An inclusive and welcoming school celebrates the highest inspection marks

Staff and pupils at St Alban’s Church of England Primary School have celebrated a very positive report from the Statutory Inspectorate of Anglican and Methodist Schools (SIAMS).

The Wednesfield school was recently subjected to an inspection to evaluate how effective it is in delivering a high-quality, distinctively Christian education to its pupils.

Inspectors said they found that St Alban’s, part of Manor Multi Academy Trust, has a balanced, vibrant and creative religious education curriculum that gives pupils ‘a deep knowledge and understanding’ of world views and religions.

Leaders clearly understand how the school’s Christian vision is rooted in the unique context of the community.

The vision ‘stimulates decision-making at every level and enables prosperity for everyone’.

A ‘nurturing, inclusive culture’ ensures that students and adults are ‘lovingly supported to develop strong self-esteem’, where everyone is ‘valued for their uniqueness and treated well’.

St Alban’s is ‘bound together by excellent relationships based on trust and friendship’, with students understanding the views and lives of others and demonstrating ‘an instinctive responsibility to speak out against injustice’.

Staff ensure that vulnerable pupils and those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) are well supported and as a result ‘all pupils thrive and strive to be the best they can be’.

Headteacher Leanne Wooldridge said: “We are very proud to have received such an excellent SIAMS inspection.

“We really deserve the judgment based on the brilliant work that all our children and staff have done over the years.”

Rev. Tom Fish, Pastor of St Alban’s Church, said: “The Christian message is intended to transform the lives of individuals and impact the wider community, and it is exciting to see this becoming a reality at St Alban’s School, as this report acknowledges.

“As a church we value our longstanding partnership with the school and look forward to developing it further in the coming months and years.”

Councilor Jacqui Coogan, Wolverhampton Council’s cabinet member for education, skills and employment, said: “This very positive SIAMS report shows that St Alban’s Church of England Primary School certainly delivers high quality, distinctively Christian education, and I would like to Congratulate Leanne and the team at St Alban’s on their success.”

The SIAMS inspection is an Ofsted Section 48 inspection that all schools with a religious character must undergo regularly.