Church of England schools are established primarily for the communities they are located in. They are inclusive and serve equally those who are of the Christian faith, those of other faiths and those with no faith.

Church schools are recognised for their distinctive Christian ethos and the impact this has on standards and all round education. The proportions of Church schools regarded as ‘outstanding’ (by Ofsted) is much higher than the national norm and yet the Church schools are fully inclusive.

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.

All state primary pupils in England are tested at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2) and Key Stage 2 (Year 6). Many schools run ‘unofficial’ optional SATs in years 3 to 5 as well.

Year 6 children take their tests on set dates in mid-May. Results are then submitted to the school’s Local Authority and to parents by the end of the summer term.

Things work a little differently for year 2 children now – it used to be that their results were solely based on the tests but there has been a move towards teachers making a general judgement (‘teacher assessment’). They will use the test scores to inform this, alongside other evidence, such as the understanding shown by pupils in their classwork. The tests can be given to children at any time during the year and they shouldn’t be particularly aware of what they’re used for or their significance – most schools keep things very low key.