The Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education (SACRE) for the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames was scheduled to meet on Thursday, 9 October 2025, at York House. The agenda for the meeting included approving the minutes from the previous meeting, receiving feedback from the Agreed Syllabus training event, and discussing the revised constitution and annual report. The meeting was also scheduled to include briefings from NASACRE and RE Today.

Revised Constitution

The council was scheduled to discuss and approve the revised terms of reference for the Richmond SACRE. According to the cover report for constitution review, the terms of reference had not been updated since 2018, and guidance suggests a review every four years. The report stated that the revised terms of reference clarify membership, duties, appointments, quoracy, and procedures, to ensure the SACRE is in line with legislation and best practice. The revised terms of reference include a code of conduct for Richmond members, created in line with NASACRE good practice. The recommendation was that the revised SACRE Terms of Reference be approved by Full Council.

The terms of reference document states that:

In accordance with Sections 390-397 of the Education Act 1996 (as amended) and circular 1/94, Religious Education and Collective Worship, the Local Authority (LA ) has a duty to set up a Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education (SACRE ).

The terms of reference define the functions and responsibilities of SACRE, including advising the local authority on matters connected with collective religious worship and religious education, publishing an annual report, and determining applications from head teachers to vary the requirement for worship of a broadly or mainly Christian character.

The terms of reference also detail the membership of SACRE, which consists of four member groups: Group A, representing Christian denominations and other beliefs; Group B, representing the Church of England; Group C, representing teacher associations; and Group D, consisting of elected councillors from the Richmond Upon Thames Local Authority. The document includes details on the appointment, resignation, and removal of members, as well as the role of co-opted members. It also specifies the frequency of meetings, quorum requirements, decision-making processes, and the roles of the chair, clerk, consultant, and Achieving for Children officer.

Appendix 3 of the terms of reference contains the Richmond SACRE Code of Conduct, which outlines general principles for members, including attending meetings, participating in SACRE's work, listening respectfully to other members, and expressing views openly and honestly. It also provides guidance for SACRE members visiting schools, emphasising the importance of adhering to safeguarding rules and avoiding criticism or the imposition of personal views.

Annual Report for 2024-25

The council was scheduled to discuss and approve the annual report for the academic year 2024-25. The cover report for annual report stated that SACRE is required, in accordance with Section 391(6) of the Education Act 1996, to publish an annual report on its activities. The report summarises SACRE's activities during the academic year 2024-25 and is written on a template provided by the National Association of Standing Advisory Councils (NASACRE). Following approval by SACRE, the report will be submitted to a meeting of the Full Council, circulated to schools, and submitted to the Department for Education and NASACRE.

The draft SACRE annual report 2024-25 includes a foreword from Councillor Penny Frost, Mayor of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames and Chair of SACRE, who noted that much of SACRE's time had been spent working on revisions to the Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education. The report provides data on religion and belief in the borough, including census information from 2011 and 2021.

The report outlines SACRE's statutory responsibilities related to religious education, including the locally agreed syllabus, standards in RE, teacher training, faith direct days, and complaints and withdrawals. It also covers SACRE's statutory responsibilities related to collective worship, including standards and monitoring, and determinations.

The report details SACRE's links with other bodies, such as NASACRE, Hounslow Friends of Faith, and the Richmond Interfaith Forum. It also describes SACRE's own arrangements, including meetings, professional and administrative support, key contacts, membership, recruitment, attendance, training for SACRE members, and finance.

The report includes a table of GCSE Religious Studies results from 2024, comparing borough results with the national picture. It also lists SACRE members for 2024-25 and provides circulation details for the annual report.

NASACRE and RE Today Briefings

The council was scheduled to note the NASACRE and RE Today briefings. The national SACRE update autumn 2025 Richmond upon Thames included information from NATRE's new report card on the state of RE in England 2025, examination results from summer 2025, NASACRE training opportunities, school census data, YouGov data on belief in God, Religious Media Centre updates, and information from the Muslim Council of Britain. It also included information for the classroom/RE lead, such as Ofsted's renewed Education Inspection Framework and Toolkit 2025, Interfaith Week 2025, RE Hubs, NATRE-supported webinars for teachers of A-level Religious Studies, NATRE-affiliated national online RE networks, Farmington scholarships, master's scholarships, and upcoming RE Today courses.

The NASACRE news 1 Sept 2025 included a chair's welcome, an introduction to the new executive officer, introductions to new executive members, information on webinars to support effective SACREs, details on how to subscribe to NASACRE, information on sharing good practice, a summary of the annual report analysis, NASACRE's priorities for the coming year, and forward planning items such as celebrating Interfaith Week in Schools and Holocaust Memorial Day 2026.