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Summary
The Wandsworth Borough Council Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education (SACRE) met on 9 June 2025 to discuss the curriculum and assessment review, feedback from various NASACRE events, and faith trails. A workshop session was also scheduled to take place, using NASACRE resources to consider the effectiveness of Wandsworth’s SACRE and the quality of RE. The meeting was scheduled to take place at the Buddhapadipa Temple, a Thai Buddhist temple in Wimbledon.
Curriculum and Assessment Review
The meeting was scheduled to include a discussion on the Curriculum and Assessment Review and its implications for Religious Education (RE). The report can be accessed via a link in the agenda.
The council had previously written to the Department for Education (DfE) to share their thoughts on Ofsted’s ‘Deep and meaningful? The religious education subject’ report1. Catherine McKinnell MP, Minister for School Standards, responded to Councillor Jo Rigby, Chair of Wandsworth SACRE, and Councillor Kate Stock, Cabinet member for Children’s Services, Wandsworth Council, by email on 21 February 2025, to advise that RE is one of the subjects being considered by the review panel, having received a good response to its call for evidence on this and other subjects.
Feedback from NASACRE Events
A significant portion of the meeting was set aside to receive feedback on various events organised by NASACRE2. These included:
NASACRE resources feedback: Further feedback from the workshop session at the last meeting.
NASACRE 'In Conversation' event feedback: Feedback on the event held on 13th March.
NASACRE Conference feedback: Feedback on the event, with documents from the conference attached.
Notes from the NASACRE conversation on 13 May 2025, indicated that hybrid meetings were helpful in terms of attendance, and that tours of places of worship were very important. The notes also highlighted that teacher representation was difficult to recruit, but that teachers could be motivated to join through informing them they have a say.
The NASACRE conference included a message for SACREs from Lord Khan of Burnley, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Lords Minister for Faith, Communities and Resettlement). Dr Joyce Miller also spoke on identity, community and commonality, and what religion and worldviews offer schools and society.
Faith Trails Update
The meeting agenda included receiving a verbal update on the Faith Trails.
SACRE Reflection Resources from NASACRE
The meeting was scheduled to include a workshop session using NASACRE resources to consider the effectiveness of Wandsworth’s SACRE and quality of RE.
At the previous meeting, SACRE members participated in groupwork and joint group discussions on the characteristics of an effective SACRE and a good SACRE member. The statement approved by all in the top two places was:
An effective SACRE…is representative of the variety of beliefs within the local community.
Also highly rated was:
An effective SACRE…is committed to making RE relevant, interesting, appropriate, exciting and thoroughly enjoyable.
Future Meeting Dates
The following SACRE meetings were scheduled for 2025-26:
- Monday 22nd September 2025, at Wandsworth Town Hall
- Monday 9th March 2026, location to be confirmed.
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Ofsted is the Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills. They inspect and regulate services that care for children and young people, and services that provide education and skills for learners of all ages. ↩
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NASACRE is the National Association of Standing Advisory Councils for Religious Education. ↩
Attendees
Topics
No topics have been identified for this meeting yet.
Meeting Documents
Reports Pack