The Hillingdon Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education (SACRE) met to discuss national and local updates regarding religious education, the Agreed Syllabus Conference, and the HSACRE action plan. The meeting was scheduled to include discussions on defining 'Meaningful RE' and reviewing the RE curriculum. Councillor Kishan Bhatt, Councillor June Nelson, Councillor Jagjit Singh and Councillor Shehryar Ahmad-Wallana were the local authority representatives expected to be present.

Agreed Syllabus Conference (ASC)

The council was scheduled to discuss the Agreed Syllabus Conference (ASC), including clarifying the requirements for both the ASC and SACRE. SACREs are required to review their RE curriculum at least every five years. The conference was expected to cover defining what constitutes Meaningful RE and agreeing on recommendations to be put forward to SACRE.

Minutes from the previous meeting indicated that the council was considering options for the syllabus, including adopting a syllabus from another borough, creating a bespoke syllabus for Hillingdon, or revising the current syllabus. The preferred option appeared to be a bespoke syllabus drafted by the HSACRE Advisor in consultation with teachers.

Local Updates

Several local updates were scheduled for discussion:

• School Art Competition and RE Calendar: Councillors were to receive an update on the school art competition and the creation of an RE calendar incorporating religious festivals, using the submitted artwork.
• RE in Schools: The meeting was to cover RE in schools, including primary and secondary e-surveys designed to gauge how RE is being taught and what schools would like to see happen.
• Interfaith Dialogue Event: An update from the working group on the Interfaith Dialogue Event (HMD+)¹ planned for January 2026 was scheduled.

National Updates

The agenda included national updates on assessment and curriculum review, as well as feedback from the NASACRE² National Conference held on 19 May 2025.

HSACRE Action Plan

The council was scheduled to discuss updates to the HSACRE Action Plan for 2024-2025, the budget, and self-evaluation arrangements. Michael Hawkins, Head of Education and Lifelong Learning, was listed in the previous minutes as the responsible officer for the budget.