‘EXCELLENT’ JUDGEMENT IN SIAMS INSPECTION - APRIL 2023
On Friday 28th April 2023 our school received its SIAMS Inspection (Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist schools). The aim of this inspection, commissioned by the Department for Education for all faith schools, is to look at how effective the school’s distinctive Christian vision is, and how it is established and promoted by leadership at all levels.
It does this by looking at 7 different areas:
- Vision and Leadership
- Wisdom, Knowledge, and Skills
- Character Development: Hope, Aspiration, and Courageous Advocacy
- Community and Living Well Together
- Dignity and Respect
- Impact of Collective Worship
- Effectiveness of Religious Education.
We are incredibly proud to announce that our school was graded as EXCELLENT.
'Excellent' is the top grade a school can be awarded and to have received this grade you need to have shown the coming together of three foundational principles:
- Deep, Christian-vision-driven thought and discussion
- Innovative, exemplary, and courageous action
- Life-changing, life-lasting transformational impact.
This is a fantastic achievement for our whole school community.
The final report, which can be found below, fully highlights many of the amazing things that happen to enable both pupils and adults to thrive. During the inspection, all of the children were wonderful representatives of our school and spoke so knowledgeably and proudly about what happens here each and every day. It was felt that our vision was clearly shared by all and shone through in everything that was observed. Here are a few of the many excellent findings:
- This school is a truly inspiring place to learn and to work.
- Opportunities for pupils to develop as independent agents of change are excellent.
- Pupils are inspired to be aspirational learners who are creative, courageous and compassionate.
- The school has a culture of aspiration and supportive relationships which engender inclusivity, dignity and respect for all.
- Pupils show great awareness of their responsibility to care for the environment.
- The school’s innovative curriculum and wide range of extra-curricular provision deeply enrich the academic and wider development of all learners.
- Parents speak of how the school values of courage, creativity and compassion, embedded within the vision, are transformational.
- One Bible quote which the school uses to inspire pupils is to ‘shine like stars in the universe’. The pupils at Sparsholt really do shine and the Christian vision is deeply effective in enabling them to flourish.
As well as it being very gratifying to have such wonderful things written about our school, it was also incredibly rewarding to see the response of so many members of our school community in wanting to speak in praise of all that we do.
We are so grateful to our pupils, staff, families, governors and the wider community for their contributions to the process and their hard work and support every day to make our school the best it can be. We are extremely proud to have had our achievements recognised in this way and look forward to us continuing and building upon our fantastic work as a church school.