This meeting of the Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education (SACRE) is scheduled to receive an update on the Forum of Faiths in Newham and to discuss matters relating to the teaching of Religious Education in the borough. The committee will also receive the minutes of its previous meeting for approval.

The most significant item on the agenda for the public is likely to be the scheduled discussion of the committee’s priorities for the 2024-25 academic year.

SACRE Priorities for 2024-25

The report pack for the meeting contains a document that sets out the committee’s priorities for the 2024-25 academic year. These are:

• Production of the annual report, including a review of data relating to the GCSE Religious Studies results awarded in Summer 2024.
• Maintaining and developing the membership of SACRE, including seeking new members “especially (from) new religious groups in the Borough”.
• Supporting good RE in schools.
• Maintaining links with best practice in RE and CW¹, and ensuring that the committee is kept up to date on legal developments.
• Reviewing the implementation of the Agreed Syllabus that was introduced in 2022, and considering teachers’ feedback on its implementation.
• General RE at KS4², with a particular focus on what is taught to pupils who do not take a GCSE in Religious Studies at Key Stage 4. This is particularly significant as, in Summer ‘23, 77% of Year 11 (pupils) (were) sitting a GCSE in RS – so what happens for the other 23%?
• Considering how to enhance training opportunities, and exploring the possibility of arranging a borough-wide training day for RE teachers in all Newham schools, and particularly those who have not previously attended RE CPD³.

Also included in the report pack is a summary of the responses received to the Newham Primary and Secondary RE/CW Monitoring Forms for 2024-25, which were sent to all schools in Newham that teach Religious Education.

2024-25 SACRE priorities

The report pack also contains a document that suggests a number of specific actions to support the committee in achieving its priorities. These include:

• Appointing an RE consultant to keep the committee up to date on legal developments in Religious Education.
• Organising a visit for SACRE members to a local school to see RE lessons/CW in progress.
• Sending every school in Newham a copy of the SACRE’s updated advice on prayer rooms, which was agreed at the committee’s June meeting.
• Working with the Local Authority to secure funding for the review of the Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education that is scheduled to take place in the 2025-27 academic year.

Update on school opportunity with engagement on RE

The committee is scheduled to receive a verbal report from Ms. Claire Clinton on a project run by RE Matters, a religious education organisation that provides support and training services to schools in Newham and other London boroughs, entitled “Challenging Religious Stereotypes Roadshow 2024-2025”. This is described in the report pack as an opportunity for students in Newham to:

reflect on what stereotyping is, where stereotypical views stem from and experiences of religious stereotyping.

So far, workshops have taken place at seven schools in the borough: Lister Community School, St Bonaventure's School, Plashet School, Little Ilford School, Azhar Academy, Quwwat-ul-Islam School for Girls, and Kingsford Community School. Workshops are also scheduled to take place at Rokeby School and Chobham Academy. The project will culminate in a meeting of students from the participating schools with faith representatives to discuss their thoughts on religious stereotyping.

Annual report

The report pack also contains the Newham SACRE Annual Report 2023-2024, which the committee is scheduled to discuss. The report contains a summary of the religious makeup of the borough, and details of student attainment in Religious Studies. It states that 77% of students in Newham sat a full GCSE in Religious Studies. The report contains a summary of the work undertaken by the committee, RE Matters and Student RE Matters, a student interfaith group, during the 2023-2024 academic year.

Of particular note, the report states that:

Newham SACRE began this year with the preparation of a briefing note on one the most challenging and sensitive topics of recent times: the terror attacks in Israel and the ensuing violence in the Middle East.

NASACRE annual conference

The report pack states that the annual NASACRE⁴ conference will take place on the 19th May 2025. It is scheduled to be held at Stratford Town Hall and will run from 10.30am to 3.30pm. The committee is scheduled to discuss arrangements for the conference.

Monitoring form for RE & CW 2025

The report pack also contains draft monitoring forms to be used to collect data on the teaching of Religious Education from Newham schools in the 2024-2025 academic year. These ask about a range of issues, including the amount of time allocated for RE in the curriculum, the number of pupils withdrawn from RE, and the qualifications taken by students. Schools are also asked to rate the quality of their RE provision.