The Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education (SACRE) met on Tuesday 1 April 2025 to approve a revised Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education and its draft Annual Report for 2023-24. The council also discussed an interim report on the Curriculum and Assessment Review and received a briefing from NASACRE.

Draft Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education

The council approved the draft Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education for the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, recommending it for approval by the Full Council. This revised syllabus, intended for implementation in the 2025/26 academic year, updates the previous 2020 version to reflect changes in teaching and assessment methods and incorporates data from the 2021 census. The syllabus aims to promote mutual understanding, tolerance, and community cohesion by providing accurate and balanced information about religion and worldviews. Several amendments were agreed upon, including the inclusion of Christianity in census data tables, the addition of a photograph representing Buddhism, consistent use of Richmond upon Thames, and the relocation and renaming of the Local Intent section. Specific wording changes were also made to clarify the syllabus's aims and to ensure accurate sourcing of statements.

Draft Annual Report for 2023-24

The council approved the draft Annual Report detailing SACRE's activities during the 2023-24 academic year. The report, prepared according to a template from the National Association of Standing Advisory Councils (NASACRE), provides an overview of SACRE's work, including its statutory responsibilities regarding Religious Education and Collective Worship. Amendments to the report included updating references from 2022/23 to 2023/24, correcting the name of Heathfield Infant School to Heathfield Junior School, and seeking further information for Grey Court and Turing House schools. Emphasis was also placed on the survey of RE provision in secondary schools.

Update on Faith Direct Day

Members received a verbal update on the Faith Direct Day. Efforts to organise a Faith Direct Day specifically for special schools had been hampered by a lack of school engagement. It was noted that the special schools in the borough are part of the same academy trust. Helena Moore, Lead School Improvement Advisor for SEND at Achieving for Children (AfC), agreed to follow up with the relevant officer and seek assistance from the Director for Education if necessary.

The Curriculum and Assessment Review Interim Report

The council discussed the interim report of the government-commissioned Curriculum and Assessment Review. The report highlighted that Religious Education (RE) would benefit from a national content standard to address regional disparities in the quality of RE provision. The RE Council and other organisations have expressed support for such a standard. The Minister for School Standards, Catherine McKinnell, was quoted as stating that RE is a compulsory subject up to the age of 18 and helps pupils understand the values and traditions of different religious communities. While Richmond SACRE had missed the opportunity to contribute to the call for evidence, members agreed it would be beneficial to make further representations. This topic will be an agenda item for the next SACRE meeting.

NASACRE Briefing

The NASACRE Conference was highlighted, scheduled to take place on 19 May in London. Fiona Foreman expressed interest in attending, and the clerk will confirm if the delegate fee can be covered by AfC. The Westhill Awards were also mentioned, with a note that there had been no new applications for the Kingston and Richmond SACRE RE Award since Heathfield Junior School. Heathfield Infant School had expressed interest in pursuing this at a future date. It was agreed to promote the award at the launch of the new Agreed Syllabus. Additionally, it was suggested that the syllabus launch could be used to gather email addresses of RE leads to facilitate direct communication from the SACRE Clerk.

Date of the Next Meeting

The provisional date for the next SACRE meeting was set for 19 June 2025. The Chair informed members that she would be taking up the role of Mayor of Richmond upon Thames in May and would continue as Chair of SACRE during her Mayoral year, with Councillor Nicholson deputising if she was unable to attend a meeting.

The meeting was attended by Councillor Michael Butlin (Armed Forces Champion), Jitubhai Dave, Jon Fayle, Fiona Foreman, Councillor Penelope Frost (Mayor of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames), Nicola Green, Rashid Ali Laher, Carmel Moreland, Lesley Mortimer, Councillor Suzette Nicholson, Martin O'Sullivan, Elizabeth Rowley, Liberty Sandeman, Madara Sathyendrakumar, Councillor Kuldev Sehra, Charanjit Singh, and Tim Wright. Consultants Ian Nicholson (R.E Today) and Helena Moore (Achieving for Children) were also in attendance. Joanne Tutt served as the Democratic Services Officer.