The Lancashire Agreed Syllabus Conference was scheduled to meet on Monday 12 January 2026 to discuss the draft Lancashire Agreed Syllabus for Religious and Non-Religious Worldviews 2026. The meeting was also set to review the minutes from the previous meeting and confirm the date of the next meeting.

Draft Lancashire Agreed Syllabus for Religious and Non-Religious Worldviews 2026

The main item scheduled for discussion was the draft Lancashire Agreed Syllabus for Religious and Non-Religious Worldviews 2026. This syllabus is intended to guide the teaching of Religious Education (RE) and worldviews in schools across Lancashire. The report pack indicated that this item would be considered in Part II of the meeting, meaning it was not open to the press and public. The syllabus document itself spans 73 pages and covers various aspects of RE teaching, including conceptual underpinnings, a substantive pillar of progression, and examples of how to teach these concepts to pupils from Reception to Year 6.

The report pack also referenced previous discussions regarding the Curriculum and Assessment Review and a NASACRE statement. It was noted that while the recommendation to include RE in the National Curriculum was welcomed, it would require primary legislation. Nevertheless, the view was that work should continue on developing the new syllabus for Lancashire, with a target implementation date of September 2026.

During the review of draft primary materials for the syllabus, several issues were raised and discussed by conference members, including the inclusion of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities. Suggestions were made to Alison Lloyd, Agreed Syllabus Conference Support Officer, and Afrasiab Anwar, SACRE Support Officer, as well as Joanne Harris, RE Consultant (Secondary). Members and officers agreed to proofread draft documentation and provide any comments or corrections to Alison Lloyd by 5 January 2026, to allow for discussion at this meeting. Specific individuals were assigned to proofread sections of the draft syllabus: Jaspal Kooner for Reception, Aruna Patel for Year 1, Dave Gorman for Year 2, Councillor Yousuf Motala for Year 3, Councillor Matthew Salter for Year 4, Afrasiab Anwar for Year 5, and John Wilson for Year 6.

Minutes of the Previous Meeting

The meeting was scheduled to review the minutes from the previous meeting held on 10 November 2025. These minutes, found on pages 1-4 of the public reports pack¹, would have been presented for confirmation.

Date of Next Meeting

The date for the subsequent meeting of the Agreed Syllabus Conference was also on the agenda. It was scheduled to take place at 2pm on Monday 23 February 2026 in Room CHG:06 at County Hall, Preston².