The Bexley Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education (SACRE) was scheduled to meet on Wednesday, 11 March 2026. The meeting's agenda included a review of SACRE membership, local and national updates concerning Religious Education, and discussions on the future of RE.

SACRE Membership Review 2026-2030

The council was scheduled to discuss the review of the SACRE membership for the period of 2026 to 2030. This included information and next steps regarding the membership of SACRE Groups A, B, and C, whose terms of office would end on 7 May 2026. Members in these groups were to be provided with a form to indicate their willingness to serve for another term. For Group B, appointed by the Diocese of Rochester, the completed forms would assist the Diocese in their appointments process. The report also noted that elected members in Group D have their appointments reviewed annually at the Annual Council meeting. Additionally, the SACRE would be required to elect a Vice-Chairman at its next meeting, provisionally set for 2 July 2026.

Local and National Updates

The meeting was scheduled to receive updates from Joan Woodham and Rizwana Rehman on local and national developments concerning Religious Education.

Local Updates: Rizwana Rehman was expected to provide an update on the Ramadan Guidance, which had been completed and was to be offered to all teachers. This guidance was anticipated to be approved and published by February 2026, with Ramadan due to begin during half-term. Progress on the Locally Agreed Syllabus (LAS) was also to be discussed, with three meetings held with RE Today and positive advancements reported. A meeting was planned for January 2026 for members to review the LAS and provide feedback.

Regarding the Spirited Arts Competition, it was noted that emails were not reaching the correct recipients due to school firewalls, and finding school contacts had been difficult. Discussions were to take place on potential mitigation strategies, with Joan Woodham planning to raise the issue at a headteacher forum.

Joan Woodham was to provide an overview of OFSTED reports, noting that there had been no new reports since July. A new framework was being introduced into schools, which headteachers were aware of, and this framework would not include deep dives into RE but would adopt a more holistic approach. Bexley had been actively involved with the UNICEF Rights Respecting Awards, with many local schools achieving this award.

The report also highlighted rising community tensions, including incidents of verbal racism, challenges to school materials, and concerns from staff regarding the increase in flags displayed in the local community. A group working with community safety and Children's Services was monitoring these situations closely, with action plans in place. Support for teachers experiencing these concerns was available through points of contact, one-to-one meetings, and the employee assistance programme. Councillors noted that these tensions were also being observed in the North of the Borough, with instances of vandalism and concerning questions being asked at community events.

Vicky Hart, representing Judaism, emphasised the importance of specifying the types of hate occurring within the community to support those affected, particularly noting the rise in antisemitism. Joan Woodham assured the board that all forms of racism, including antisemitism, were taken seriously and included in training. The possibility of sharing additional resources from faith groups with local schools was also discussed. Councillor Rags Sandhu highlighted the positive impact of different faiths coming together at the Remembrance Sunday event and suggested that members of different faiths attending community events could help foster relationships.

National Updates: Rizwana Rehman was expected to inform the council about the withdrawal of the bursary for trainee teachers, raising concerns about targets not being met and a potential slow collapse in higher education RE and humanities. This was anticipated to make attracting specialist teachers more difficult in the long term, although uptake at GCSE remained consistent. Discussions with the Department for Education (DfE) regarding the national curriculum were also to be mentioned, with a proposal to make RE part of the curriculum from 2027-28, though further details were not yet available. Councillor Janice Ward-Wilson inquired about engagement with Councillor Newton, Cabinet Member for Education, and was informed that regular meetings were taking place.

Declarations of Interest

The meeting was scheduled to address declarations of interest, with guidance provided on Disclosable Pecuniary Interests and Other Registerable Interests. This guidance outlined the definitions of these interests and the actions members must take if they have an interest to declare, including the requirement to leave the room during the discussion of any item in which they have a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest. There were no legal, financial, or other implications arising from this report.

Items of Late Business

The agenda indicated that any items of late business would be considered only if the Chairman deemed them urgent due to special circumstances. The process for reporting and circulating such items in advance of the meeting was outlined. There were no legal, financial, or other implications arising from this report.