All Church of England dioceses and the Methodist Church use the National Society (for promoting Religious Education) framework for the Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools (SIAMS). The framework provides a process for evaluating the extent to which church schools are "distinctively and recognisably Christian institutions."
Inspection focus
SIAMS inspection focuses on the effect that the Christian ethos of the church school has on the children and young people who attend it. Church schools will employ a variety of strategies and styles which reflect their particular local 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. The principal objective of SIAMS inspection is to evaluate the distinctiveness and effectiveness of the school as a church school.
Inspectors seek answers to four key questions:
In June 2017, our school was judged to be 'good' in all areas of our SIAMS Inspection:
The distinctiveness and effectiveness of Great Milton C of E Primary School as a Church of England school are 'good':
Since our inspection in 2017, the framework has changed. The Evaluation Schedule has one inspection question: “How effective is the school’s distinctive Christian vision, established and promoted by leadership at all levels, in enabling pupils and adults to flourish?”
This is explored through seven strands: