SIAMS

What is a SIAMS inspection?

SIAMS stands for the Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools. All Church of England dioceses and the Methodist Church use the National Society's framework as a process for evaluating the extent to which church schools are "distinctively and recognisably Christian". All Church of England Schools receive a Section 48 Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools (SIAMS) in addition to the regular Section 5 Ofsted inspection.  These inspections take place on a five year cycle.

A new and more rigorous schedule for SIAMS inspections was introduced in 2018. Under this new schedule, the bar for schools has been raised with the old ‘outstanding’ grade being merged into the new ‘good’. Good is now the 'gold standard' for church schools.

This new evaluation schedule has one overarching inspection question: How effective is the school’s distinctive Christian vision, established and promoted by leadership at all levels (including governors), in enabling pupils and adults to flourish?

This question is evaluated through seven strands:

• Strand 1: Vision and Leadership
• Strand 2: Wisdom, Knowledge and Skills
• Strand 3: Character Development: Hope, Aspiration and Courageous Advocacy
• Strand 4: Community and Living Well Together
• Strand 5: Dignity and Respect
• Strand 6: The impact of collective worship
• Strand 7: The effectiveness of religious education

Voluntary controlled (VC) schools, such as ours, are given one overall grade and a standalone grade for Strand 6 (the impact of collective worship).  Voluntary aided (VA) or former voluntary aided schools, such as our federation partner Wilmcote Primary, also receive an additional, standalone judgement for Strand 7 (the effectiveness of religious education).

Current SIAMS Inspection Grade

Loxley Primary was last inspected in March 2020, under the new inspection schedule.  We were graded as securely GOOD overall, with EXCELLENT for the impact of collective worship.

We were particularly proud of the following strengths, which were highlighted in our report:

• "The quality of worship is exceptional, enabling all pupils and staff to flourish spiritually."
• "The rich and vibrant curriculum enables all pupils, regardless of ability, to shine in their own unique way."
• "The strong, Christian partnership between the headteacher and executive headteacher is positively driving improvements across the federation, uniting everyone as a team."
• "Pupils and their families are at the heart of all that is done."
• "Behaviour is of the highest standard and pupils feel safe and attend well." 
• "Aspirational approaches, supported through the vision and values are effectively cultivating confident young learners."
• "RE is a strength of the school" and "Everyone is treated equally."
• "All pupils flourish as successful learners."