Constitution

ENFIELD STANDING ADVISORY COUNCIL On  

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION 

CONSTITUTION

Dated: JUNE 2019 

STANDING ADVISORY COUNCIL ON RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

(ENFIELD SACRE)

The Council shall be called the Enfield SACRE (Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education). It is established under Section 3.90 – 3.97 of the Education Act 1996 as amended.  

Interpretation in this Constitution 

• “Local Authority” means Enfield Council.  
• ‘Member’ means a Member of SACRE and includes co-opted Member. 
• All questions of Interpretation are governed by the “Interpretation Act” 1978 as may be subsequently amended.  

MEMBERSHIP

Group A:a representative from the following faith communities: 

Alevi
Baptist 
Buddhist
Catholic Church
Evangelical Free Churches 
Greek Orthodox Church
Hindu
Methodist
Muslim x 3 (working towards representation from the Sunni, Shia and Turkish Islamic communities)
Orthodox Jewish
Pentecostal Church
Progressive Jewish
Religious Society of Friends
Salvation Army 
Sikh 
United Reformed Church

Group B

Six representatives appointed by the London Diocesan Board in consultation with the Church of England Area Dean.

Group C

Secondary Headteacher/Deputy Headteacher/Assistant Headteacher
Primary Headteacher/Deputy Headteacher/Assistant Headteacher
Primary teachers x 3
Secondary teachers x 3

Group D

Four members of the Council (two from the Majority party and two from the Minority party) and two Officers from the Local Authority.

Co-opted (non-voting members)

Individual representatives of Enfield faith/belief communities and those that hold non-religious world views, with an interest and commitment to the work of the SACRE, may be appointed as Co-opted members, with a one-year term of office (renewable). 

1. All members shall be delegates who are interested in education in general and religious education in particular.
2. Each member of SACRE shall have a term of office of three years and shall remain until the end of their term of office or such time as they will have resigned or removed from membership under the rules dictated by their appointing organisation/body.  
3. If Members are unable to attend a meeting and wish to contribute to discussion, they should contact the SACRE Administrator 24 hours before the meeting. Their comments will then be reported at the meeting.
4. If a Member is absent for 3 or more consecutive meetings for any reason not acceptable to the Council there shall be deemed to be a vacated place to be filled by the appointing body for that Member.
5. The Chair and Vice-Chair of the Council shall be chosen from Members of the SACRE and shall be elected at the first meeting in each municipal year for a period of two years.
6. In the absence of the Chair or Vice-Chair at any meeting the Council can elect one of its members to act as the Chair for that meeting.
7. A meeting will only be quorate if there is one representative from each of the Groups.  
8. All members are entitled to speak and vote on any issue.  Co- Opted members may speak but not vote at any meeting.  SACRE will always seek to reach decisions on a consensus basis but when voting is to be exercised only one vote is allowed from each group A, B, C or D.
9. Co-option – SACRE has the power to co-opt members as agreed by formal vote by the groups.
10. In the event of an equality of votes on any issue the Chair may exercise a casting vote.
11. The Administrator and minute clerk of the SACRE would be employee/s of the Enfield Council as designated by the Council’s Director of Schools and Children’s Services.  

THE DUTIES OF SACRE

1. To advise the Local Authority on such matters concerned with Collective Worship and with Religious Education according to an Agreed Syllabus as the Local Authority may refer to it or as SACRE may see fit.  These matters might include, for example, the provision of INSET, methods of teaching and choice of materials and the consideration of complaints should the Local Authority so require.  SACRE shall send a copy of advice on religious education in accordance with the current agreed syllabus to the Headteachers of all schools within the Borough.
2.  To receive, and determine whether an application from a Headteacher to vary the requirement for worship of a broadly or mainly Christian character, is appropriate for the whole school or for groups of pupils.
3. To publish an annual report outlining the advice given by SACRE to the Local Authority and whether a Statutory Conference was requested during that year. The report should broadly describe the nature of advice provided and, if such advice was in relation to matters not referred to SACRE by the Local Authority, stating the reasons why such advice was offered.  
4. A copy of the annual report should be sent by SACRE to the NASACRE.
5. To require the Local Authority to set up a Statutory Conference to review the Agreed Syllabus if, in the opinion of SACRE, this becomes necessary. 

PROCEDURES

1. Dates 
   The dates of the main meetings will be decided at the first meeting in the municipal year.  
2. Agenda 
   2.1 Matters for the Agenda of any meeting shall be sent to the Clerk at least 21 days in advance of the meeting.
   2.2 The Agenda shall be distributed to each Member at least seven working days in advance of the next listed meeting.
3. Minutes 

The draft Minutes of meetings to be made available (by email or via the website) to Members within one month of the meeting taking place.