The review of Kingston's Religious Education (RE) syllabus has been postponed due to ongoing uncertainty surrounding the national curriculum. The Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education (SACRE) confirmed at their meeting on Monday, June 8, 2026, that the timeline for developing a new syllabus is dependent on clarity from the Department for Education (DfE) regarding RE's place within the national curriculum.
Stephen Peirce, an advisor at RE Today, stated that the DfE has not yet provided this clarity, leaving the situation in limbo.
He added that while the Secretary of State was expected to meet with an expert advisory group soon, no definitive answers regarding next steps were anticipated. This lack of clarity is directly impacting the timeline for creating an official Agreed Syllabus Conference (ASC) timeline.
Helena Moore, Lead Improvement Advisor for Curriculum at Achieving for Children (AfC), explained that the current Kingston syllabus is licensed for use until the end of the 2027/28 academic year. This extended licensing period provides a buffer, meaning there is no kind of formal progression of work, particularly with the alignment between the end of this current syllabus and the start of the new national curriculum.
This allows for a delay in the development of a new syllabus while awaiting national curriculum decisions.
A school survey on the existing syllabus yielded a very small response,
but the feedback received was generally positive.
The survey did, however, indicate areas for development that the council will use to shape future RE network sessions to support schools in the final two years of the current syllabus's implementation.
Once national curriculum decisions are clear, an official timeline for the ASC
will be created. Helena Moore suggested that it would be a good thing to pick up again in September and see if we've got an update on and then we'd devise a timeline off the back of that.
This implies a process of waiting for national clarity, followed by the development of a local timeline and engagement with schools.
The local authority intends to appoint the same members of SACRE to the ASC when the time comes. The meeting information can be found in the Public reports pack for the Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education meeting on June 8, 2026.