NEWS:
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The list for 2026-27 Inspections is now live on the new SIAMS website
Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools (SIAMS)
All Church of England schools undergo a Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools (SIAMS). SIAMS inspections are carried out under Section 48 of the 1988 Education Act and in addition to Ofsted (Section 5/8) inspections (2005 Education Act). They are overseen by the National Society. The purpose of SIAMS is to evaluate the distinctiveness and effectiveness of a school as a church school.
The purpose of SIAMS is to evaluate how effective the school is as a church school in terms of meeting the needs of learners. These needs include well-being, personal development, safeguarding and academic progress.
Leadership, management and governance are evaluated from the perspective of the school being a Church of England school.
SIAMS Framework 2025
The current SIAMS framework explores how a vision rooted in theology is enabling pupils to flourish in the local context of your school. The previous grading system has been replaced by a simplified judgement. There is also an increased focus on the role and impact of partnerships and MAT involvement in developing the distinctive ethos and vision of their church schools.
The national SIAMS webpage has moved to a new web page. It has been updated with SIAMS documents for use from September 2025, please visit the website to download the latest versions:
isit the national SIAMS webpage to find the latest copies
SIAMS and Self Evaluation
Expectations for self-evaluation of the SIAMS schedule have changed. It is good practice for schools to carry out a self-evaluation of their development as a church school, with the focus being on the impact of their Christian vision.
When an inspection is triggered, the inspector will ask the school to submit any form of summarised SEF that they have. Schools may choose to do one of the following:
- Highlight the relevant/recent parts of their full SEF
- Delete the parts of the full SEF that are historic/not current/no longer relevant
- Direct an inspector to which pages of a full SEF to read; or if they prefer
- Summarise the full SEF into a shorter summary document, this can also be used as a crib sheet for governors and staff in their preparations.
The National Team have provided sample templates for both the ongoing full SEF and the Summary SEF. When in school, the inspector will request to see the ongoing SEF and other supporting documentation. These templates are for guidance only and are not required formats. These can be found on the national SIAMS webpage. The diocesan Education Team has produced adapted templates to support schools in showing their impact and evidence more clearly and to focus their evaluation.
SIAMS Support and Training
The Education Team provides a comprehensive suite of courses for both school leaders and governors to support them in their SIAMS self-evaluation process and to prepare for their SIAMS inspection. Please see the training page.