Regional improvement teams to expand reach

The government’s Regional Improvement for Standards and Excellence (RISE) teams are expanding their reach from an initial 32 schools, to more than 200 – reaching over 120,000 children.

RISE teams specifically help ‘stuck’ schools who have had consecutive poor Ofsted judgements. There are more than 600 of these in the country and are attended by more than 300,000 children.

These 32 pilot schools have already received improvement plans drawn up by the RISE advisers, who have worked with the school’s responsible body, and have been paired with supporting organisations, including high-quality multi-academy trusts, who will support and expertise to assist schools on their improvement journeys.

Expanding the schools targeted by the RISE teams comes as RISE advisers are expanded, with an additional 45 joining the team this week to bring the total up to 65.

RISE teams are backed by £20 million, and each RISE school could be eligible for up to £100,000 to help turn around the quality of education for children and young people.

Data has found that the schools RISE advisers are supporting has spent an average of 6.6 years rated by Ofsted as below good or equivalent, amounting to a child spending their whole primary or secondary school years in an underperforming school. 42 schools have been underperforming for more than 11 years.

Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson, said: “No child should be spending precious days, let alone years, in schools that are underperforming.

“Our new RISE teams, made up of the best of the best in school improvement, can be the spark that turns around the life chances of tens of thousands of children.

“RISE teams have already hit the ground running, and as we deliver on our Plan for Change, I am determined to make sure we lift every school, for every child, up to the standard of the best.”

RISE adviser, Lee Mason-Ellis, chief executive, The Pioneer Academy, said: “RISE is a fantastic opportunity to work across and within our sector, in a collaborative way; to ensure that every child, no matter where they live, receives a good education in strong schools. Who wouldn’t want to be part of this amazing opportunity to improve life chances of our children, across the nation.

“I firmly believe that RISE will bring the education sector together, working in partnership, in collaboration — together sharing and problem solving for the benefit of all children across the nation.”