Outstanding SIAMS at Ilsham

The Learning Academy Partnership is thrilled to announce that Ilsham Church of England Academy has been rated Outstanding in their recent SIAMS inspection.

The principal objective of SIAMS inspection is to evaluate the distinctiveness and effectiveness of the school as a Church school, and how well the distinctive Christian character and ethos of the school ensure the development and achievement of the whole child or young person.

This is evaluated through four core questions:

  • How well does the school, through its distinctive Christian character, meet the needs of all learners?
  • What is the impact of collective worship on the school community?
  • How effective is the Religious Education? (in VA schools and academies)
  • How effective are the leadership and management of the school as a Church school?

 

Ilsham was judged to be Outstanding in all 4 areas.

The inspector stated that the academy’s distinctive Christian character is of the highest quality, is deeply embedded and has a significant impact on the whole academy community and beyond. The academy’s vision ‘Together We Empower Excellence’ and its four Christian values of friendship, humility, responsibility and respect are at the heart of the academy’s ongoing drive to improve and continually provide the best education for each individual child.”

Key strengths included:

The outstanding relationships promoted by the academy’s Christian values, such as friendship and respect, have a strong impact on the children’s personal development, well-being and learning.

The prominent role of religious education (RE) in the academy curriculum and collective worship in the daily life of the academy contributes significantly to a high level of children’s spirituality.

The Inspector also noted another strength is that Ilsham is well supported by the Learning Academy Partnership: “The links between the academy and its Multi Academy Trust (MAT) partners, the church and local communities are exceptionally strong and contribute significantly to the academy’s distinctive Christian character.”

Mrs Stephens, Head of Academy at Ilsham, said: “We are passionate and committed at Ilsham in ensuring that every child will flourish, that they will achieve the very best they can and fulfil their dreams and ambitions through a culture and curriculum of excellence. We value and recognise the individual nature and success of every member of our academy family and this was recognised in the Outstanding SIAMs report. We are very excited to be seeking opportunities to share best practice with new church school leaders outside of the Trust as we continue on our journey of excellence.”

This is the second academy within the Learning Academy Partnership in recent months to have achieved an outstanding result in the SIAMS inspections and reflects the dedication of the staff and children across the Multi Academy Trust.

Mrs Atkinson, Chief Executive of the Learning Academy Partnership, said: “We are delighted that the SIAMs inspection has once again, recognised Ilsham as an outstanding Church School. This is testament to: the commitment of our staff; relationships that exist and the ethos and the values that are lived out on a daily basis across all of our Church and Community schools within the Learning Academy Partnership Trust.”

“I am pleased that the contribution of the Trust was recognised. The passion in promoting, sharing and developing outstanding practice is tangible across all of our academies and our staff are proud to be part of our family of schools. This is evident in this outstanding SIAMS result – well done to everyone involved.”

Outstanding SIAMS at Ilsham