RISE scheme expanded to 200 new schools to ‘drive up’ school performance

The government has expanded its program RISE (Regional Improvement for Standards and Excellence) to include more than 200 schools.

The RISE teams have been trialled in an initial 32 schools, the expansion would mean that over 120,000 students would be impacted by the scheme.

The push to extend RISE comes alongside the government’s Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill continues through the House of Lords later this week [May 1].

Regional Improvement for Standards and Excellence teams are to be sent to schools with the aim to “break the link between young people’s backgrounds and their future success.”

RISE consists of enlisting leader expertise in improving schools as advisors to collaborate with school administrators in new teams that will work together to raise standards in the education of each school.

The RISE advisors’ job is to address specific improvement needs identified by Ofsted. They can arrange high-quality external support and monitor progress closely alongside Ofsted. They operated across two levels: Targeted intervention and universal support.

According to the government, the RISE universal program aims to “share best practices,” increase peer assistance, and promote collaboration across the education sector.  The program focusses on four national priorities: Improving English and math proficiency, increasing inclusivity in mainstream education, boosting quality in reception-year teaching, and increasing school attendance.

As for the targeted intervention, it consists of schools that are “stuck”, which means they currently hold a “requires improvement single headline grade” and were rated below ‘good’ in their Ofsted inspection.”

The UK has already identified 600 schools that require targeted intervention, impacting over 300,000 children. The RISE advisors would then arrange high-quality organisations to work for the school, improving with the hand of Ofsted monitoring them.

RISE teams are currently only available in 32 schools in the UK. Bridget Phillipson, the Secretary of Education, said that the RISE teams have already been doing great in the schools it has been applied to.

She 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.”

As part of the government’s Plan for Change, £20 million was given to the RISE programme, and each school that is part of the programme can be eligible for a support of up to £100,000 “to help turn around the quality of education for children and young people”.

Since February, the schools already in the programme have begun working with “supporting organisations, including high-quality multi-academy trusts, who will provide support and expertise to assist the schools on their improvement journeys.

High-performing multi-academy trusts such as Mulberry Schools Trust, L.E.A.D Academy Trust and the Northern Education Trust are some of the trustee organisations already working along with RISE teams.

Gaenor Bagley, Chair of Trustees, and Dr Karen Roberts, CEO, The Kemnal Academies Trust, whose schools are receiving RISE support, said: “We would like to say, at this juncture and for the record, just how refreshing, different and positive the experience of working with the RISE advisers has been – it really does feel like a genuine partnership.”

Now with this expansion, the goal is to get new RISE teams to “work up and down the country providing a universal service, signposting to best practice and bringing schools together to share their knowledge and innovation.”

Anita Cliff, a RISE adviser, Chief Executive Advisor, Manor Multi Academy Trust, said: “This role gives me the opportunity to support schools across the region in removing barriers to achievement—helping to transform children’s life chances and ensure every child can thrive, regardless of background.”