The Standing Advisory Council for Religious Education (SACRE) of Brent Council met on Monday 20 July 2026 to discuss updates on Religious Education (RE) and national developments. The meeting also included the annual election of the SACRE Chair and Vice Chair, and a review of SACRE membership.

Election of Chair and Vice Chair

The council was scheduled to undertake its annual election for the positions of Chair and Vice Chair. These appointments were intended to cover the 2026-27 academic year, with future elections to be held at the last SACRE meeting of each preceding academic year. It was noted that the local authority had agreed not to exercise its right to appoint the Vice Chair, leaving this decision to the SACRE.

Membership Update

In accordance with section 4 of the Brent SACRE constitution, a review of SACRE membership was scheduled following the local government elections held on 7 May 2026. The current membership list was provided for review.

RE Update

An update was scheduled to be received from the SACRE Advisor, Nadia Nadeem, covering general SACRE and RE-related issues. This update was expected to include information on the National Association of Standing Advisory Councils for Religious Education (NASACRE).

The report pack indicated that the RE update would cover significant national developments. A key point was the Department for Education's (DfE) intention to include Religious Education in the National Curriculum for the first time, following reported consensus among religious, belief, and education representatives. This move aims to establish a stronger national entitlement for RE, reducing variation in what pupils receive, while allowing faith schools to add depth according to their ethos. A consultation on the RE curriculum content was anticipated in September 2026, with the revised curriculum expected to be taught from September 2028. The report highlighted that SACREs would remain important during this transition, continuing to provide local advice, annual reports, community links, advice on collective worship, and support for syllabus use.

The update was also expected to address the implications of a UK Supreme Court ruling in November 2025 concerning RE and collective worship. While not changing legislation in England, the ruling was understood to have strengthened expectations for how RE and worship must be delivered in non-faith schools, emphasizing that RE should be educational, not confessional, and that assemblies should be inclusive and non-coercive. The report noted that reliance on withdrawal from these activities should not be used to compensate for unlawful provision. Members were keen to review the impact of this judgment on Brent's and individual schools' Collective Worship Policies.

Furthermore, the RE update was to cover the outcome of the independent Curriculum and Assessment Review commissioned by the DfE, which recommended RE be formally added to the National Curriculum. This review proposed a staged approach to reform, including establishing a national task-and-finish group to draft a national curriculum for RE, drawing on expertise from various stakeholders. The government's response at the time focused on further consultation and sector consensus.

NASACRE Update

An update from NASACRE was also scheduled to be provided by the SACRE Advisor. This was expected to include NASACRE's response to the Curriculum and Assessment Review, which they welcomed as a means of acknowledging the importance of RE for pupils' development. NASACRE supported the staged approach towards placing RE on the National Curriculum, while safeguarding the involvement of SACREs and representatives from religion/belief communities. Forthcoming training opportunities for SACRE members, such as Being an Effective SACRE Clerk and What might a SACRE want to use from the new Oak National Academy resources? , were also to be mentioned.

Future Meetings

The dates for future SACRE meetings during the 2026-27 academic year were noted as Thursday 8 October 2026 and Thursday 4 February 2027. The council had previously agreed to continue the practice of holding at least one meeting in person each year at a place of worship or a school.