A CITY secondary school has been rated outstanding after a religious inspection.

Inspectors visited Manor CE Academy in the west of York earlier this month as part of the Church of England Education Office’s Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools (SIAMS).

SIAMS inspections, which happen every five years, evaluate a school’s Christian ethos, how well pupils’ needs are met through its Christian character, the impact collective worship has on a school community, the effectiveness of Religious Education and the effectiveness of leadership and management.

In her report, SIAMS inspector Kathryn Wright said “The Christian vision of being led by God (Deo Duce) to serve others, grow together and live life to the full underpins every aspect of the school.

"This leads to students who want to live purposefully and with meaning, bringing about change and transformation in the communities in which they live and beyond.

"The values of graciousness, compassion, loyalty, patience, kindness, forgiveness and justice lie at the heart of the school and are demonstrated in the very positive relationships between members of the school community.”

Manor Principal, Simon Barber said: “We are very proud of this result.

"Our Christian foundation is hugely important to us, providing the roots for everything we do, so to be recognised as outstanding is a great achievement for us.

"I would like to thank parents, staff and students for their continued support as well as the partner organisations we work with, including the diocese, local churches and the charities Mbedza Projects, Support in Malawi and Cry in the Dark in Romania.”

Manor CE Academy is part of the Hope Learning Trust York, a Church of England trust established to bring together church and community schools.

Manor was one of the founding schools for Hope together with Poppleton Ousebank Primary School.

Hope is a growing multi-academy trust for primary and secondary schools in York and the wider region and also includes Vale of York Academy - formerly Canon Lee - and Burton Green.

Brian Crosby, Chief Executive Officer of the Hope Learning Trust, said: “The team at Manor rightly deserve this outcome.

"SIAMS’ school inspections are becoming more rigorous and so an ‘outstanding’ result is a truly impressive achievement.”