Local advisory committees on religious education may not exclude humanists, the High Court has found. In a landmark ruling on Friday, the High Court determined that Kent County Council acted unlawfully in barring a humanist from joining a Standing Advisory Council for Religious Education (SACRE) as a full member. Judge Adam Constable quashed the council’s decision, finding it in breach of Article 14 of the European Convention on Human Rights which prohibits discrimination. The case was raised by Stephen Bowen, a humanist with ‘observer status’ on Kent SACRE which meant he did not have voting rights. SACREs oversee the agreed syllabus for religious education in England – the only part of the curriculum which is locally determined. All community schools, voluntary controlled schools and foundation schools must follow the agreed syllabus. In 2021, Bowen requested full membership of Kent SACRE alongside religious representatives, which would give him voting rights. The council voted to refuse, arguing that religious representatives could not include members of non-religious belief communities. According to Humanists UK, which supported Bowen, 66 SACREs have humanist full members. Bowden argued that the Census 2021 found there are more humanists in Kent than members of the Baha’i religion, which […]
