The Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education (SACRE) met on Monday 12th June 2023 to discuss updates on the locally agreed syllabus, faith trails, and national RE initiatives. Key decisions included the approval of the new locally agreed syllabus via delegated authority and the confirmation of future meeting dates.

New Locally Agreed Syllabus

The council received an update on the new Locally Agreed Syllabus, which had been approved via delegated authority. Mrs Ruth Wright, SACRE Officer, explained that this process bypassed the need for Executive consideration following the Agreed Syllabus Conference, as no further discussions were required. She assured members that due diligence and scrutiny had been conducted through the delegated authority process, which was finalised on the day of the meeting. The new syllabus will be made available on the Council website for Children's Committee members to view. Mrs Angela Rundle, SACRE Officer, will share the syllabus with schools and members before the end of term.

Locally Agreed Syllabus Primary School Presentation

Ms Brigitte Sayers-Eugster, representing Shaftesbury Park Primary School, presented how her school has implemented the Wandsworth Locally Agreed Syllabus. She shared that the school, which has a French bilingual and an enterprise stream, tailors its Religious Education (RE) curriculum to its vision and other curriculum plans. Their approach involves using a series of questions and outcomes to establish baseline understanding, building knowledge and depth term by term and year by year. The curriculum covers the main UK religions and others followed by pupils, with a comparative study of faith practices and festivals within the UK and internationally. Children connect with peers in other countries through school-to-school pen-palling, linking RE with geography and history. Humanism, atheist, and agnostic beliefs are also included. The school utilises visiting speakers from local faith communities and family members to provide context, and children attend Wandsworth Faith Trails. An interfaith day is held at the end of the summer term for children to celebrate other festivals and create artwork. Rites of passage celebrations are covered in class assemblies. Assessment follows a We Are Learning To (WALT) approach, culminating in end-of-year self and teacher assessments, with consideration for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) levels. Each class has a poster displaying major UK religion symbols alongside Article 14 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which states: Every child has the right to think and believe what they want and to practise their religion, as long as they are not stopping other people from enjoying their rights. Governments must respect the rights of parents to give their children information about this right.

Faith Trail Update

Mrs Rundle reported on three faith trails arranged for the summer:

• Balham Faith Trail: Visiting Balham Mosque, Balham Mandir (Hindu temple), and St Mary and St John the Divine CE Church.
• Southfields Faith Trail: Visiting Fazl Mosque (The London Mosque), the Sikh Gurdwara South London, and the Quaker Meeting House.
• Wimbledon Parkside Faith Trail: Visiting the Buddhapadipa Temple, Wimbledon Synagogue, and St Paul's CE Church.

Schools had already booked places on these trails, and SACRE members were invited to contact Mrs Rundle if they wished to join, with the agreement of the schools.

NASACRE Conference Feedback

Mrs Rundle shared feedback from the National Association of Standing Advisory Councils on Religious Education (NASACRE) conference, which celebrated its 30th anniversary. Keynote speakers included Dr Kathryn Wright, CEO of Culham St Gabriel's Trust, who spoke on An education in religion and worldviews – the next 30 years…? , and Dr David Hampshire, who presented on SACRE Annual Reports 2021-2022. Charles Clarke, former MP and patron of NASACRE, highlighted SACREs' strengths in building local links and responsiveness, while noting potential challenges from finances and political changes. Mrs Rundle noted that Wandsworth SACRE was one of only 23 to have provided its 2021-22 annual report and one of a smaller group to have submitted reports for the last three years. The conference also discussed the need for the Department for Education (DfE) to hold SACREs accountable for submitting statutory annual reports. Two online workshops on interfaith dialogue and schools, and the Welcome Project, were scheduled for June.

RE Hubs

Ms Stacey Burman, from RE Hubs, joined the meeting virtually to discuss the RE Hubs organisation and website. Funded by national RE organisations, RE Hubs aims to be a one stop shop supporting RE teaching nationally. The website offers free access to a list of Kite mark approved speakers, places of interest to visit, resources, local teacher groups, London Hub information, and national and local events. Multi-faith forums and faith and worldview groups can register to be speakers or host visits, requiring a short session on expectations and a safeguarding DBS check. Ms Burman stressed the impact of direct interaction with faith followers for children's learning and encouraged members to visit the website and consider registering. She also mentioned that Wandsworth could explore holding inter-faith conferences where children can question faith and worldview followers, similar to events held in other boroughs. Ms Burman advised that teachers should clearly define their objectives for visits or speakers to ensure the curriculum is naturally enhanced. Any interaction with individual pupils should be facilitated through the school.

Wandsworth Community and Partnerships Service

Ms Amelia Willis, Head of School Participation and Performance, outlined her role in supporting voluntary and faith groups in the borough. She mentioned an upcoming independent needs analysis to help connect the borough and invited SACRE members to a community engagement network event on 10th July. Ms Willis encouraged feedback on what is needed on the ground and provided her contact details for direct communication. She also requested to attend the next SACRE meeting to provide feedback from the event and the analysis.

Membership Changes

The Chair welcomed new members Councillor Denise Paul and Jon Fayle, a co-opted member from Humanists UK. The meeting also noted the departure of Councillor Norman Marshall, Councillor Juliana Annan (substitute member), and Ms Ewa Bednarek (Church of England representative), thanking them for their contributions.

Future Meeting Dates

The agreed dates for future SACRE meetings were confirmed as:

• Monday 2nd October 2023, at Upper Tooting Methodist Church, 290 Balham High Road, SW17 7AL.
• Monday 4th March 2024, at Wandsworth Town Hall.

Members were asked to inform Mrs Rundle and Mrs Wright of any clashes with religious celebrations.