Derby school where pupils and staff flourish praised by SIAMS inspector

A Derby school with spirituality at its heart has been praised for giving pupils and staff the “opportunities to grow”.

St James' Church of England Aided Junior School, in Reginald Street, has been visited by the inspector as part of the Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools (SIAMS) report, which looks at the effectiveness of a school’s Christian vision, values and leadership.

During the visit, the school, which is part of the Derby Diocesan Academy Trust, was described as having a “richly diverse school community” that is inspired by its Christian vision.

The report also noted that 80 percent of pupils did not have English as their first language and praised the work the school did to support with a “carefully constructed curriculum”.

The inspector added that pupils and the staff flourish because “they are given opportunities to 'grow', developing their unique skills and talents, to 'bear fruit'.”

All Christian schools are usually inspected by teams from SIAMS every five years, as well as routine inspections from the Office for Standards in Education.

Dan Walls, head of school, said: “St James’ represents just about every faith, community and background and we have a lot of support from the wider community. We have the church school ethos that’s inclusive and pins around our core GROW (grateful, respectful, outstanding and welcoming) values.

“This school has been on a massive journey and I’m so proud of how far we have come. It is heart-warming to read what the inspector found at the school and they can see how hard we have worked to make this all possible.

“The church school was set up to support vulnerable children and families and to make education free for everyone and inclusive. That really is something that remains important to us.”

The school, which has 300 pupils aged between seven and 11, was previously told by SIAMS that spirituality was something it needed to work on, so they were delighted that it was recognised by the inspector this time.

The school has introduced its ‘spiritual journal’ which is like a scrapbook for every child where they can express what they feel and can snapshot the lessons. This has proved such a success that the school is helping others in the trust, and outside, to introduce their own.

Assistant headteacher Emma Fearn, who was also lead on the SIAMS visit, said: “I’m really proud of all the staff and children for all of their support and hard work. The children were able to articulate their faith and spirituality better than most adults when they were asked what it means to them.”

When asked about spirituality and what it means to them, one pupil said: “Nature is beautiful. Being close to God, a feeling I have in my soul, using prayer stones to be spiritual.”

The inspector said in the report: “All are treasured within this culturally diverse school. Leaders clearly articulate that this is inspired by the vision, with ‘every child’ being given ‘every chance, every day’.

“Regardless of culture or religion, all are ‘planted’ securely at St James. Leaders are relentless in their drive that the school should enhance the lives of pupils and adults. Procedures for monitoring the impact of the vision across the school are well established. These lead to positive change.”

The inspector concluded that St James’ Church of England Aided Junior School is living up to its foundation as a church school.

Dr Sarah Clark, the chief executive officer of the Derby Diocesan Academy Trust, said: “Congratulations to everyone at St James’ on this excellent SIAMS report. We know how much hard work has gone into supporting every pupil and adult within the school community and I am delighted to see that the inspector has recognised this.

“Christian values are at the core of the Derby Diocesan Academy Trust and we are proud to have schools like this leading the way.”