Policy paper

Regional improvement for standards and excellence (RISE)

Updated 8 May 2025

Applies to England

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Regional Improvement in Standards and Excellence (RISE) aims to break the link between young people’s backgrounds and their future success.

At the core of RISE are the RISE advisers, who are educational experts with direct experience improving schools. RISE advisers work as part of a wider RISE team within the Department for Education (DfE).

RISE teams will operate at 2 levels:

  • providing bespoke targeted interventions to eligible schools
  • being a universal service to all schools

For targeted intervention, RISE advisers will engage with the eligible school and its responsible body to consider the school’s specific improvement needs, as identified through Ofsted inspections.

Where appropriate, RISE teams will arrange for a high-quality organisation to work with a school to support improvement. RISE teams will be able to draw on funds to support this activity. Ofsted will monitor the school’s improvement progress, with RISE teams regularly reviewing implementation progress and engagement with the targeted intervention.

For the universal service, RISE teams will work across all schools to:

  • signpost effective practice
  • encourage peer-to-peer support
  • bring schools together to share knowledge and innovation

Funding

DfE has made an initial £20 million investment in RISE teams and support. RISE teams will prioritise supporting stuck schools that are eligible for targeted intervention.

Eligibility for targeted intervention

For this academic year, schools will be eligible for targeted intervention through RISE if they:

  • were previously due to receive structural intervention after 1 January 2025 but have had that intervention revoked
  • are a stuck school, defined as a school that was graded Requires Improvement or equivalent at its most recent Ofsted inspection, and was also graded below Good at its previous inspection and is still within the same structure

DfE is currently consulting on changes to accountability that will impact eligibility for RISE targeted interventions in future academic years.

Universal service national priorities

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

The national priorities are:

  • attainment, with a focus on English and maths
  • inclusive mainstream
  • reception-year quality
  • attendance

Contact

If you have any questions about RISE, eligibility or its impact on your school or area, contact your regional director’s office.

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