The Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education (SACRE) meeting, held on Tuesday 13 October 2015, focused on strengthening interfaith cooperation and enhancing religious education within the borough. Key discussions included the work of the Multi-Faith group, safeguarding children, and the upcoming Faith Direct 2016 event.

The Work of Safeguarding Children in the Borough

A significant portion of the meeting was dedicated to a presentation by Linde Webber, Business Manager of the Wandsworth Safeguarding Children Board (WSCB). Ms. Webber outlined the WSCB's role in coordinating and ensuring the effectiveness of child protection efforts across the borough, highlighting its statutory responsibilities and monitoring of inter-agency collaboration. The WSCB acknowledged the strong links with faith groups and offered support and training to assist them in their own safeguarding assessments. A workshop on safeguarding issues for faith and community groups was agreed upon, with a provisional date set for Monday 25 January 2016. Ms. Webber also presented a booklet on Safeguarding Children, which was praised for its impartiality and clear differentiation between culture and faith. Concerns were raised by some members regarding the impact of radicalisation and far-right extremists on safeguarding, with Ms. Webber confirming that while acknowledged, these specific issues were addressed in separate WSCB leaflets.

Accord Inclusive Schools Award

Ms. Davina Salmon provided information on the Accord Inclusivity Award, a scheme run by a coalition of organisations promoting inclusive religious education and mutual understanding. The award is open to all primary and secondary schools in England and Wales, requiring them to evidence good practice in RE inclusion and cohesion throughout their curriculum and ethos. Members agreed that schools should be encouraged to enter the award and to submit copies of their applications to SACRE for review.

Faith Direct 2016

Ms. Clare O'Connor, Secretary to the Multi-Faith group, discussed the upcoming Faith Direct 2016 event. This annual event aims to engage schools by providing opportunities for GCSE students to interact with representatives from ten to twelve different faiths, allowing them to discuss and understand religious intricacies. The representation of faiths at the event is determined by the 2011 census breakdown for the borough. Secondary schools will be invited to send groups of 10 pupils, who will be tasked with reporting their experiences back to their schools. Members endorsed the event as positive, with the potential for young people to become faith ambassadors. It was agreed that invitation packs would encourage pupils to gather questions from their peers prior to the event and include evaluation forms to assess how they shared their experiences afterwards.

Minutes of the Multi-Faith Group Meeting

The minutes of the Multi-Faith group meeting held on 18 March 2015 were received. Ms. O'Connor reported on arrangements for multi-faith groups in other boroughs responding to emergencies, noting that in Kingston and Richmond, the faith group chairman issues a statement, while in Barnet, individual faith groups issue their own. For Wandsworth, it was agreed that in the event of a national or local emergency, Ms. O'Connor would email group members for their responses and then issue a joint statement reflecting their collective views. Ms. O'Connor also reminded members that applications for new grant funding were due by 2 November, requiring a local councillor's signature.

Minutes of the SACRE Meeting

The minutes of the SACRE meeting held on 13 October 2014 were confirmed. Ms. Salmon provided an update on SACRE membership, stating that once representative membership was established, the register of SACRE representatives willing to attend school groups would be updated. She noted that there had been one school request for a SACRE member in the past year, but schools could also contact faith groups directly. Information on a bursary scheme had been sent to schools. Ms. Salmon also confirmed that a questionnaire for headteachers regarding the teaching and accessibility of Religious Education (RE), including areas of strength and weakness and any decrease in pupil numbers taking RE at GCSE and A-level, had been developed and would be sent to schools. Councillor Mrs. Antonia Dunn, Chair of SACRE, confirmed that the questionnaire results would be discussed at a future SACRE meeting. Ms. Claire Boag mentioned that the Southwark Diocese website would soon offer RE resources for primary education, and Councillor Dunn emphasised the need to pool resources to increase involvement and vitalise RE. Ms. Salmon also confirmed that the prevent co-ordinator, Mr. Cornwall, and Ms. Taylor would be invited to present at the next SACRE meeting.

Working Together

Councillor Mrs. Dunn highlighted examples of faith groups working together in the borough and suggested collating this information for future discussion. Members were asked to send brief descriptions of existing interfaith collaborations and ideas for expanding or strengthening multi-faith group working to the committee clerk, Jacqueline Bennett.

SACRE Meeting Dates for 2016

The scheduled dates for future SACRE meetings in 2016 were noted: Monday 29 February, Monday 27 June, and Monday 10 October (a joint meeting with the Wandsworth Multi-Faith Group). All meetings are to be held at Wandsworth Town Hall, commencing at 7:30 pm with a pre-meeting at 7:00 pm.