SACRE Chairs and Clerks have recently received a letter from Florence Eshalomi, the Minister for Homelessness, Democracy, Communities and Faith, regarding SACRE Annual Reports. In that letter, she states:
I am grateful for the significant work SACREs continue to undertake across the country, often
drawing together local authorities, schools, faith and belief communities and wider partners.
Your work makes an important contribution to children and young people’s understanding of
different faiths and beliefs, and to maintaining constructive relationships within local
communities.
Thank you for your continued commitment to this important work.
Following the partnership agreement between the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) and NASACRE, we have been working closely with them to adapt the Annual Report Template for SACREs to use. It is intended that this framework, which is not significantly different from that used in previous years, will enable SACREs to promote what it and others have done to ensure high quality RE and Collective Worship in the locality as well as identifying matters for development, whilst also allowing Government to better understand the role SACREs play in communities including in relation to cohesion, as set out in Protecting What Matters published by the Government earlier this year.
With funding from MHCLG, NASACRE will be doing a national analysis of Annual Reports using this framework in spring 2027. The deadline for submission of this report to DfE is 30 December (as set out in Circular 1/942).
To clarify how the framework should be used, NASACRE will be putting on a free webinar on 20th October 2026, 7-8pm for those who are responsible for completing the Annual Report. In order to book onto this webinar please email [email protected]
The project’s ultimate outcome will be the publication of a national analysis report that provides government with evidence of how SACREs support religious education, collective worship and wider social cohesion across England. The findings will also be shared with the SACRE community through NASACRE’s conference and communications channels.