Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education (SACRE)

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.

Surrey SACRE is made up of four groups which meet at least three times a year.  The groups represent:

• Group A: Christian denominations other than the Church of England and other faith or belief groups that represent the main traditions of the area;
• Group B: The Church of England;
• Group C: Teachers’ associations, professional associations and representatives from Surrey RE networks;
• Group D: The Local Authority (Surrey County Council).

In addition, the SACRE can co-opt members who may have expertise in the area of religious education or who may represent other interested groups, such as academy groups, if all parties are in agreement.
The Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education (SACRE) exists to:

• determine religious education content in Surrey maintained schools by producing a locally agreed syllabus and reviewing it every five years;
• advise on matters of collective worship in county schools and religious education (RE) in line with the agreed syllabus. This includes methods of teaching, choice of materials and training for teachers;
• assist with any complaint about religious education or collective worship in schools and consider any requests for determinations; 
• publish an annual report detailing any action that SACRE has taken and any advice it has given, as well as any monitoring of RE provision that has taken place in the County’s schools or in relation to standards in RE. 

All schools are now required by Ofsted to publish their school’s curriculum, which includes RE, on their school website. SACRE’s good practice guide for websites can be accessed here. Please note that RE is statutory for all pupils in all schools (subject to parental withdrawal) and that secondary schools, including Academies and Free Schools, should publish how they are meeting the requirement for statutory RE at KS4 if it is not delivered through the GCSE curriculum.

• Queries or further information about SACRE should be addressed to the SACRE Clerk. 

Collective Worship

Collective worship is an important part of school life in supporting pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development (SMSC, including fundamental British Values) and will usually be viewed by Ofsted as part of an inspection. It is a legal requirement that a daily act of collective worship is provided for all pupils, in all schools including academies (unless withdrawal is requested by their parents/carers). 

SACRE can consider applications made by a headteacher, after consultation with the school’s governing body and parents, to release some or all of the pupils in a particular school from the requirement that collective worship should be of a wholly or broadly Christian nature. This is known as a determination. For academies wishing to apply for a determination, the Academy Trust would apply, through the EFA, to the Secretary of State. More information about the legal requirements for collective worship and the determination process can be found using the tabs below.