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An Excellent Church of England School

Pilton Bluecoat "An Excellent Church of England school"

Mr Thomas, was notified last week by the Church of England that the school has been rated as ‘Excellent’ following a Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools (SIAMS) which took place on the 12th November. The grade of ‘Excellent’ is the highest outcome possible under the new inspection framework and replaces the ‘Outstanding’ grade of the previous one.

In a similar way to OFSTED, all Church of England schools are visited regularly to evaluate the key question: How effective is the schools distinctive Christian vision, established and promoted by leadership at all levels, in enabling all pupils and adults to flourish?

The inspection process proved to be very rigorous and focused on seven strands, including the school’s vision and leadership, progress of the pupils, relationships with the community, opportunities for the exploration of spirituality, and the impact the school has on a global basis. As an outcome of this, a report was received by the school which highlights the following key findings:

“Leaders are passionate about enabling vulnerable pupils to flourish. They make bold decisions to give pupils a new start, raising their belief in their own talents.”

“The vision has inspired outstanding partnerships with a number of global communities which have transformed pupils’ understanding of difference, disadvantage and deprivation leading them to becoming articulate advocates for change.”

“The school is recognised as a centre of excellence for its teaching in RE by the diocese and beyond.”

Mr Thomas said “It has taken a huge team effort to be now recognised as ‘Excellent’ by the Church of England and I am fully aware that this could not have been achieved without the support, skills and commitment of everyone connected with the school. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the children, staff, governors, parents and the community for continuing to make Pilton Bluecoat Academy the excellent school we all know it to be.”