The Staffordshire Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education (SACRE) met to discuss key issues in religious education (RE), including equality, diversity and inclusion, the curriculum and assessment review, and inspection data. The council approved the updated safeguarding policy and the annual report for 2024-25, and also noted that the budget had been fully allocated for the year. Councillor Hifsa Haroon-Iqbal OBE DL was appointed as the new chair of the SACRE.

Appointment of Chair and Vice Chair

Councillor Hifsa Haroon-Iqbal OBE DL was appointed as the new chair of the SACRE, taking over from Rev. Preb. Michael Metcalf. The appointment of a vice chair was deferred to the next meeting to allow for consideration of interested members who were not present.

Key Issues in Religious Education

Mary Gale, advisor to SACRE, provided an update on several key issues:

• Cullum Legacy Project: The SACRE was awarded £6,500 to run workshops promoting equality, equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI). Due to high demand, the project has been extended, with schools now willing to pay for the workshops themselves.
• Networking Opportunities: Mary Gale has been networking with partners in religious education, including arranging meetings with the John Taylor Multi-Academy Trust to learn about their approach to teaching RE.
• Curriculum and Assessment Review: There is a proposal to include RE in the national curriculum, which could mean that the Staffordshire agreed syllabus would no longer be the syllabus for schools from 2027-28. There is also a suggestion that sixth formers may no longer be required to study RE.
• Workforce Data Report: Nationally, there has been a decrease in the number of schools reporting zero hours for RE, which suggests an increase in the amount of RE being taught in schools. The Staffordshire Workforce Data Report has just been published and will be discussed at the next meeting.
• Interfaith Week: Many schools requested information and resources for Interfaith Week, and Mary Gale sent these to them.
• Inspection Data: Research into inspection data revealed that some schools in Staffordshire are not providing children with the RE education they should be receiving. SACRE is supporting these schools.

Safeguarding Policy

The updated safeguarding policy was approved. The policy includes updated links and relevant extracts from the local authority safeguarding policy. Mary Gale and Linda Goodwin are safeguarding links for the council. It was also suggested that a short safeguarding presentation could be added to a future agenda.

Annual Report 2024-25

The draft annual report for 2024-25 was presented. The report includes a summary of the work of the SACRE, information about the standards and quality of religious education provision, and data on zero-hour schools. Mary Gale noted that she needed to add a reference to the review of the terms of reference to the report. The report names schools, and is sent to them via the electronic e-bag that headteachers receive, and is also sent to the unions.

Mary Gale noted that she is focusing on one high school in particular to try to raise their expectations in RE, and that she has joined the academy as a member to help them review the whole school and put together a development plan.

The council agreed to approve the report subject to any additional comments being sent to Jo Piech within 10 days.

National GCSE Data

Mary Gale presented the national GCSE data for religious studies, noting that religious studies shows stronger outcomes than history and geography, and that girls significantly outperform boys in religious education. Entries for religious studies are stable nationally, with around 240,000 entries annually. Key questions for schools will be included in the Governor Information Packs.

Mary Gale also noted that there are very few qualified RE teachers working in Staffordshire schools, particularly in high schools, and that the government has stopped providing bursaries to encourage people to train as RE teachers. She added that the Oak National Academy is improving its RE application, and that she is able to give a select number of schools free access to the National Association of Teachers for Religious Education (NATRE).

Budget Update

The budget has been fully spent, with all workshops accounted for and a full audit trail in place. Mary Gale works with Claire Oswald, an accountant at Staffordshire County Council, to keep a close eye on the budget. There may be only £10 left by the end of the year. Workshops have been planned up to the end of March, and planning for the summer term has already begun.

Development Plan

The development plan is out of date due to recent changes, including the curriculum review and the possibility of local authority changes. Mary Gale said she would update it to include these changes. The plan includes familiarising new members with their roles and responsibilities, scrutinising GCSE and A-level results, supporting the agreed syllabus, and promoting equality, equity and diversity.

Councillor Hifsa Haroon-Iqbal OBE DL and Mary Gale will be attending the NATRE conference in January as exhibitors to share the work of RE in Staffordshire.

Variations of Practice

Rev. Preb. Michael Metcalf explained that the legislation requires every school to provide a daily act of collective worship for all pupils, which must be mainly or broadly of a Christian character¹. Schools can apply to the SACRE for a variation in practice if they find this difficult to comply with, but this does not mean they can do without collective worship altogether. The SACRE has hardly ever had a request for a variation in practice.