The Ealing Council Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education (SACRE) met to discuss the syllabus for religious education, school determinations regarding collective worship, and national updates. The council agreed to collaborate with Haringey SACRE on syllabus revisions and voted to return to the original wording of the Agreed Model Version (AMV) syllabus, focusing on six areas of enquiry. The council also reviewed and updated the list of school determinations and discussed membership and work plans for the upcoming year.

Agreed Syllabus Conference Update

The council voted to simplify the wording of the current religious education syllabus and return to the original AMV syllabus, which focuses on six areas of enquiry. The six areas of enquiry are:

• Beliefs, teachings, sources of wisdom and authority
• Practices and ways of life
• Ways of expressing meaning
• Identity, diversity and belonging
• Meaning, purpose and truth
• Values and commitments

Jan McGuire, School Adviser to Independent National Religious Education and School Adviser to Ealing LA & SACRE, explained that the current syllabus had added a layer of complexity to the AMV syllabus by incorporating three dimensions: believing, behaving, and belonging. The council agreed that the added complexity was unnecessary and that returning to the original six areas of enquiry would simplify the syllabus and make it easier for teachers to use.

The council also agreed to continue collaborating with Haringey SACRE on the syllabus revision. Jan McGuire noted that:

Ealing and Haringey have agreed to collaborate in order to progress the Syllabus Revision

The council agreed to allocate £1,000 to continue working with Sam C of the AMV team to revise and maintain the AMV website. They will also continue mapping the AMV against current resources, such as Big Ideas, RE Today, and Oak National Academy¹.

School Determinations

The council reviewed the updated list of school determinations related to collective worship. Determinations are granted to schools that request an exception to the requirement for daily collective worship of a broadly Christian character, as outlined in the Education Act of 1944².

The council reviewed a list of schools with existing determinations, including:

• Villiers High School
• Dairy Meadow Primary School
• North Primary School
• Beaconsfield Primary School
• Allenby Primary School
• Hambrough Primary School
• Havelock Primary School
• Featherstone Primary and Nursery
• Lady Margaret Primary School
• Three Bridges Primary School
• West Acton Primary School
• Blair Peach Primary School
• Tudor Primary School

The council also discussed the determination schedule and actions resulting from a collective worship survey, as well as determination guidance.

SACRE Membership

The council received an update on SACRE membership and current vacancies. As of 19 September 2025, the membership included:

• Ealing Council Members: Councillor Harbhajan Kaur Dheer (Chair), Councillor Muhammad Iqbal, Councillor Hodan Haili, Councillor Mohinder Midha, Councillor Tariq Mahmood, Councillor Aysha Raza, Councillor Jon Ball, Councillor Julian Gallant, Councillor Miriam Rice
• Group A: Christian Denominations and Other Religions: Marion McNeil (Free Church Federal Council), Apara Sharma (Hindu), Rev Susan McCoan (United Reformed Church), Ursula Patel and Kian Altmann (Deputy) (Baha'i), Luxman Dissanayake (Buddhist), Rabindra Pathak (Hindu), Sachin Bansal (Hindu), Kath Richardson (Humanist), Kasim Minhas and Sikander Minhas (Deputy) (Islam Sunni), Naif Sheikh and Jahed Ahmed (Deputy) (Islam Discover Islam), Fatemah Moledina (Islam Shi'a), Marianne Izen (Jewish), Barjinder Lall (Ramgarhia Sabha), Jaswant Kaur Bola (Sikh Missionary Society), Surinder Kaur Cholia (Ramgarhia Sabha)
• Group B: Church of England: Rev Canon Mark Poulson, Mark Newton, Auriol Hale, Susan Larson, Paula Walker
• Group C: Associations Representing Teachers: Sinead Galbraith (ELP), Stefan Simms (NEU)

There were several vacancies in Group A and Group C, which were being followed up by the Syllabus Advisory Panel.

Local and National Updates

Jan McGuire provided local and national updates, including information from NASACRE³ and an open letter from THEOS⁴ regarding the importance of religious education in higher education.

The THEOS open letter highlighted concerns about the reduction of theology and religious studies programs in higher education institutions and the impact on student choice and society. The letter stated:

Theology plays a crucial role in the intellectual, ethical and cultural development of communities. It equips people with the tools to engage more thoughtfully with global cultures and traditions and to engage deeply with complex sacred texts.

The letter was signed by numerous religious leaders, academics, and public figures, including Chine McDonald, Director of THEOS, Rowan Williams, and James Norton.

Jan McGuire also mentioned the new Interfaith Week for Schools Website, encouraging schools and SACREs to share photos and events.