Regional Improvement for Standards and Excellence (RISE)

Regional improvement for standards and excellence (RISE): school support - GOV.UK

Regional Improvement for Standards and Excellence (RISE) is a national programme designed to help improve educational outcomes for all children and young people, regardless of their background or circumstances.

Every school can benefit from RISE. Through a combination of universal support, shared expertise, and targeted intervention where needed, the programme aims to strengthen school improvement and promote excellence across the education system.

At the heart of RISE are experienced RISE Advisers. These educational experts have a strong track record in school improvement and work within Department for Education regional teams to provide guidance, support, and challenge to schools.

How RISE Supports Schools

RISE operates through two complementary approaches:

Universal RISE

Universal RISE is available to all schools and focuses on building strong networks of collaboration and improvement.

Support includes:

Sharing evidence-informed and effective practice
Connecting schools with peer support opportunities
Bringing schools together to exchange ideas, innovation, and expertise
Signposting schools to resources and improvement opportunities

Targeted RISE Support

For schools facing more significant challenges, RISE provides tailored support designed around their specific improvement needs. RISE Advisers work closely with school leaders and responsible bodies to identify priorities and develop an effective improvement strategy.

Where appropriate, schools may be matched with high-quality improvement partners who can provide specialist support. Funding may also be available to help facilitate this work. Progress is regularly reviewed to ensure that support is making a positive impact and helping schools achieve sustainable improvement.

The RISE universal service will deliver 4 national priorities focused on driving higher standards.

The national priorities are:

DfE RISE Hubs

Reception improvement offer: Reception improvement offer - GOV.UK

The Reception year plays a vital role in giving children the knowledge, skills and confidence they need to thrive in school and later life.

The RISE aim is to support schools in delivering high-quality early years education through access to effective resources, improvement support and professional expertise.

Together, these efforts contribute to the wider goal of giving every child the best possible start and increasing the number of children who achieve a Good Level of Development by the end of Reception.

This is a key part of the RISE ambition for 75% of children to reach a good level of development (GLD) by 2028, as set out in Giving every child the best start in life.

RISE Reception Quality Webinar Series: RISE Reception Quality Webinar Series: autumn 2026 by DfE Live Events | Eventbrite

Stronger Practice Hubs: Thrive Together Early Years Stronger Practice Hub | Stronger Practice Hubs

Reception networks Best Start in Life: Reception School Network | Ryders Hayes Primary

The reception networks programme is a national initiative to improve the quality of reception year provision and support more children to start school ready to learn.

RISE SEND & Inclusion Training Materials for Schools and Post-16 Settings

Developed by Ambition Institute, these new training materials are designed to support leaders, teachers and support staff, including teaching assistants, to develop a shared understanding of inclusion and agree approaches that help learners to belong, achieve and thrive.

The materials can be adapted and edited to reflect the needs and priorities of individual schools and settings.

The first set of resources includes: