Inspections

SIAMs Inspection – September 2023

Having a clear Christian vision for education enables the translation of a school’s original foundation and purpose into its present-day policies and practices, thereby enabling people to flourish. For Church schools, all aspects of this are rooted in theology.

The new 2023 SIAMS Framework shines a spotlight on these key elements – theology, school context, and vision. It allows inspectors and school leaders, together, to gather evidence to answer the Inspection Questions, in turn enabling inspectors to reach fair and accurate judgements. In doing so, it moves the Church of England and Methodist Church’s inspection practice forward, respecting the knowledge and expertise of school leaders, allowing them to tell their stories, and holding them to account.

SIAMS explores ways in which each school’s theologically rooted Christian vision drives its work and enables the school to live up to its foundation as a Church school. It does so by seeking to answer six or (in the case of Voluntary Aided schools) seven Inspection Questions (IQs).

IQ1: How does the school’s theologically rooted Christian vision enable pupils and adults to flourish?

IQ2: How does the curriculum reflect the school’s theologically rooted Christian vision?

IQ3: How is collective worship enabling pupils and adults to flourish spiritually?

IQ4: How does the school’s theologically rooted Christian vision create a culture in which pupils and adults are treated well?

IQ5: How does the school’s theologically rooted Christian vision create an active culture of justice and responsibility?

IQ6: Is the religious education curriculum effective (with reference to the expectations set out in the Church of England’s Statement of Entitlement for Religious Education)?

IQ7: What is the quality of religious education in voluntary aided and former voluntary aided schools, and in former voluntary controlled schools in which denominational religious education is taught?

SIAMS inspection focuses on the impact of the Church school’s Christian vision on pupils and adults. This involves looking at the school’s Christian vision, the provision the school makes because of this vision and how effective this provision is in enabling all pupils to flourish. Church schools will employ a variety of strategies and styles appropriate to, and reflective of, their particular context in order to be distinctively and effectively Christian in their character and ethos. SIAMS inspectors therefore do not look for a set template of what a Church school should be like, but rather take the particular context of the school into account and base their evaluation on the outcomes rather than the process.

Inspectors make one of two judgements:

The inspection findings indicate that the school is living up to its foundation as a Church school and is enabling pupils and adults to flourish – we are pleased to say that this is the judgement that was awarded to St Michaels.

Or

The inspection findings indicate that the school has strengths, but that there are also issues that leaders need to address as a matter of priority.