Scheduling of Inspections
SIAMS is the system of inspection employed by the National Society, on behalf of the Church of England and Methodist Church, to fulfil their legal obligations under section 48 of the 2005 Education Act.
SIAMS Framework: The current version of the SIAMS framework (2023, revised in 2024) is available here, along with further information from the SIAMS national team.
Scheduling of Inspections: Until all schools have received their first SIAMS inspection in the ‘post-COVID’ years, inspection will be carried out within eight years of the date of the previous inspection. It is not currently possible to precisely calculate the academic year of a school’s next SIAMS inspection. An estimate can be obtained by contacting us at the Diocese.
Each year, in the Summer term, the SIAMS national team publish a list of schools that are expected to have their SIAMS inspection during the following academic year. Please click here for the list of schools likely to be inspected in 2025-26 (see page 10 for schools in our Diocese).
Christian Vision: Your school’s Christian Vision, and the impact of this vision, are central to the inspection, as specified in the revised inspection schedule.
SIAMS will ask questions about how the school’s Christian vision underpins decisions and how the positive impact of these decisions affects the flourishing of children and adults. ‘Flourishing’ relates to the whole person, not simply the academic achievement of pupils. SIAMS provides a framework within which individual schools can answer for themselves: Who are we? What are we doing here? How, then, shall we live and learn together? They focus on the following 7 Inspection Questions (IQ):
IQ1: How does the school’s theologically rooted Christian vision enable pupils and adults to flourish?
IQ2: How does the curriculum reflect the school’s theologically rooted Christian vision?
IQ3: How is collective worship enabling pupils and adults to flourish spiritually?
IQ4: How does the school’s theologically rooted Christian vision create a culture in which pupils and adults are treated well?
IQ5: How does the school’s theologically rooted Christian vision create an active culture of justice and responsibility?
IQ6: Is the religious education curriculum effective? (With reference to the Church of England’s statement of entitlement for religious education).
IQ7: What is the quality of religious education in voluntary aided and former voluntary aided schools, and in former voluntary controlled schools in which denominational religious education is taught?
Judgements: SIAMS must, in accordance with the law:
- Make judgements and report on religious education
- Make judgements and report on collective worship
- Make judgements and report on pupils’ SMSC education
- Make judgements on how, through its theologically rooted Christian vision, the school is living up to its foundation as a Church school, enabling people to flourish.
These judgements combine to enable an evaluation of how schools, through their theologically rooted Christian vision, are living up to their foundation as Church schools, enabling people to flourish.
Following inspection, church schools will be judged as either:
- 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.’ Or
- 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. These are listed in the areas for development.’
SIAMS Self-Evaluation Form (SEF): Church schools are asked to consider their self-evaluation as having two purposes:
- Ongoing self-evaluation to assist the school to consider its development as a church school and formulate an action plan which prioritises its ‘next steps.’
- Impact-driven summary self-evaluation in preparation for inspection.
There is no required format, however, the national team offer suggested templates, available here.
SIAMS resources and Support: Please see the SIAMS resources page for resources to help you prepare for the SIAMS inspection of your school. For information on support from the Diocesan Education Team, including a SIAMS support visits, please click here.