Every local authority (LA) is required by law to have a SACRE. Its origins go back to the Education Act of 1944, but the Education Reform Act 1988 and the Education Act 1996 strengthened its place in an LA.
The responsibilities of SACRE are:
- to advise the LA on all aspects of its provision for RE in its schools (this does not include Voluntary Aided Schools)
- to decide whether the LA's Agreed Syllabus for RE needs to be reviewed and to require the LEA does so
- to provide advice to the LA on Collective Worship in its schools (this does not include Voluntary Aided or Voluntary Controlled Schools)
- to consider any requests from Head teachers to hold Collective Worship that is not of a broadly Christian character
- to advise on matters relating to training for teachers in RE and Collective Worship
- to publish an annual report of its work
A SACRE is made up of four committees:
- representatives of Christian denominations and other religions and their denominations which reflect the principal religious traditions of the borough
- representatives of the Church of England
- representatives of the teaching profession
- representatives from the LA, including councillors and RE advisors
The LA provides a clerk to the SACRE and a small budget for general running expenses, this budget rises in the years when a review of the syllabus is due. It is the duty of the SACRE to ensure that a revision of the locally agreed syllabus takes place every five years.
The borough’s SACRE meets three times a year.
SACRE meetings for 2023 to 2024
- Autumn Term: Tuesday, 21 November 2023 6pm
- Spring Term: Meeting date to be announced soon
- Summer Term: Tuesday, 7 May 2024 6pm
The meetings will start at 6pm and are scheduled to finish by 7.30pm.
The meetings are open to members of the public as observers and as such the SACRE board welcomes any interested parties to attend. The meetings will be taking place online via Microsoft Teams.
If you wish to attend please contact Ann Kenny – local authority officer – ann.kenny@lbhf.gov.uk who will send you a meeting invite and instructions on how to join the meeting.
A SACRE is quorate (has enough members present) if at least one member of each committee is present. Each committee has equal voting rights, one vote per committee vote.
See Hammersmith & Fulham SACRE Membership
Schools are required by law to provide a daily act of collective worship which ‘shall be wholly or mainly of a broadly Christian character’, one of the duties of a SACRE is to offer advice to head teachers and governing bodies and disseminate good practice. A SACRE should also discuss any determinations (exceptions from broadly Christian collective worship). However, the borough has never had any applications for such a determination.
Previous SACRE meetings
Annual reports
Other guidance
Prevent and undesirable bookings, advice and good practice for community venues (pdf) This is an example template document only, rather than a definitive list.
More information about Prevent
Ramadan guidance for schools 2022 latest edition (pdf)
Contact SACRE
Ann Kenny
Learning Partnership Business Support Officer
ann.kenny@lbhf.gov.uk
SACRE has vacancies in some categories - if you are interested in joining the SACRE please contact the clerk to check your eligibility for membership. The SACRE meets three times a year.
Hammersmith & Fulham SACRE Membership
Group A - Christian and other religious denominations
This group has 9 places. The current members are:
- Joanna Asia Grzybowska - Humanist representative
- Graham Newman - Jewish representative
- Lalani Perera - Buddhist representative
- Naif Shiekh - Muslim representative (Vice Chair)
- Bhupinder Singh - Sikh representative
- Amy Cotton - Catholic representative
- Vacancy: Hindu representative
- Vacancy: Methodist representative
Group B - The Church of England
This group has 6 places. The current members are:
- Eleanor Allen
- Mark Newton (Chair)
- Astrid Wilson
Group C - Teachers’ associations
This group has 6 places. The current members are:
- Hannah Abu-Ghaida
- Fiona Battah
- Isabel Czyba
- Kate Mitchell
Group D - The local authority
This group has 6 places (3 co-optees). The current members are:
- Keith Tysoe - Strategic Lead Education, School Improvement and Inclusion
- Councillor Mercy Umeh
- Georgina Herry - Head of School Effectiveness
- Christine Cosker - LA School Improvement Adviser
- Ann Kenny – Local Authority Officer: SACRE Clerk
Other members
- Lesley Prior - SACRE Consultant