council agreed to publish Ramadan guidance for teachers by February 2026, and members expressed interest in reviewing the Locally Agreed Syllabus (LAS) in January 2026. Members also voiced concerns about rising community tensions and the need for specific support and resources to address hate and promote inclusion in schools.

Community Tensions

The meeting addressed rising community tensions in Bexley, including incidents of verbal racism, challenges to school materials, and concerns about the increase in flags being displayed in the community. Joan Woodham, Head of Education Improvement and Partnerships, explained that the council is working with community safety and children's services to monitor the situations closely and implement action plans, and that teachers have access to points of contact, 1-1 meetings, and an employee assistance programme for support.

Councillor Janice Ward-Wilson, Deputy Mayor of Bexley 2025/26, asked for more detail on the specific concerns arising from community tensions. Councillors Anna Day, Shadow Cabinet Member for Housing, Climate Change, Transport, Environment and Leisure, and Councillor Wendy Perfect, substitute councillor, noted that they had seen these tensions continuously in the north of the borough, including instances of vandalism.

Vicky Hart, Judaism representative, emphasised the importance of being specific about the types of hate occurring within the community to support those affected, noting the rise in antisemitism. Councillor Rags Sandhu suggested that members of different faiths should attend community events to foster relationships and ease tensions. Ms Woodham said that the council would welcome further knowledge and information to share with schools, and that the new Ofsted framework has a strong focus on inclusion.

The council also heard a statement from the former Leader of the Council, Councillor Baroness O'Neill of Bexley OBE, regarding community cohesion. The statement noted that:

Racist graffiti, circulation of misinformation and intimidation of Council staff are among recent actions that undermine the very fabric of our community in Bexley.

All of us – whether we live, work or learn in the borough – deserve to feel safe and supported. Behaviour that threatens our community cohesion is completely unacceptable and will not be tolerated.

National Updates

Rizwana Rehman, lead tutor for the RE PGCE in East London, informed the board that the bursary for trainee RE teachers had been removed after just two years, raising concerns about meeting targets for trainee teachers and a potential collapse in higher education RE and humanities programmes. She noted that attracting specialist teachers would become more difficult, potentially leading to fewer individuals taking up courses in higher education, although GCSE uptake remained consistent.

The council discussed the Department for Education's (DfE) proposal to include RE in the national curriculum from 2027-28, but no further details were available.

The meeting also addressed the national recruitment crisis for teachers and the impact of rising tensions on community cohesion. A briefing included in the national updates report outlined concerns about the withdrawal of the RE ITT bursary from 2026-2027, which is expected to intensify the shortage of RE teachers. The briefing urged members of parliament to write to the Secretary of State for Education to reconsider the decision.

The briefing noted that:

This decision comes despite RE recruitment standing at only 53.6% of the national target – one of the lowest rates of any secondary subject. The Department has missed its RE recruitment target in 13 of the last 14 years.

The briefing also included a template letter for constituents to send to their MP, urging them to support the restoration of the RE teacher training bursary and Subject Knowledge Enhancement (SKE) funding. A template letter was also provided for MPs to send to the Secretary of State for Education, expressing concern about the decision to remove the bursary and SKE funding.

Local Updates

Ms Rehman provided local updates, including the completion of Ramadan guidance, which would be offered to all teachers at a priority network meeting and published by February 2026. She also reported positive progress on the Locally Agreed Syllabus (LAS), with plans for a review meeting in January 2026 for members to provide feedback.

Ms Rehman noted difficulties in promoting the Spirited Arts Competition due to school firewalls and contact issues. Ms Woodham offered to address this at an upcoming headteacher forum, urging schools to check their junk mail.

Ms Woodham also gave an overview of the local updates report, noting that Ofsted inspections had been paused since July, but a new framework was coming into schools with a more holistic approach. She highlighted Bexley's engagement with the UNICEF Rights Respecting Schools award¹, and the importance of such initiatives given rising community tensions.