Pagans want to sit alongside Christians, Jews and Muslims on a body which influences how religion is taught in Plymouth schools. Practising Pagan Laura Watters, from St Budeaux, has written to Plymouth City Council, Devon County Council and Cornwall County Council asking for a place on each authority’s Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education (SACRE).

Mrs Watters has even met Cornish council chiefs in Truro to discuss the matter, and all three councils say they are willing to include the issue in talks.

Every local authority must, by law, have a SACRE to advise and monitor religious education teaching and collective acts of worship, such as assemblies.

They usually contain representatives of six main religions: Islam, Sikhism, Buddhism, Judaism and Christianity, subdivided into Anglican and Catholic.

Mrs Watters, aged 24, a member of the Pagan Network and the Pagan Federation, argues that Paganism is a religion and therefore should also be represented.

She says there are up to 750 Pagans in Cornwall alone and there have been 30 people in a Plymouth group.

Mrs Watters says paganism is the seventh most numerous faith in England and Wales - and is possibly the third largest religion in Cornwall.

Courts allow witnesses to swear a Pagan oath, she points out.

Mrs Watters said: “It’s not that we want Paganism taught, but as a faith community we could be on the panel.

“We are just trying to make sure there is a well-rounded, non-biased syllabus.

“Even if we got on as a co-opting group, it would be better than nothing,” she said.

Plymouth City Council invited Mrs Watters to contact its religious education advisor and a spokeswoman said: “We would be happy to discuss the delivery of religious education in schools and representation on SACRE.”

A Devon County Council spokeswoman said the issue would be discussed at a meeting which was due to be held this summer.

A Cornwall County Council spokesman said: “There has been no decision made about the application of the Pagan Federation for membership of Committee A of Cornwall SACRE,” adding, “The decision will not be made until at least April by the executive of the county council.

“There has been a process of consultation which has included SACRE itself but no decision has been made at this stage.”
Source

• Telford, William. ‘Put Pagans On Committee’. (2007, March 24). This Is Plymouth, UK. Retrieved March 24, 2007.

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