Statutory Inspection of Anglican & Methodist Schools (SIAMS)

A Church of England school is required to have a Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools - SIAMS for short. This is conducted separately from any OfSTED inspection and in line with the Church of England's schedule by a nationally accredited ‘denominational’ inspector.

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, in order to be distinctive and effective. 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 underpinning and impact.

Under the current schedule 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.