Statutory Inspection of Anglican & Methodist Schools (SIAMS)

All Church of England dioceses and the Methodist Church use the Church of England Education Office’s framework for the Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools (SIAMS) under Section 48 of the Education Act 2005.  The SIAMS Evaluation Schedule sets out the expectations for the conduct of the Statutory Inspection of Anglican, Methodist and ecumenical Schools under Section 48 of the Education Act 2005.

Purpose and Focus of SIAMS Inspections

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.

The SIAMs Inspection has 7 inspection questions which establish how well the school community live and learn together. These inspection questions are:

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?

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?

One overall grade is awarded reflecting the contribution of these questions to the flourishing of pupils and adults in a Church school.