The Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education (SACRE) was scheduled to convene on Wednesday, 21 October 2026. The meeting's agenda included discussions on connecting social care with faith communities to protect children, an update on safeguarding practices, and the review of the SACRE's code of conduct. Additionally, the council was scheduled to consider updates on its annual report and the Places of Worship directory.

Connecting Social Care with Faith Communities to Protect Children

A significant item on the agenda was the scheduled consideration of how to connect social care services with faith communities to enhance child protection. This topic was deferred from a previous meeting and was to be presented by Ruth Madembo, Interim Head of Service for Family Help South. The report pack indicated that this discussion aimed to explore collaborative approaches between social care and faith groups to safeguard children.

Safeguarding Update and Risk Assessment for Visits

Anthony Doudle, Director of Education, was scheduled to provide an update on safeguarding practices and risk assessments for educational visits. The report pack highlighted key changes in the Keeping Children Safe in Education 2026 guidance, including a stronger emphasis on early intervention, updated terminology for family help services, and expanded guidance on children who are repeatedly removed from class. The guidance also addressed updated information on cyber security, child-on-child abuse, and the impact of social media on children's safety. Furthermore, it included expanded information on financial exploitation, coercion, scams, child sexual exploitation, criminal exploitation, and indicators of serious sexual violence. The report pack also noted additional guidance relating to children questioning their gender and the importance of professional curiosity and information sharing.

The report pack also detailed wider changes to Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE) guidance, with an increased focus on online safety, artificial intelligence, misogyny, violence against women and girls, healthy relationships, and age-appropriate teaching about pornography and sexual health. These curriculum changes were presented as separate from the KCSIE guidance but complementary to safeguarding. The guidance also contained updated references to the Equality Act, biological sex, and gender reassignment, advising schools to approach contested issues in a balanced and age-appropriate manner. Greater emphasis was also placed on serious violence, knife crime, and personal safety.

Practical advice was scheduled to be shared regarding school websites, recommending that schools review the use of children's photographs in light of AI image manipulation. Councillor Fergus Navaratnam-Blair was noted as having advised that support for LGBT and trans children is a priority in the document. Anthony Doudle was scheduled to advise that there are elements of science from which a child cannot be withdrawn, highlighting the importance of parents and children having regular conversations about the document's themes. Shaun Burns was scheduled to comment on the approach schools take in delivering these subjects, noting the importance of factual content while expressing some discomfort with the document's approach to contested issues. David Hutchens was scheduled to question whether the inclusion of LGBTQ education was statutory, and Anthony Doudle was scheduled to advise that LGBTQ issues are spread across the curriculum, highlighting that even in spheres such as the economy or health, this community is uniquely affected. It was agreed that this subject would be revisited in more depth in future meetings.

The report pack also included a model educational visit risk assessment, which outlined procedures for schools to follow when planning visits to places of worship or other external venues. This document detailed considerations for safeguarding, including identifying potential hazards, assessing risks, and implementing control measures. It also highlighted the importance of communication with parents and carers regarding the educational purpose of visits and obtaining necessary permissions.

SACRE Code of Conduct and Attendance Management

The council was scheduled to consider its Code of Conduct and attendance management process, as presented by Stephen Sealy. The Code of Conduct document outlined expectations for all representatives, including those from belief groups, teacher associations, and local authority members. These expectations covered aspects such as regular attendance, respectful participation, honest expression of views, and working collaboratively for the benefit of the whole community. The attendance management process detailed procedures for members who miss consecutive meetings, including contact with sponsoring bodies and the potential for nominating replacements.

Updating the SACRE Places of Worship Directory

Denise Chaplin was scheduled to present information on updating the SACRE Places of Worship directory. The report pack included an extensive list of Christian, Muslim, Sikh, Jewish, Hindu, and other places of worship across Lewisham, detailing their addresses, contact information, and special features. This directory is intended to support schools in providing meaningful learning opportunities for children and young people. The report pack explicitly stated that SACRE had not undertaken quality assurance or health and safety visits to the listed sites and that schools should complete a risk assessment for any educational visit.

Annual Report and Membership

The council was scheduled to receive an update on its Annual Report for 2025/26, including the submission of the 2026 report to the council. Additionally, the membership approval of a Shia Muslim representative on SACRE was on the agenda.

Information Exchange and Other Business

Under the Information Exchange & AOB item, the council was scheduled to discuss Inter Faith Week. There was also a note for members to advise the chair before the meeting of any other items they wished to raise.

Forthcoming Meetings

The schedule of forthcoming meetings for SACRE and the Agreed Syllabus Conference (ASC) was also to be confirmed. This included dates for meetings throughout the remainder of 2026 and into 2027, with venues specified where known.

The meeting was scheduled to take place at the Lewisham Islamic Centre, located at 363-365 Lewisham High St, London SE13 6NZ.