Harrow's Standing Advisory Council for Religious Education (SACRE) will prioritise the development of Religious Education (RE) throughout the 2025-26 academic year, ensuring that it remains relevant, inclusive, and reflective of the diverse beliefs within the Harrow community. This focus was decided at the SACRE meeting held on Thursday, 9 October 2025, at the Swaminarayan Temple in Kenton.
The agenda for the meeting included a dedicated discussion on the SACRE Development Plan for 2025-2026, outlining the council's objectives for the coming year. SACREs play a vital role in advising local authorities on religious education and collective worship in schools.
Other key items discussed at the meeting included:
- Collective Worship: The council addressed collective worship practices in schools, which encompass gatherings for spiritual reflection through prayers, hymns, readings, and discussions on moral and religious themes. This is a key part of the Education Reform Act 1988 which requires state-funded schools to provide daily collective worship.
- Annual Report: The SACRE reviewed its annual report, summarising the council's activities and achievements over the past year, including data on the quality of religious education in Harrow schools.
- Local Updates: A range of local updates were shared, including information from the RE Subject Leaders Network Group, the Jewish Living Exhibition, Holocaust Memorial Day (HMD) activities, news from faith and interfaith groups, and a calendar of religious observance dates. The RE Subject Leaders Network Group likely serves as a forum for RE subject leaders in Harrow schools to exchange best practices and discuss challenges they face.
- National Updates: National updates included feedback from the National Association of SACREs (NASACRE) Conference 2025, information on National Interfaith Week, and updates on RE Hubs.
The public reports pack provided to attendees contained further details on these topics.
