Witheridge C of E Primary welcomed a SIAMS inspector into the school at the beginning of May 2019. SIAMS (the Statutory Inspectorate of Anglican and Methodist Schools) inspect each Church of England and Methodist school across the country every four years, making a judgement about how effectively each school’s Christian vision and ethos is in enabling all pupils and adults at the school to flourish. The visit was incredibly positive and that the school received a judgement of Good in all areas.

The SIAMS report, which is available to download in full by clicking on the link below, describes our school as ‘a shining example of a school family that has come together with a Christian vision and transformed itself.’ It also states that ‘the welcome extended to everyone, adults, pupils and visitors, is exemplary and there is an exceptional level of care for the disadvantaged.’

The report outlines how our school vision, ‘To Encourage One Another and Build Each Other Up’ has helped stimulate our school’s rapid development, meaning that ‘academic progress has improved dramatically over the last two years, with national data now showing that results are now in line with and sometimes above national targets’ and that ‘aspirations amongst pupils are being raised and confidence is growing’.

The report also highlights the huge benefits of our membership of TEAM Academy Trust, stating that ‘the revised leadership structure of the school arising from membership of the TEAM group of academies has great strength and flexibility’ and describing the leadership team as ‘visionary and inspirational.’

The inspector was really impressed with the way that both RE and collective worship were delivered in school and talked about the positive impact of our school Christian values on the whole school community. He also praised the breadth of our curriculum as a whole and the opportunities we provide for the children as ‘most impressive.’

Needless to say, we are incredibly proud of this report, which is the result of the hard work of the whole school community. The report does identify some areas for improvement, which we will be working towards in the coming months.