EXCELLENT result for SIAMS inspection
We are delighted to share the results of an inspection that took place before half term – a Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools (SIAMS). In a similar way to Ofsted, all Church of England schools are visited regularly to evaluate the key question: How effective is the school's distinctive Christian vision, established and promoted by leadership at all levels, in enabling all pupils and adults to flourish?
We received an overall grade of Excellent, and were also judged to be Excellent in the effectiveness of our Religious Education and the impact of Collective Worship. A new framework came into force last September, which makes it far more challenging for schools to achieve this highest grade. In the Oxford Diocese, we are the third to have been deemed Excellent since then.
Our wonderful ethos and environment is thanks to the energy, skills and commitment of our whole school community – staff, parents, children, governors, the church, the Estate and other local people. It’s a huge team effort and we feel so fortunate to be part of such a supportive and caring ‘family’. There is also clearly a great deal of work that goes on behind the scenes to build upon those strong foundations to ensure that children receive the best education and wider opportunities, and flourish like the seeds in our school vision. As one of our younger pupils so beautifully explained to the inspector: “my teacher waters my soil so I can blossom like a beautiful flower.”
As part of the process, the inspector looked in detail at seven strands, including the school vision and leadership, the progress of pupils (especially in RE), our relationship with the community, opportunities for all members of the school community to explore their spirituality, and our impact as global citizens. A huge thank you to all the hard-working staff at school who care deeply about the children here and strive for excellence every day. And also to the parents and children who spoke to the SIAMS inspector and were so positive about our school.