SACRE is the Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education.
Following the 1988 Education Act, when religious education (RE) was confirmed as a compulsory part of the curriculum, it became a statutory requirement for every local authority (LA) to appoint a SACRE.
The SACRE has a statutory duty to:
- advise Derbyshire County Council (DCC) on matters connected with religious worship in community schools, and in foundation schools which do not have a religious character. Religious education in these schools is to be given in accordance with the agreed syllabus
- advise DCC on teaching methods, choice of materials and teacher training in religious education and collective worship
- produce an annual report
- require DCC to review the locally agreed syllabus for religious education at least every five years.
Meeting dates and minutes
A meeting is held in every term of the school year (3 meetings). To reflect the various partnerships, meetings are held in either a school, a local place of worship or in county council offices.
Details of all meetings can be found on the Derbyshire County Council website.
Annual report
A report is produced each year, in line with statutory requirements. The report includes details about the work and actions taken by representative groups in the previous academic year; clarification of the role and function, and statistics relevant to RE in Derbyshire.
The latest report for the academic year 2023-24 has now been published and is available in the Related documents section.
Agreed Syllabus
There is a statutory duty to adopt an agreed syllabus every 5 years. It establishes what shall be taught in RE, providing teachers with practical support and guidance about how to teach RE effectively. Academies may choose to adopt this locally agreed syllabus.
The new syllabus (2025-2030) will launch in July 2025 with training events open to maintained schools and academies.