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SIAMS Inspections

NEWS:

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.

NEW SIAMS Framework September 2023

From 1st September 2023, a new SIAMS framework will be used for inspections. 

The national SIAMS team announced this at an online briefing on 3rd November 2022. This contained key information about the new SIAMS Framework that will commence in September 2023. A  full recording of this update is available.

Watch SIAMS 2023 briefing

The new framework explores how a vision rooted in theology is enabling pupils to flourish in the local context of your school. The previous grading system will be replaced by a simplified judgement. This also means that the good grade descriptors will no longer be used.

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 been updated with SIAMS documents for use from Setpember 2024, please visit the website to download the latest versions:

  1. SIAMS Framework - September 2024
  2. Transitional Guidance for Schools. This is an advisory document that offers additional help for schools. It briefly explains some of the rationales that underpin the new Framework and is designed to help schools and trusts over the coming year.
  3. 2024 Ongoing self-evaluation template 
  4. 2024 Summary self-evaluation template 
  5. 2024 SIAMS Inspection Deferral Policy
  6. 2024 SIAMS Information for Schools

Visit 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 if they can send a shortened SEF.  Current guidance (June 2023) is that 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, as is common practice now.

The National Team have provided sample templates for both the ongoing full SEF and the Summary SEF. When in school the inspector may ask to see the ongoing SEF and other documentation to support the process. These are for guidance only and are not required formats. There are template examples for both the 2023 framework and the current 18-22 schedule. These can be found on the national SIAMS webpage.

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. 

 

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