The Newham Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education (SACRE) met to discuss preparations for Inter Faith Week, review pupil survey results, and consider priorities for the coming year. The council was also scheduled to discuss a briefing paper on Ramadan, and a student RE project.

Inter Faith Week

The Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education were scheduled to discuss Inter Faith Week, which is due to run from 9–16 November 2025.

The theme for the week is Community: Together We Serve , highlighting how people of different beliefs contribute to the common good, and how service and social action build bridges of understanding.

The Faith & Belief Forum invites SACREs to promote Inter Faith Week for Schools (IFW4Schools).

According to the report pack, SACREs are well-placed to champion Inter Faith Week locally by:

• Supporting schools in finding speakers
• Visiting schools
• Promoting whole-school participation
• Inspiring creativity and dialogue

The report pack suggests that SACREs encourage every school in their area to celebrate Inter Faith Week and act as a bridge between schools and local communities of faith and belief.

Lord Khan of Burnley, Minister for Faith, is quoted as saying:

The role of RE and interfaith education in schools is central to building a cohesive society. I am proud to support our educators as they foster not only knowledge, but also the values of tolerance, respect and understanding. These are the values that will help children build confidence in their identity and will help them thrive in our diverse country.

Pupil Survey 2025 Results

The Newham SACRE asked Newham schools to get some pupils to answer some questions about their experience of RE in the summer term 2025, and the results of this survey were scheduled to be discussed.

675 primary pupils in year 5 or 6 from 24 schools, and 575 secondary pupils from years 7-10 from 6 schools took part in the survey.

90% of primary pupils had been in a Newham primary school for over 2 years.

The survey asked pupils how much they enjoyed their RE lessons, and what they liked to do in RE lessons. The most popular answers for activities that pupils enjoy in RE lessons were:

• Drawing and painting
• Researching
• Writing
• Creating things and tasks
• Learning new stuff

Pupils said that RE is important to study:

• To learn to respect others
• RE helps you to not misunderstand others
• So, we know about more than our own families' beliefs and practices
• To understand everything is based on beliefs

The survey also asked pupils how often they went on visits to places of worship, who they had met in RE or visited, and what important questions they discuss in RE.

Some pupils commented that they would like more trips, more opportunities to ask big life questions, and balanced coverage of both religious and non-religious worldviews.

The majority of secondary school pupils remembered learning RE in primary school, and most pupils commented that secondary RE was definitely different from primary schools RE.

Pupils said the best things they like to do in RE lessons are:

• Learning about the history of religion and belief
• Learning new facts about different religions and beliefs
• Getting time to think about whether what people believe in is real or not
• Discussions and debates

Pupils said that RE is important to study:

• To understand other people's beliefs
• So we have knowledge about other religions from our own
• So you can see everyone is different in the way they live out their beliefs and through learning develop respect
• We can learn about religion – the good and the bad.

2025-2026 SACRE Priorities

The draft priorities for the SACRE in 2025-2026 were scheduled for discussion. These priorities include:

1. Producing an annual report
2. Membership and development of SACRE
3. Supporting good RE in schools
4. Links to best practice in RE and CW
5. Securing funding for 2025-2027 Agreed Syllabus review
6. Prepare for Agreed Syllabus review
7. Run Agreed Syllabus review

According to the report pack, the annual report is due to be sent to the Department for Education (DFE) and NASACRE in December 2025, and published to schools and on the local authority website.

The report pack states that the RE advisor and SACRE members should suggest new recruits, especially new religious groups in the Borough, and ensure each panel is quorate.

SACRE members are expected to visit at least one school or help with the Pictures of Worship (POW) judging to see RE lessons/CW in progress 2025-26.

The local authority is expected to provide membership of NASACRE and its on-line monthly training webinars.

The RE advisor, along with the chair and vice-chair, are expected to meet with the Director of Education and LA finance team to look at funding bid schedule for 2026-27, and funding for scope of RE syllabus review agreed by LA.

A teacher working group is expected to start work in January 2026 on revising the present syllabus, and do a survey with teachers around what they like or don't like about the present Agreed Syllabus, and ideas for anything they want included in the new review.

Ramadan Briefing Paper

The SACRE were scheduled to discuss a briefing paper on Ramadan for schools.

The briefing paper covers a range of topics, including:

• Background notes on Ramadan
• Ramadan and the school
• How schools should regard Ramadan
• At what age are children expected to start observing the Ramadan fast?
• What is the responsibility of a school if a child becomes ill or suffers as a result of fasting while at school?
• Can a fasting child use an asthma inhaler?
• Is it true that Muslims cannot swallow their saliva (and must therefore spit) during the month of Ramadan?
• What are the implications of Ramadan on internal & public examinations?
• What are the implications of Ramadan on physical education and sporting activities?
• Are there any other parts of the curriculum for which Ramadan has implications?
• Should a school make special provision during Ramadan?
• Should special provision be made during lunch breaks for those children who are fasting?
• Should the school communicate with parents about arrangements during Ramadan?

The briefing paper notes that in Newham there are two main denominations of Muslims Sunni and Shi'a, but there are also Ismaili and Ahmadiyya communities present in the borough.

The paper also notes that fasting (sawm) during the twenty-nine or thirty days of Ramadan is one of the basic duties of Islam for all Muslim people.

The briefing paper includes quotations from the Qur'an relating to fasting.

With regards to examinations, the briefing paper states:

It is the advice of Newham SACRE that schools have a discussion with parents and pupils to raise this matter with them well in advance of the month of Ramadan if there is any clash around important examinations. It is important that a school decides on an approach that all staff take, so advice is coherent for families and respectful. Schools might decide to send a letter home (an example template is in Appendix 1) explaining the school's suggestions or policy.

The briefing paper also includes advice on physical education and sporting activities, and notes that teachers are advised to use their discretion regarding physical education during Ramadan for those pupils at secondary schools.

The briefing paper suggests that schools may wish to consider the location of Ramadan in the school calendar a year in advance when responding to enquiries regarding the allocation of intensive swimming time.

The briefing paper also suggests that schools consider the needs of any Muslim teachers who might be required to teach any sex education elements of the curriculum at a time when their religion asks them not to think about such matters.

Student RE Matters Update

The SACRE were scheduled to receive an update on the Student RE Matters project, specifically focusing on the 'Belief in Action' interdisciplinary project.

The project is designed to give students a unique opportunity to investigate, reflect upon, and articulate the practical, societal impact of both religious and non-religious worldviews on the local community, with a core focus on understanding how foundational beliefs translate into tangible, supportive actions through practical examples such as food banks, warm havens, and playgroups.

The first meeting took place at St Bons on Tuesday 30th September, with five schools in attendance: St Bons (Host), Plashet School, Azhar Academy, Quwwat Islam, and St Angela's.

Key outcomes of the meeting included:

• Project Introduction & Core Reflection
• Local Context Setting & Research Methodology
• Local Charity Exploration
• Initial Research Focus

The project goals are:

1. To explore how religious and non-religious worldviews put their beliefs into action in the local community.
2. To find out about resources that are available in Newham.
3. To produce an information sheet about local charities for use in your school.

The project will focus on organisations that offer direct, demonstrable support to the community, covering key areas of community service such as poverty and resource provision, welfare and social inclusion, and intergenerational support.

Upon completion of the project, students will have:

• A Published Resource
• A Portfolio of Research
• Enhanced Skills
• Heightened Social Awareness