Standing Advisory Council for Religious Education
Every council must have a SACRE by law. This statutory body is responsible for advising the council on religious education (RE) and collective worship in its schools. Although RE is not a national curriculum subject, the 1988 Education Reform Act confirmed that it is a compulsory part of the curriculum for all students.
What SACRE does
- Requires Barnsley Council to review the Local Agreed Syllabus every five years. Our next revision will be in 2025.
- Monitors the provision of RE and collective worship in Barnsley schools.
- Produces an annual report including the work of SACRE and Barnsley schools.
- Considers applications from headteachers for their school to be released from the requirement for collective worship to be ‘wholly or mainly of a broadly Christian character’ (this is known as a determination).
- Supports RE teachers.
- Supports governors with a responsibility for RE.
How SACRE works
The Barnsley SACRE meets once every school term.
It has four main committees:
- Christian and other religious denominations reflecting the principal religious traditions in Barnsley
- Church of England
- Teaching Associations
- Council representatives