Who are we?

SACRE stands for Standing Advisory Council for Religious Education. It is a body of people composed of four distinct groups. These are:

• The Church of England;
• The Free Churches and other religious traditions in the area;
• Representatives from the teachers’ professional associations;
• Representatives from the local authority.

SACRE is a statutory body which has the responsibility to advise the local authority on matters concerning RE and Collective Worship. SACRE meets three times a year and needs a representative from each of the four groups in order to take decisions.

What is our role?

The purpose of all SACREs is to provide advice and support to local authorities, and to Agreed Syllabus Committees: hence the importance of representation from the four statutory groups.

SACRE has a duty to support and advise the local authority in the following matters:

• To ensure that all pupils have their entitlement to take part in an act of Collective Worship each day;
• To advise on the Wakefield Agreed Syllabus and ensure that all pupils in state and religious schools are given access to the teaching of the Agreed Syllabus;
• To discuss any parental complaints or determinations with the local authority with regard to Collective Worship and RE.

In the past, one of the main tasks of Wakefield SACRE has been to read and comment on the RE, Collective Worship and spiritual, moral, social and cultural education aspects of Ofsted reports on local schools. In the past, SACRE has contacted schools following the reports, mostly to congratulate them on the good work being produced in RE and sometimes to offer support for schools where the teaching and learning is not to the required standard. However, with the changing face of inspection and school self-evaluation, this has considerably altered the amount of information SACRE receives with regard to these areas of the curriculum.

How can we help you?

SACRE is constantly striving to improve its role, particularly by being proactive in its approach. On courses, delegates frequently ask how they can improve teaching and learning, or find ways to gather information in RE for assessment and monitoring, particularly for school self-evaluation.

The local authority, particularly through its Advanced Skills Teachers, is always available to provide advice and support through networking and courses. SACRE would also be prepared to assist with Self Evaluation Forms, and is open to suggestions for ways in which it can offer further help. It is also hoped that SACRE can offer training to governors during the next academic year.