SIAMS
As a Church of England school, Bishop Rawstorne Academy is not just inspected by OFSTED but also the Church of England. This is done through the SIAMS (Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools) schedule.
In our SIAMS inspection in November 2017 (report below) the inspection team said:
- Each member of the academy community, adult and student, is valued and enabled to flourish as a child of God.
- Pastoral care is exemplary and demonstrates how the academy lives out its deeply held Christian values. Leaders and all staff provide excellent role models of hope and compassion; they genuinely care for each individual student and their families.
- Students are supported to believe in themselves, each other and their teachers, so that they have a secure sense of self-worth and develop skills for their future life and learning.
- Spiritual development is enhanced by the richly creative curriculum and extra-curricular provision.
- Through worship and links with local clergy, students and staff are taken to the threshold of faith and enabled to reflect positively on their own views and beliefs.
The New Inspection Process
SIAMS inspectors will explore with school leaders how they understand the specific context of the school, and whether they know how to respond to it theologically. Local, diocesan, and national expertise will help school leaders to explore this, so that they can be confident in answering three key questions:
- Who are we as a school?
- What are we doing here?
- How, then, shall we live and learn together?
Importantly, the 2023 SIAMS Framework highlights and seeks understanding of the theology that underpins a school’s Christian vision. It also provides a structure for inspectors and school and trust leaders to, collaboratively, gather evidence of how this vision enables people to flourish. Using this evidence, inspectors then make judgements, holding school leaders to account.
SIAMS, rightly, sets a high bar for each school to live up to its foundation as a Church school through its theologically rooted Christian vision, and it provides affirmation, aspiration, and areas for development for school leaders.
The 3 above questions are then investigated through 7 inspection questions (IQS):
- 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 theologically rooted Christian vision create a culture in which pupils and adults are treated well?
- IQ5 How does the theologically rooted Christian vision create an active culture of justice and responsibility?
- IQ6 Is the religious education curriculum effective (with reference to the expectations set out in 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, or in former voluntary controlled schools in which denominational religious education is taught?
SIAMS inspectors will reach one of two judgements after they have finished their inspection:
- J1 Through its vision and practice, the school is living up to its foundation as a Church school and is enabling pupils and adults to flourish.
- J2 The school’s vision and practice are not enabling it to fully live up to its foundation as a Church school.
Please see the documents below for further information:
Bishop Rawstorne Summer 2024 – SEAT Document
Bishop Rawstorne Condensed 2 Page SEAT Document
SIAMS Report