Religious education

About religious education

The law specifies religious education must be taught in all schools, although it is not a part of the national curriculum.

Every local authority has to have a Standing Advisory Council for Religious Education (SACRE). Further information is available from the National Association of Standing Advisory Council for Religious Education. 

The aims of religious education are to enable pupils to:

• Acquire knowledge and understanding of religion, particularly as expressed in Christianity
• The other principal religions represented in Great Britain
• Develop the ability to reflect, respond thoughtfully and evaluate what they learn about religions

Standing Advisory Council for Religious Education (SACRE)

Local authorities have a duty to establish a Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education (SACRE) to advise them on matters relating to collective worship in community schools and on religious education. Religious education is a statutory part of the basic curriculum for all pupils.

SACRE publishes support materials, approves a programme of training for teachers and sponsors or supports other projects, which it deems to be consistent with its responsibility to promote religious education and spiritual, moral, social and cultural education in schools. Each year Peterborough SACRE submits a report of its activities to the National Association of SACREs (NASACRE).

SACRE produces a locally determined Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education at least every five years. It advises and monitors the quality and provision of statutory Religious Education and Collective worship in foundation, community and voluntary controlled church schools and reports on this annually to schools, the DfE and National Association of SACREs (NASACRE). The Agreed Syllabus for RE 2018 along with a glossary of terms and primary assessment statements can be found below. 

SACRE meetings are held at least once a term, the meeting dates for 2024-25 are:

• Thursday 10 October 2024 - 4.30pm to 6.30pm
• Thursday 6 February 2025 - 4.30pm to 6.30pm
• Thursday 19 June 2025 - 4.30pm to 6.30pm

If members of the public would like to attend any of the above meetings, please contact the clerk to SACRE to request further details and a meeting link by emailing laura.schneikert@peterborough.gov.uk.

SACRE responsibilities

The responsibilities of the SACRE are:

• to advise the Local Authority on Religious Education in accordance with an agreed syllabus
• to monitor the provision and quality of Religious Education taught according to its agreed syllabus, together with the overall effectiveness of the syllabus
• to provide advice and support on the effective teaching of Religious Education in accordance with the local agreed syllabus
• and advise on maintaining the quality and standards of Religious Education
• to provide advice to the Local Authority and its schools on methods of teaching the Peterborough City Council Agreed Syllabus, including the choice of teaching materials
• to decide whether the Local Authority's Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education needs to be reviewed and to require the Local Authority does so
• to produce an annual report to QCDA and Schools
• to provide advice to the Local Authority on Collective Worship in its schools (this does not include Voluntary Aided or Voluntary Controlled Schools)
• to consider any requests from Head teachers to hold Collective Worship that is not of a broadly Christian character
• to advise on matters relating to training for teachers in RE and Collective Worship.

Collective worship

The collective worship guidance includes sections on: the legal requirements; definitions of SMSC (social, moral, spiritual and cultural development ) which Ofsted use for their school inspections, planning successful collective worship including half termly planning sheets; reflection and prayer; monitoring collective worship by gathering evidence from staff and pupils and much more. 

Schools have a legal responsibility to offer collective worship each day. Should they consider this is not appropriate they can request the SACRE to determine whether this should be relaxed by completing the attached withdrawal form.

SACRE contact details

Amanda Fitton
RE Advisor for Cambridgeshire, Peterborough and Rutland County Councils
Phone: 07767615113
Email: amanda.fitton@cambridgeshire.gov.uk 

Laura Schneikert
SACRE Clerk for Cambridgeshire
Phone: 07985755462
Email: laura.schneikert@peterborough.gov.uk

Address
Sunley House, Papworth Everard
Cambridgeshire, CB23 3AB

Further information is available from the National Association of Standing Advisory Council for Religious Education. 

Further information