Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education - 9 July 2026

# Cornwall Council SACRE Meeting Summary

The meeting opened with the election of officers, with Councillor Thomas elected Chairman and Lee Moscato elected Vice-Chairman (both appointments proposed, seconded and resolved without dissent). No declarations of interest were made. The minutes of the meeting held on 19 March 2026 were agreed as correct, subject to an amendment noting Councillor Ewert's apologies. There were no public questions or statements. Members were updated on progress in filling committee vacancies, and welcomed Kate Littledyke as the new representative from the Cornwall Association of Secondary Headteachers, following efforts by Greg Parekh to secure this appointment.

On financial matters, Members considered and approved the SACRE budget for 2026-27, resolving that funds be utilised in accordance with the priorities set out in the SACRE Improvement Plan, as detailed in paragraph 11.1 of the report. A separate discussion addressed the SACRE Improvement Plan itself, with the Senior Education Effectiveness Officer and the Consultant to SACRE highlighting collective worship support and implementation of the Agreed Syllabus as key priorities. Members resolved to approve the Improvement Plan for September 2025 to August 2026, though consideration of its budgetary implications was deferred to a later meeting. Discussion noted the likelihood that RE would become part of the National Curriculum in future, alongside the existing statutory duty on schools to provide RE teaching.

A significant portion of the meeting addressed SACRE's website provision. The Senior Education Effectiveness Officer explained the current structure, comprising a public-facing page and a professional page hosted on the Services for Schools (SfS) platform, with a third page to be consolidated into the main public page. Advantages of the current arrangement were noted, including no cost to SACRE and clear links to Cornwall Council, though concerns were raised about the user-friendliness of the SfS platform for education professionals. Members discussed comparisons with other websites, including the Truro Diocese and Devon SACRE, and agreed that a working group should be formed to examine website options in greater detail, with a formal report to be brought back to a future meeting. The Democratic officer was tasked with contacting members to recruit volunteers for this group.

The Consultant to SACRE gave a verbal update on RE provision at Key Stage 3 and 4, presenting survey data—described as anecdotal—highlighting concerns among RE teachers regarding inconsistent provision across Cornwall, including low teaching time, use of non-specialist teachers, and merging of RE with other subjects such as PSHE. A decline in GCSE RE entries was also noted, with some courses being discontinued. Members emphasised that survey data should be used constructively to support schools rather than criticise them, and agreed that a formal report containing recommendations for action should be brought to the next meeting, with a view to SACRE passing a formal resolution at that time. Discussion also considered whether the existing survey approach was adequate or whether a new, more self-evaluative survey tool should be developed. Finally, Members received