We are pleased you have found this site as the acronym of SACRE is not one that slips off the tongue of too many people.

It stands for:

Standing Advisory Council for Religious Education and we consider that we are:

S - Spiritually enriching
A - Affirming
C - Challenging
R - Respectful
E -Educational

As an advisory body for Buckinghamshire Council we work closely with them and are delighted that we have been offered this opportunity of having dedicated pages on the Schools Web.

Our remit is to provide an RE syllabus that will reflect the local position regarding faith and non faith groups in Buckinghamshire. Our syllabus entitled Challenging RE is intended to suggest a subject that is demanding in its challenge in content and in the suggestions for delivery and the dynamic it hopes to foster in the classroom. We passionately believe that each pupil should have the opportunity to learn about and have time to reflect upon ‘what it means to be human’ and in addition to have a time and space to reflect on their own religious or other identity, respect that of others and consider the importance of belief and practice in creating a better world in which to live, or the threat that these can also pose to human flourishing.

We hope to be able to support all schools, including academies and free schools, in the provision of high quality RE and to this end we are currently producing a newsletter twice a year, entitled SACRED, which includes suggestions for RE planning with a faith calendar for 6 months ahead. Resources and links can be found and details of our annual INSET day for teachers in which we arrange visits to 3 places of worship and consider how their architectural design and artistic content and images within reflect the worship and beliefs expressed by that religious community.

This is an era of change and the position of RE in the school curriculum is far from clear. Religious education is not part of the national curriculum and so has not been subject to changes in content. What is evident is that all schools, whether local authority, academies or free schools do currently have to provide religious education. We trust that the Bucks Syllabus will provide a stimulating document for teachers to use and welcome your feedback on this and other related issues.

Go Well;

Margaret Dean

Chair of Bucks SACRE