1. Preparing for SIAMS inspection
Alan Beedie
Adviser for
Primary RE and collective worship

2. The context of SIAMS inspection
Dearing Report “The Way Ahead” (2001) impressed on schools to be excellent and distinctive as church schools.
SIAS reports in the decade following: by , 92% were Good or Outstanding.
Chadwick Report 2012: The Church School of the Future Review
New framework from 2013, reflecting changes in Ofsted
Changes in school system mean Dioceses often have more responsibility now.
Further information from Church of England website
This slide sets the most recent form of denominational inspection in context.
The Dearing Report resulted in reforms to denominational inspection, and also encouraged many dioceses to open new CE secondary schools, or increase places in other ways.
Inspections show that our schools are distinctive and effective as church schools.
The work of the National Society remains under the scrutiny of the Department for Education (as well as the church).
As a result, the SIAMS Framework demonstrates a tightening or toughening of the previous framework. It follows the same structure as the Ofsted framework, outlining what inspectors MUST take account of, and what they MAY take account of.
With more academies and free schools opening, many with a religious character, and the reduction in influence of local authorities, Dioceses are very much the responsible body if schools are not doing well.

3. The new SIAMS Framework
Retains the four key questions, on
Christian character
Collective worship
Religious Education (for aided schools and academies)
Leadership and management as a church school
Retains four grades (still uses Satisfactory, not Requires Improvement)
Reports still able to commend schools for areas of strength, as well as areas for development
The basic outline of reports is very similar to those under SIAS, though advice to inspectors is regularly updated on the detail.
Inspectors have to make clear judgements based on what they observe (or fail to observe), based on the school’s website, s and telephone calls before the day, and the evidence they see during the inspection itself.
Effective church schools will have their own self-evaluation (prepared well ahead of the phone call) which will very often identify the same strengths and areas of development found by the inspector.

4. The new SIAMS Framework
Major change of emphasis – pupils’ achievements in core curriculum as part of Christian character
Aspects of RE reported in sections 1 and 4 for controlled schools
Cycle unconnected to Ofsted, but expectation that SIAMS will be no more than a grade different if Ofsted reported in previous 12 months.
Tightened up aspects of distinctiveness, e.g. Trinity in worship, Anglicanism, Methodism
Key SIAMS documents on links from this page
Inspectors receive information on the school’s performance in nationally reported assessments. They do not have access to Raise Online, though the school may choose to provide this to create a clear picture of the school’s performance.
The understanding is that if a school is meeting the needs of all learners through its Christian character, that includes ensuring the children do well academically.
References to RE in sections 1 and 4 – inspectors must evaluate:
From Christian character: “a. the contribution religious education makes to the Christian character of the school
b. the contribution religious education makes to learners’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development
c. how well religious education contributes to learners’ understanding of and respect for diverse faiths and cultures”
From Leadership and management: “if the arrangements for religious education and collective worship meet statutory requirements”
If a school is found to be Requiring Improvement by Ofsted, the SIAMS grade cannot be better than Good, if the Ofsted report is less than a year old.
There are extra appendices to support the evaluation schedule, supplied by the National Society and the Methodist Church, spelling out further what it means to be an Anglican or a Methodist school.

5. Governors’ role in church schools
Foundation governors have responsibility for collective worship in all types of church schools
They also have responsibility for RE in VA schools and academies
How does the governing body play a part in the self evaluation of the school as a church school?
In practice, governing bodies may not distinguish between foundation governors and others.
Foundation governors do have responsibility for these areas, to ensure they are provided in line with the school’s trust deed.
In practice, in VA schools this usually means adopting the RE Syllabus and scheme of work as recommended by the Diocesan Board of Education.
Bearing in mind the expectation in the SIAMS process that foundation governors play this part, is there a committee where foundation governors are represented, that deals with the relevant areas of school life – worship, spiritual development, RE, Christian ethos, etc?

6. Preparing in the longer term
At least one committee should have oversight of the SIAMS framework areas.
Agreed programme of review with the school, feeding into School Improvement Plan and/ or RE subject action plan, collective worship action plan.
Use National Society Self Evaluation Schedule as part of this programme, and the Self Evaluation Model form, or one of the school’s own.
Keep evidence in the form of photos, letters, testimonials, etc
This depends on the self evaluation processes between the school leadership and the governors, but SIAMS areas should very much be a part of this process.
All staff and governors should be aware of the SIAMS framework and the process of gathering evidence. Foundation governors and those staff responsible for relevant areas should be familiar with them.
It is an evidenced based approach, familiar from the Ofsted point of view, and just as in Ofsted, inspectors do not want description of what the school does, they want to see impact of those actions on pupils.

7. Preparing in the longer term
Identify which teacher or teachers are responsible for collective worship (and RE for VA and academies)
Consider the seniority of these teachers, as SIAMS expects RE and collective worship to be central to the school’s ethos and development.
Identify which governors have responsibility for these areas, and the way teachers report to them.
Ensure your website and other publications reflect your Christian character.
The co-ordinators for RE and collective worship should be sufficiently senior in the school to ensure these areas are central, and that the children experience the impact of changes and developments. RE and collective worship should not be “bolt on” areas, otherwise the Christian character of the school will be only a veneer.
Even if reports on RE and collective worship are annual, there should be a recorded process built into the school’s self evaluation cycle.

8. Questions for governors to consider
Do you know what the school does well as a church school?
Have you identified what you need to work on?
How have you agreed to resource RE and collective worship? Including training for school staff.
Have you a succession plan for leadership in your church school?
If you are VA or academy, do you know how well pupils are doing in RE, for example in comparison to literacy?
Do you know if you meet statutory requirements and/ or the National Society Statement of Entitlement for RE?
These are all key areas in SIAMS, and it is wise to be prepared for these and others.
Using the SIAMS schedule as a checklist can identify which areas the school does well, and which areas need greater attention.
Statutory requirements for collective worship are that some form of worship takes place every day for every child, and worship should be “broadly Christian” (unless the school has applied for a determination). Only the parent can legally withdraw a child from collective worship, and then only after discussion with the head.
For RE, it is statutory for 5% of the curriculum to be devoted to the subject (average hours for KS2 per week – not counting collective worship). The National Society indicates that at least 66% of RE should be on Christianity, and that 5 – 10% of curriculum time be spent on RE.

9. Preparing for the day
School will receive a call from the inspector on the Friday, to agree a day the following week (inspector may only have one day available)
Pre-inspection briefing sent the day before (or earlier).
At least one foundation governor, including clergy, should aim to be available.
Make sure you have first hand knowledge of the school as a church school.
The inspector only knows which school they are going to on the Thursday before – allowing them time to make their own arrangements, study the school data and perhaps the website.
There is a limit to what inspectors may request, but they must write a pre-inspection briefing, and it is helpful if the school has provided their self-evaluation documentation together with anything else the inspector may find helpful.