Kingston schools may be failing to meet their legal obligations regarding Religious Education (RE), according to a new national report discussed at the Standing Advisory Council for Religious Education (SACRE) meeting on Monday, 20 October 2025.
According to NATRE's new Report Card, just under one in six schools report not offering RE in year 11, potentially breaching the statutory duty to provide RE for all pupils. The report indicated that 64% of the UK adult population think RE is important.
Kingston SACRE is composed of representatives from various religious and non-religious groups, including Christian denominations, the Kingston, Surbiton & District Synagogue, and Humanists UK. Vacant positions remain for representatives from other religious communities in Kingston. A list of members is publicly available.
The RE Today consultant provided the update, which included information from NASACRE. The National SACRE Update Autumn 2025 also noted a slight decrease in the number of A Level entries in England, Wales and Northern Ireland for 2025.
School census data indicates a slight improvement, with the number of schools reporting zero hours of RE in year 11 decreasing from 16.4% in 2023 to 14.4% in 2024. However, the report stated that this still means that one in six schools are breaching their statutory duty to provide RE for all pupils in all year groups.
To address these potential breaches, the council is continuing discussions on monitoring standards of RE and collective worship in Kingston schools. Advisors to each SACRE will also receive a Local Authority breakdown of workforce data from NATRE's research officer, Deborah Weston, which can be shared and discussed with SACRE as part of their monitoring role.
The next SACRE meeting is scheduled for Monday, 2 February 2026, at the Kingston, Surbiton and District Synagogue.
