Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education meaning

A Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education (SACRE) is the local authority’s statutory advisory body on religious education (RE) and collective worship in maintained schools without a religious character in England. Created under the Education Act 1996, a SACRE comprises four representative groups (religious communities, the Church of England, teacher associations, and the local authority). In practice it advises on the locally agreed syllabus for RE (which is set by a separate Agreed Syllabus Conference), methods of teaching and teacher training, monitors provision, and considers applications for “determinations” to modify the requirement that collective worship be wholly or mainly of a broadly Christian character. It must publish an annual report. Its remit is principally over maintained community, foundation and voluntary controlled schools; academies and free schools are outside its statutory jurisdiction unless they adopt the local agreed syllabus by arrangement. Jurisdictional note: In Wales, SACREs have been replaced by Standing Advisory Councils (SACs) under the Curriculum and Assessment (Wales) Act 2021, advising on Religion, Values and Ethics and collective worship. Scotland, Northern Ireland and Ireland do not use the SACRE model; RE/RME policy is set through different statutory and advisory frameworks.