Statutory Inspection of Anglican & Methodist Schools (SIAMS)

It is the duty of the governing body of a voluntary or foundation school with a religious character to ensure that any denominational education given to pupils, and the content of the school’s collective worship, are inspected according to the requirements of section 48 of the Education Act 2005. For Church of England schools this inspection will be carried out by an inspector from SIAMS (Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools).

SIAMS inspection focuses on the impact of the school's Christian Vision in all areas of school life and especially on the children, young people and adults who attend it. Our schools have a variety of strategies and styles, which reflect their particular context or church tradition. Inspectors will, therefore, not be looking to apply a preconceived template of what a Church school should be like. They will however, be looking for how the vision is theologically rooted and understood as a driving force for school improvement.

The current SIAMS framework is the SIAMS Framework September 2023. This framework is the basis on which SIAMS judgements are made. It is important that leaders at all levels are familiar with the school’s vision, its theological roots, and its impact.

Under the current framework, schools receive one of two inspection judgements:

J1: 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.

J2: 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. 

Further information and associated documents are available on the Church of England SIAMS website.

If you have any queries, please contact your Schools Adviser.