Part B: Guidance

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The purpose of this paperwork is to support a headteacher:

1. in clarifying whether seeking a determination is appropriate to the school;
2. in collecting the evidence base and other documentation that will be needed in order to make an application to SACRE.

1. Seeking a determination
   
   
   The law states that the majority of acts of collective worship in a term should be wholly or mainly of a broadly Christian character and it is considered that this should be appropriate for most pupils across the country.
   
   

   In schools where the head teacher and the governors believe that this requirement is inappropriate for their pupils the school may apply to its local SACRE (Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education) for a "determination" that the "wholly or mainly broadly Christian" criterion will not apply.
   
   

   This may be in respect of the whole school or in respect of a particular group of students within the school. However, the school must continue to make provision for collective worship for all pupils. The school must suggest an alternative form of collective worship and the SACRE must agree that the alternative form is more appropriate for the pupils for whom the determination relates.
   
   

   Factors that may inform a head teacher's decision to make an application to the SACRE are:
   
   

   the number of withdrawals from broadly Christian acts of collective worship;

   
   

   where there are significant numbers of pupils from non-Christian backgrounds

   
   

   The determination procedure allows this requirement to be lifted in respect of some or all of the pupils in a school where the requirement is inappropriate.
   
   

   The head teacher of the school must first decide:
   
   

   why wholly or mainly broadly Christian collective worship is not appropriate;

   
   

   what alternative form of collective worship would be appropriate, and why.

   
   

   The head teacher will need an evidence base for the school's proposals; this should be submitted with the application. This could include:
   
   

   Pupils' faith (or other relevant) backgrounds;

   
   

   Information from the school's most recent OFSTED inspection;

   
   

   Evidence of the number of withdrawals and the reasons for them;

   
   

   Evidence of the views of governors, teachers and parents.

   
   

   There must be consultation with governors and parents and should be consultation with staff, all of whom will need the following information to guide their decisions:
   
   

   a statement from the school as to why the "wholly or mainly broadly Christian character" of collective worship is not appropriate (for all or part of the school);

   
   

   clear information about what the alternative form of collective worship would be and to whom it will apply;

   
   

   an outline timetable of the determinations procedure;

   
   

   any other information that the head teacher considers may be appropriate to supporting their application, e.g. relevant paragraphs from the school's OFSTED report, the school's current policy on collective worship.

   
   

   Governors, parents and staff must be consulted on the proposals. Governors and parents should also be given the opportunity to see collective worship in the school, should they wish.
   
   

   Governors must vote at a meeting of the full governing body. Parents and teachers must be given the opportunity to vote in a secret ballot which must be time restricted (i.e. there must be a published deadline).
   
   
   
2. Timetable
   
   
   SACRE will usually consider determinations annually. This will normally be at SACRE's first meeting of the summer term. However SACRE may consider an application at other times if, on the advice of its Advisers, it is agreed that an earlier decision should be made.

   In order to ensure that SACRE members have sufficient time to consider them, applications for a determination should be sent to the Clerk to the SACRE no later than the half term holiday in the spring term.

   Applications received after the spring half term holiday will not normally be considered until the following year, unless there are special circumstances that may require an earlier decision. Therefore, schools will need to organise their consultations with governors, parents and teachers so that they allow reasonable time for them make a proper consideration of the head teacher's proposals.

   If a school wishes to make an application, SACRE recommends that the consultation process should begin during the autumn term. It should be remembered that parents and governors should be given the opportunity to see collective worship in the school should they so wish.

   The headteacher and a governor of the school or their representatives should attend SACRE's determinations meeting to answer any questions or to provide supplementary evidence.
   
   
3. What if a determination application is agreed by SACRE?
   
   

   Where a determination has been granted in respect of all or some of the pupils in the school, daily collective worship must still be provided for them. This will now be in the form agreed by the SACRE to be more suitable for their needs.
   
   

   Where a determination has been granted in respect of a class or description of pupils of a particular faith or religion, the alternative collective worship may be provided for those pupils as a whole. It may not be distinctive of any particular denomination of any faith or religion, but may be distinctive of a particular faith or religion.
   
   

   Parents continue to have a right to withdraw their children from the collective worship. The parental right should be freely exercisable and a school must give effect to any such request. Parents are not obliged to state their reasons for seeking withdrawal.
   
   

   Where a single determination has been granted for the whole school, it is not permissible for pupils to be divided into faith groups for worship.
   
   

   Where a determination covers only part of the school, or where more than one determination has been granted in respect of different pupils at a school, a single act of worship may be provided for each group of pupils covered by a single determination. Where such a group has been defined in respect of the pupils' faith background, it follows that the single faith worship may be provided for the pupils involved.
   
   

   Each group in respect of which a determination has been made may, of course, be further subdivided by school or age group if that is felt to be appropriate.
   
   

   Information about new arrangements for collective worship in the school should be published in the school prospectus. This information should also inform a review of the school's Collective Worship policy and must be made available to OFSTED when a school is being inspected or to HMI if the school is subject to monitoring visits.

Please Note:

1. If the Secretary of State is satisfied, either on complaint by any person or otherwise that any SACRE:
   
   
   has acted or is proposing to act unreasonably in determining whether it is appropriate for the requirement for Christian collective worship to apply in the case of a school or group of pupils; or
   
   
   has failed to discharge its duty in this respect;
   
   the Secretary of State has the power to direct the SACRE to revoke the determination, withdraw the proposed determination or, as the case may be, to discharge its duty.
   
   
2. Determinations last for no longer than five years.
   
   
3. Lambeth SACRE is concerned that seeking a determination for some members of a school may be divisive and conflict with the desire that the school will have to create a cohesive community. In such cases, SACRE hopes that headteachers will be able to reassure them as to how and why this will not be the case in their particular school.
   
   
4. In this guidance the term Parents should be understood as including pupils' legal guardians.

Further information or guidance can be sought from:

Christabel McLean
School Improvement & Development Division
Lambeth Education
International House,
Canterbury Crescent,
London SW9 7QE
Tel: (020) 7926 9830

Clerk to the SACRE C/o School Improvement & Development Division
Lambeth Education
International House,
Canterbury Crescent,
London SW9 7QE