The Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education (SACRE) of Northumberland Council met on Wednesday 10 June 2026 to discuss a range of topics concerning religious education in the county. The agenda included updates on school engagement, training provision, and the review of examination results.

Tributes to Deanna Van Der Velde

The meeting was scheduled to begin with tributes to Deanna Van Der Velde.

Presentation on Resources

Members were due to receive a presentation on resources for religious education from David Priestley, Director of the North East Religious Resources Centre.

Work in Progress

A significant portion of the meeting was allocated to reviewing ongoing work. This included an update on contacts with schools and the provision of in-service training for Religious Education (RE) teachers, with a reminder of the website link: www.northumberlandeducation.co.uk/RE. Members were also scheduled to receive an update following the NASACRE Conference.

The Northumberland SACRE Development Plan for 2025/26 was to be reviewed and discussed. Progress on a survey sent to schools was also to be reported. Discussions were planned regarding the agreement of a SACRE Excellence Award and the support SACRE could offer for Collective Worship in schools. Additionally, the council was to consider submitting a bid for Westhill Funding. Preparations for Interfaith Week, scheduled for 8-15 November 2026, and Holocaust Memorial Day on 27 January 2027, under the theme No Place for Prejudice, were also on the agenda. Finally, members were to be informed of future training dates and discuss any completed training sessions, with a specific upcoming training session noted for 25 June 2026: So you've joined your local SACRE.

Examination Results 2025

SACRE members were scheduled to receive and discuss the examination results for Religious Education from 2025. The report pack indicated that data for Key Stage 4 showed Northumberland schools below the national average for %7+ and %4+ grades, although improvements were noted year-on-year. For Key Stage 5, Northumberland exceeded national averages at A*-C and A* - E grades, with improvements also seen year-on-year.

Dates of Future Meetings

The meeting was scheduled to conclude with the agreement of dates for future SACRE meetings for the academic years 2026-27 and 2027-28.

The agenda and reports pack for this meeting can be found on the Northumberland Council website. The agenda is available at Agenda frontsheet 10th-Jun-2026 16.00 Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education SACRE.pdf and the full reports pack is at Public reports pack 10th-Jun-2026 16.00 Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education SACRE.pdf.