Guidance

Regional plan: East Midlands

Updated 3 July 2026

Applies to England

Plan purpose

The regional RISE plan sets out how universal RISE will be delivered locally to improve outcomes for all children and young people.

By bringing partners together around the 4 national priorities, it provides shared direction, coherence and a practical framework for strengthening practice, building capacity and supporting sustained improvement.

The regional plans aim to:

• Translate national priorities into a clear local approach, ensuring evidence informed work on reception year quality, inclusive mainstream provision, attendance and attainment.
• Build on existing strengths, complementing practice already underway across schools, trusts, local authorities and mayoral combined authorities – adding value, not duplication.
• Align with wider local strategies, recognising statutory and place-based responsibilities and stepping back where local authorities and mayoral combined authorities are best placed to lead.
• Support and connect school and trust improvement, enabling collaboration on shared challenges and rapid spread of learning.
• Strengthen relationships across the wider system, including early years, health and care, recognising that progress – especially on inclusion – depends on multi‑agency effort.
• Provide a clear line into national reform, including developing special education needs and disabilities (SEND) changes and the national priority on mainstream inclusion.
• Embed RISE within regional delivery, ensuring activity is coordinated, coherent and impactful.

Delivering RISE depends on every part of the system working with purpose. No single organisation can deliver improvement at the scale required.

The regional RISE plan calls on all partners to:

• bring their strengths, insight and leadership
• focus on actions that make the biggest difference
• share, test and refine practice quickly
• use evidence well
• contribute to a more connected, confident and resilient improvement system

This is not about doing everything. It is about doing what matters most, doing it well, and doing it together – so every child and young person can thrive.

Foreword by East Midlands Regional Director

I’m delighted to introduce the East Midlands RISE regional plan. Having recently returned to the region where I spent some of my early years to take up the post of Regional Director, it is a privilege to join you at the launch of this work. From my experience as a Director of Children’s Services, I know children thrive when leadership is strong and collaboration is genuine – between schools, local authority SEND and social care services, parents and carers, and the wider community. When this alignment is in place, it makes a decisive difference to children’s outcomes and life chances.

With strong family roots in the East Midlands, I know the character and diversity of this region well – our vibrant cities, proud towns, rural and coastal communities, and places shaped by deep roots and strong civic identity. Schools sit at the heart of these communities, and everyday leaders, teachers and support staff work tirelessly to help children succeed. Through RISE, our task is to ensure every child benefits from that commitment, wherever they live and whatever their starting point, and to support the delivery of the national ambition set out in Every Child Achieving and Thriving.

This plan sets out how we will work together on the priorities that matter most: improving attendance, raising attainment, strengthening reception year provision, and embedding inclusive practice so all pupils - including disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND - can thrive in local mainstream settings wherever possible.

We recognise that challenges vary across the East Midlands. That is why this plan takes a practical, place aware approach: building on what is already strong, spreading what works, and ensuring schools have simple, coherent ways to access support and contribute their expertise.

To make collaboration easier, we are introducing East Midlands Connect alongside 4 sector networks - primary, secondary, special and pupil referral units (PRU) – and a governance network. These provide clear routes for leaders to work together and commission focused task groups that develop and share effective practice, supported by our regional hubs. Our role is to convene, connect and bring coherence so support across the region feels aligned, accessible and easy to navigate.

This plan offers a clear route for collective action with a strong focus on disadvantaged pupils and on the conditions - belonging, strong routines and great teaching – that help all children attend regularly and learn well.

In the months ahead, I look forward to listening, learning and working alongside you. Together, we can build a self-improving system that delivers for every child in the East Midlands.

Nigel Minns, Regional Director, East Midlands

Meet the East Midlands RISE advisers

We are pleased to introduce the first East Midlands RISE Regional Plan. As education professionals with long experience in school leadership and improvement, we are committed to working alongside colleagues across schools, trusts and local authorities to improve outcomes for children and young people.

We recognise the challenges ahead – persistent attainment gaps, stubbornly high secondary absence, and the need for more consistent inclusive practice. But we also recognise the region’s strengths: skilled educators, resilient communities and a shared commitment to learning from one another to drive meaningful improvement.

RISE is designed to support that collective effort. Through targeted support for schools needing intensive help, and a universal offer available to all, we aim to build on what is strong, address what is not, and connect colleagues with the expertise, tools and partnerships that lead to sustained improvement. Our approach is evidence informed, shaped by local context and united by the ambition that every child can thrive.

Our work focuses on the priorities that matter most: strengthening attainment in English and maths, improving attendance – particularly in secondary and key stage 3 – embedding inclusive mainstream practice, and raising the quality of the reception year.

Across all of this, we keep disadvantaged pupils at the centre, including white working-class pupils and those with SEND, and we support stronger transition from key stage 2 to key stage 3, so pupils maintain momentum as they move into secondary school.

As advisers, our role is to listen, collaborate and provide constructive, practical guidance – not to inspect or judge. We take time to understand each school’s context, build on its strengths and co‑develop solutions that meet the needs of pupils and communities. We also help connect schools with effective peers, trusted partners and high‑quality professional development.

We are a team of 6 advisers with diverse backgrounds in education and system leadership:

• Amanda Griffiths
• Sian Hampton
• Paul Heery
• Kath Kelly
• Emily Walker
• Chris Wheatley

Together, we are committed to building purposeful relationships and supporting schools to secure sustained improvement. This plan represents a shared commitment, and we look forward to working with you to make a lasting difference for every child in the East Midlands.

Reach out to us by contacting: eastmidlands.riseregionalmailbox@education.gov.uk.

Regional focus for East Midlands

We have worked extensively with partners across the East Midlands to shape the focus for the RISE national priorities in our region, engaging with local authorities, dioceses, trust leaders and RISE hubs.

We have also used regional data to identify specific areas of focus. Explore our statistics and data has more information.

We know that, while these trends are evident across the East Midlands as a whole, there will be variation at school level. Local contexts and individual school circumstances will continue to inform how these priorities are taken forward.

In the East Midlands, we are focusing on the following areas to improve outcomes across the 4 RISE national priorities.

Reception year quality

Accelerate overall good level of development (GLD) improvement in the East Midlands – where progress remains slower than nationally – while narrowing the disadvantage gap and raising outcomes for pupils with SEND by strengthening reception practice, improving leadership and ensuring a consistent transition into Year 1.

Inclusive mainstream

Strengthen mainstream inclusion by expanding high-quality local SEND provision and improving inclusive practice, with particular attention to secondary schools, where suspensions, exclusions, persistent absence and lower outcomes are most pronounced for disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND.

Attendance

Strengthen attendance by improving transition into secondary school and addressing the decline in attendance through key stage 3, with a clear focus on disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND who experience sharper falls in attendance across the East Midlands.

Attainment, with a focus on English and maths

Raise attainment by prioritising early reading, accelerating improvement in key stage 2 reading, writing and maths (RWM) outcomes, and strengthening the quality of literacy and numeracy teaching in key stage 3. We will pay close attention to disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND, whose outcomes remain below the national average.

Reception year quality

RISE support for reception improvement.

Overview

The East Midlands is seeing more children reach a GLD by the end of reception, but progress remains slower than across England, leaving the region below the national average. Most improvement has been among children not eligible for free school meals , while outcomes for free school meal‑eligible pupils have fallen for the last 2 years, widening an already large early disadvantage gap. Children with SEND continue to have some of the lowest outcomes nationally.

Differences between local areas are also growing, with sharp contrasts between rural and urban communities and increasing instability in areas with many small rural schools.

Regional focus for East Midlands on reception year quality

Overall GLD in the East Midlands has risen modestly in line with the national trend, but at a slower pace, leaving the region just below the national average. Improvement has been driven largely by children not eligible for free school meals, whose outcomes have increased from 68.7% in 2021 to 2022 to 71.6% in 2024 to 2025.

In contrast, outcomes for children eligible for free school meals fell back to just under 50% in 2024 to 2025, meaning disadvantaged children are not sharing equally in recent gains and early gaps are widening as they move into year 1.

Variation between local authorities is becoming more pronounced. Overall GLD now ranges from the low‑60s to just above 70%, and outcomes for disadvantaged children range from the low‑30s to the mid‑50s.

The biggest year‑to‑year changes are seen in areas where schools have smaller cohorts, making results more volatile. This is creating a more uneven early years picture, with starting points differing by place – particularly in some rural and coastal areas - while several urban authorities continue to see comparatively stronger outcomes for disadvantaged pupils.

Outcomes for pupils with SEND remain exceptionally low. Only 23.6% of children on SEN (special educational needs) support reach a GLD, and just 3.2% of those with an education, health and care plan (EHCP) do so. This means substantial development gaps are already well‑established by the start of year 1.

Proposed strategies to address reception year quality in the East Midlands region

Activity 1: scaling and sharing strong practice

We will expand and share strong reception year practice across the region so that effective approaches are easier for all schools to access and use. This will help tackle the persistent early development gaps faced by disadvantaged pupils and children with SEND, including those in rural and isolated communities.

Our 5 new regional RISE reception networks will bring schools together to learn from one another through open‑door visits, peer‑led development groups and practical opportunities to see effective practice in action.

Both school leaders and early years foundation stage (EYFS) teachers and leaders will be actively involved in these opportunities, ensuring that the people with the influence to shape provision can see strong practice first‑hand and understand how it can be applied in their own settings. Lead schools will model high‑quality EYFS provision and support others to adapt and apply what they see.

Early years stronger practice hubs will also continue their work identifying and sharing the strongest practice across our region, with a particular focus on supporting disadvantaged pupils and children with SEND. Our regional RISE reception networks will engage with these hubs on specific issues, such as transition.

A new, high‑quality online school improvement resource for the East Midlands will underpin this work by providing schools with a single, reliable place to access guidance, resources and professional learning. This digital hub will link to – and complement – the existing RISE webpages. By working with local authorities, dioceses and trusts across the region, we will help leaders understand what support is available and where strong practice sits, enabling them to plan confidently and strengthen reception provision at scale.

Activity 2: strengthening leadership of the reception year

We will strengthen leadership of the reception year across the region by helping schools put real strategic focus on this important foundation stage. Our aim is for reception to be recognised as a key driver of whole‑school improvement, with the work of EYFS practitioners properly valued and understood.

We want to shift the narrative so that reception is seen for what it is: one of the most important years in primary school, where strong early learning lays the foundations for success in later key stages. To support this, we will help leaders build clear knowledge of what high‑quality EYFS practice looks like and how to evaluate the strengths of their own provision. Disadvantaged pupils and children with SEND will remain central to this work.

We will work with, and complement, the new RISE reception networks to create structured opportunities – such as peer visits – for reception and senior leaders to see strong practice first hand, deepen their understanding of effective early years teaching and reflect on how to apply this in their own schools. This will include focused support for those working with disadvantaged cohorts and children with SEND, with strong examples shared more widely through the new online school improvement resource for the East Midlands.

We will also promote relevant national leadership programmes - including the National Professional Qualification (NPQ) for Headship (early years focus), the NPQ in Early Years Leadership and the new Reception Teacher Continued Professional Development (CPD) from 2026 – through clear communication, regional webinars and direct outreach. Together, these routes will help leaders strengthen reception year leadership so that every child, particularly those facing disadvantage, gets the strong and secure start to school they need.

Activity 3: supporting a strong start to school

We want more children to enter reception and move into key stage 1 with strong foundations. In line with the commitments in Every Child Achieving and Thriving, we will support partners to strengthen relationships between early years settings and schools so transitions are well supported, and children feel confident as they begin school.

We will build on the RISE Reception Networks and commitment in Every Child Achieving and Thriving to fund partnerships between early years settings and schools. Our networks will be the main way we share national and regional best practice on transition, with a strong focus on disadvantaged children and those with SEND.

We will also learn from the funded partnerships to understand what works well in different local areas. We will explore whole‑system transition models that bring together all the professionals who support young children – from schools and early years settings to health teams, family hubs and local services – so that everyone is working towards shared goals and more children have a confident, successful start to school.

Parental engagement will be central to this work. Through a dedicated reception-year transition working group, we will identify practical tools and approaches that help schools build strong relationships with parents and children, support a smooth start to school, and strengthen families’ understanding of school readiness and early vocabulary, adapted to local contexts.

Activity 4: focused school support

We will direct support to where it can make the greatest difference, helping schools move quickly from identifying an issue to acting. Regional data and local insights will help leaders spot priorities using simple tools – such as GLD comparisons and statistical neighbour benchmarks – and link directly to the support they need.

We will work closely with the RISE English hubs and maths hubs to ensure their support reaches the schools that will benefit most. English hubs will help strengthen phonics, early language and reading for pleasure, while maths hubs will support wider engagement with programmes such as Mastering Number to build strong early number sense.

A further priority is strengthening early identification and early intervention. This includes improving SEN coding accuracy, building staff confidence in using and interpreting common assessment tools, and encouraging earlier classroom level support so children’s needs are recognised and met promptly. We will also promote universal access to the Nuffield Early Language Intervention (NELI) and share examples of effective practice to help schools implement it well.

Inclusive Mainstream

RISE support for inclusive mainstream education.

Overview

The East Midlands faces significant challenges around mainstream inclusion, especially in secondary schools. Attainment gaps for disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND are wider than the national averages, and these pupils are also more affected by suspensions and persistent absence, with rates above national levels. Together, these measures show not only lower academic outcomes but also early signs of disengagement from school.

These issues tend to intensify as pupils move into year 7 and widen more rapidly than the national picture across key stage 3 and key stage 4, suggesting that challenges are most acute in mainstream secondary settings.

Overall, compared with national trends, inclusion pressures in the East Midlands appear earlier and become more pronounced through the secondary phase.

Regional focus for East Midlands on inclusive mainstream

Every Child Achieving and Thriving sets out the ambition to reshape mainstream education so disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND can access high-quality provision and thrive. In the East Midlands, current performance shows how challenging this will be.

Wider attainment gaps, higher suspension and persistent absence rates, and the highest proportion of children missing education nationally all point to weaker mainstream inclusion across the region.

Pressures are sharpest in secondary schools. Suspension rates are higher than nationally (27.63 compared with 22.61), and permanent exclusions are also above the national rate (0.28 compared with 0.25).

The gaps are even wider for disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND: SEN support pupils record a suspension rate of 72.04 (57.51 nationally), and 48.9% are persistently absent (44.2% nationally).

By key stage 4, these pressures are reflected in lower Attainment 8 scores for SEN support pupils (32.6 compared with 33.8 nationally) and disadvantaged pupils (33.7 compared with 34.9). Challenges tend to emerge at the transition into year 7 and intensify through key stage 3 and key stage 4, with needs that surface early often deepening over time. Alongside these pressures, there are areas and settings across the region where outcomes are strong, offering practice that can support wider improvement.

In response, the region will prioritise strengthening mainstream inclusion by expanding access to high-quality inclusion bases, improving provision through shared strong practice, and fostering school cultures where all pupils experience belonging. This includes reviewing suspension and exclusion practice and championing effective partnership working.

Together, these actions will support the ambition for consistent, high-quality, inclusive mainstream provision that enables all pupils in the East Midlands to succeed.

Proposed strategies to address Inclusive mainstream in the East Midlands region:

Activity 1: strengthening inclusive practice

We will strengthen the quality and consistency of inclusive practice across the region by helping schools access and adopt approaches that work, so every child can access an ambitious curriculum.

Throughout the summer term 2026, working with the Regional Improvement and Innovation Alliance (RIIA), RISE advisers and sector networks, we will continue to share strong practice in high‑quality adaptive teaching, inclusive routines and well‑designed teaching spaces equipped with appropriate assistive technology with school leadership. This will ensure that schools can draw on effective approaches and embed new whole-school practice before the £200m SEND teacher‑training offer becomes available from September 2026.

We will help build a culture in which school leadership routinely engages in SEND provision reviews, using external insight from both special and mainstream colleagues to refine leadership, classroom practice, infrastructure and transition routines. This will support greater consistency across the region and help more pupils with SEND to thrive in their local mainstream settings, ahead of the developing National Inclusion Standards.

Activity 2: strengthening belonging through a community approach

We will help schools and their communities strengthen pupils’ sense of belonging by supporting inclusive cultures, strong relationships and earlier, more confident engagement with families.

This work will be underpinned by the new national pupil engagement framework announced in Every Child Achieving and Thriving. The framework will help all schools monitor pupils’ sense of belonging by 2029 so that more children feel connected, supported and able to thrive in mainstream settings.

In the meantime, we will share effective models of whole community partnership working that address the wider factors influencing attendance, wellbeing and aspiration. Regional examples – such as the Skegness and Gainsborough Aspiration Projects, where schools, health services, police, councils, employers and community groups collaborate as equal partners – show how coordinated local support can improve access to services, raise aspirations and widen opportunities for young people.

Activity 3: strengthening transitions for stability and success in mainstream

We will strengthen transitions at every stage – between phases, between schools (including moves through Fair Access Protocols), when pupils return from exclusion, and when temporary provision is used for pupils who cannot attend mainstream – so that more children remain in, or successfully re‑enter, mainstream education.

Working with mainstream schools, specialist settings and local authorities, we will establish clear transition expectations that lead to stronger systems and more consistent day‑to‑day practice. This includes earlier information‑sharing, aligned responsibilities and well‑managed continuity of support, including the effective winding down and re‑establishing of provision for pupils with additional needs as they move into new settings. This work will also help shape practice as SEND groupings are introduced.

Improving consistency will start with stronger classroom‑level support. We will promote effective use of diagnostic tools - clear guidance on identification, coding and initial responses - to reduce unnecessary reliance on external diagnosis, through regular updates on the developing proposals for the National Inclusion Standards.

Activity 4: growing local, high-quality SEND provision

We will strengthen the quality and consistency of existing local SEND provision – now to be known as inclusion bases – by encouraging schools and trusts to commission external reviews from experienced practitioners from the 2026 to 2027 academic year. This will help build a regional community of inclusion bases with a strong culture of openness and shared learning, where leaders regularly visit one another and adopt a test-learn-improve approach to refining provision as school SEND groupings come into place over the next 3 years.

We will also support the development of new high‑quality inclusion bases so more children can access the right support close to home. Working in partnership with local authorities on strategic planning, we will provide schools and trusts with clear guidance and materials on establishing and running bases. Strong examples, templates and practical resources will be shared through the East Midlands Schools Hub by autumn 2026, alongside national best‑practice networks.

Activity 5: reviewing suspension and exclusion practices

Reducing above‑average levels of persistent and severe absence, suspensions and permanent exclusions remains a priority for the East Midlands, which also continues to record the highest rate of children missing education nationally.

Working collaboratively with local authorities and schools, we will build a shared understanding of the main drivers, agree collective priorities and share approaches that help pupils stay connected to education or return successfully by autumn 2026.

This will allow schools and trusts to review their suspension and exclusion practice, sharing effective strategies that reduce the risk of pupils disengaging or becoming missing from education, and strengthening reintegration so that decisions are proportionate, restorative and supported by clear expectations, high‑quality provision and timely follow‑up.

By improving practice across suspensions, exclusions and reintegration ahead of the refreshed statutory guidance (pending consultation), we can begin to improve outcomes now and ensure more pupils remain connected to learning.

Attendance

RISE support for improving attendance in schools.

Overview

Attendance in the East Midlands remains slightly above the national picture, but meeting national averages is not the benchmark the region is aiming for; the goal is a return to pre‑pandemic levels and beyond. Beneath the headline, patterns show growing pressures as pupils move through phases.

Primary attendance is relatively steady, but the move into secondary brings a marked shift, with absence rising more sharply for groups already at higher risk. Differences across the region are also becoming more pronounced, particularly between urban, shire and coastal communities, where local contexts shape very different challenges. While disadvantaged pupils attend slightly better than the national pattern in primary, this advantage does not continue into secondary, where their attendance drops more quickly and gaps widen.

Pupils with SEN support show similar patterns in several areas of the region. Overall, the regional average masks increasingly varied local trends that intensify through the secondary phase.

Regional focus for East Midlands on attendance

Headline indicators show that the East Midlands tracks slightly better than England on both overall absence and persistent absence at primary and secondary. Primary overall absence is 5.02% compared with 5.2% nationally, and secondary is 8.37% compared with 8.44%.

Persistent absence follows the same pattern, with rates of 12.16% in primary and 22.75% in secondary, both marginally below national levels. However, persistent absence remains far too high across all phases, so the focus is to consolidate this position while working to bring rates closer to pre‑pandemic levels and beyond.

Primary attendance in the East Midlands is comparatively strong, but absence typically rises from year 7 to year 9 and remains high into key stage 4, where regional rates sit above the national average. The priority is therefore to focus on the transition into secondary and the early key stage 3 period, as this is where attendance begins to decline and where the higher levels of absence seen in key stage 4 start to take shape.

Across the region, absence patterns vary by place. Urban areas consistently record higher absence than the wider shire counties, while some coastal and rural areas show similarly high levels at secondary. This means the regional average masks distinct local differences. By pupil characteristics, secondary persistent absence is above the national average for disadvantaged pupils and for those on SEN Support. The priority is therefore to recognise both the place‑based variation and the pupil‑group differences that shape the regional picture.

Proposed strategies to address attendance in the East Midlands region

Activity 1: attendance and behaviour hubs

Our 11 attendance and behaviour hubs will provide high‑quality, evidence‑based support to help schools strengthen their systems, relationships and everyday practice around attendance. Hubs will support schools to use daily attendance data and DfE attendance reports to spot issues early and respond proportionately.

Our hubs will provide 10 days of enhanced support over three terms to schools with entrenched attendance and behaviour challenges. Up to 22 schools can be onboarded each term for this targeted support, which will help refine leadership, strengthen systems and improve everyday practice so that attendance improves quickly and is sustained.

Alongside this, hubs will run a wider regional programme reaching more than 300 schools a year. This will include regular open days – including 60 by the end of 2026 – focused on key aspects of effective attendance practice such as leadership, data‑informed action and building strong relationships. Through these networks, schools will learn from one another, share practical strategies and contribute to a more consistent, effective regional approach to improving attendance.

Activity 2: strengthening secondary transition and attendance in key stage 3

We will make secondary transition and early key stage 3 attendance a central focus of our strategy, ensuring pupils - especially those who are disadvantaged or have SEND - experience a smooth start to secondary school and feel a strong sense of belonging from day one.

We will promote effective approaches such as early family engagement, opportunities for pupils and parents to meet key staff, and strong relationships that continue into year 7. A key part of this work will be supporting schools to build parental confidence and trust, particularly for families who may feel less connected to school, so parents feel reassured and pupils feel they belong – both within their peer groups and the wider school community.

We will help schools develop induction experiences and nurturing environments that help pupils settle quickly, feel valued and remain engaged.

Attendance and behaviour hubs will support this work by sharing effective transition practice and hosting open days where schools can observe successful approaches in action. We will also explore ways of disseminating strong practice across the region, including transition tools used by some local authorities to improve and standardise the sharing of information between primary and secondary schools.

Alongside this, we will publish case studies showing strong parental engagement, effective primary–secondary partnership working and strategies that build belonging and sustain attendance through years 7 and 8.

Activity 3: improving attendance through place‑based and pupil‑group targeted support

We will respond to variation across the region and to the needs of pupils most at risk of disengagement by tailoring support to local context. Our attendance and behaviour hubs will help schools strengthen relationships with pupils and families, use daily attendance data and DfE reports to spot issues early, and act proportionately, as well as hosting open days and peer visits so schools can learn from approaches working in similar settings.

A central focus will be supporting schools to engage families more effectively, particularly those who are harder to reach or where trust has broken down, helping move parents and pupils from withdrawn to engaged. We want parents to feel confident in their child’s school and for pupils to feel they belong - both in their peer groups and the wider school community.

Through our wider parental‑engagement work, including a regional group exploring effective practice, we will provide practical support that helps schools rebuild trust, improve communication and strengthen the routines that encourage regular attendance.

We will also support schools to strengthen the curriculum, recognising the clear link between relevant, engaging learning and sustained attendance. This will connect to our cross‑cutting curriculum work across attendance and attainment, including exploring the role of high‑quality vocational pathways in keeping pupils connected to learning.

This work will be underpinned by effective use of the Pupil Premium to invest in proven strategies that support disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND.

Activity 4: data-informed support and challenge 

We will use regional attendance data to identify the trusts and local authorities with the greatest potential for improvement and focus our engagement accordingly. Through a balanced approach of support and challenge, we will review current strategies, highlight strengths and agree evidence-based actions to improve attendance.

A key priority will be increasing the number of schools that access and use DfE attendance data effectively. Feedback showed that not all schools are making full use of tools such as View Your Education Data and similar school reports. We will help schools build confidence in interpreting this information, understanding patterns and planning targeted interventions.

To support this, we will offer clear, practical routes for building data capability, including dedicated East Midlands webinars, guidance and communications and examples of strong practice. We will also bring together a regional group of trust and local authority data leads to explore and share practical approaches to using attendance data across phases. By embedding data more routinely in targeted engagement with schools and trusts, we aim to build capacity and support sustainable improvements in attendance.

We will also celebrate schools that have made significant gains, sharing how they have used data to drive improvement so others can learn from their success.

Activity 5: embedding attendance across school leadership

We will embed attendance as a strategic leadership priority across schools and trusts, supporting headteachers and trust leaders to strengthen the systems, relationships and culture that underpin good attendance. We will provide clear guidance and regular communications on emerging attendance trends, key messages and sources of support, helping leaders make informed decisions and maintain a strong, proactive focus on attendance across their schools.

We will bring leaders together through regional networks and national and regional school attendance conferences, giving them opportunities to engage with the latest evidence, share practical solutions and align approaches across schools and trusts. These forums will help develop a shared understanding of how attendance should be prioritised and led.

We will also involve governors and trustees by providing targeted sessions within these leadership events, helping them embed attendance within school and trust strategies and hold leaders to account for delivering strong, relationship‑centred attendance practice.

Attainment, with a focus on English and maths

RISE support for improving attainment in schools

Overview

The East Midlands remains just behind national performance at every key stage, with early attainment gaps in phonics, language and early reading and maths carrying forward into weaker key stage 2 writing and maths and, ultimately, lower key stage 4 outcomes. Improvement is consistently slower for disadvantaged pupils – particularly those who are White British – and for pupils with SEND, leading to widening gaps from early reading through to GCSEs.

These patterns are reinforced by variation between local areas – particularly in some rural, coastal and small‑cohort communities – leaving many pupils entering secondary school, and progressing towards GCSEs, at a significant disadvantage.

Regional focus for East Midlands on attainment

We will continue to prioritise early reading. Although overall Year 1 phonics outcomes in the East Midlands remain close to national levels (79% in 2024 to 2025), outcomes for disadvantaged pupils now sit 2 points below the national average (63% compared with 65% in 2024 to 2025).

These early differences matter; they shape how pupils enter key stage 2, and pupils who fall behind at this stage - particularly disadvantaged and SEN pupils - often carry these gaps into key stage 2 and beyond, where they become progressively harder to close.

At key stage 2, improvement needs to accelerate, particularly for disadvantaged pupils – especially those who are White British – and for pupils with SEND. Overall RWM attainment in the East Midlands remains around 1 percentage point below the national figure. For disadvantaged pupils in the East Midlands, the national gap has been around 2 percentage points in recent years.

SEN pupils also sit around 2 points below national. Strengthening key stage 2 is crucial, as gaps that remain open at this stage tend to persist through key stage 3 and become increasingly difficult to close.

By key stage 4, these patterns are clearly visible. The East Midlands continues to sit below national outcomes, with Attainment 8 scores of 45.1 compared with 46 nationally, and Grade 5+ English and maths at 43.2% compared with 45.4%. Disadvantaged pupils also record lower Attainment 8 scores than nationally (33.7 compared with 34.9).

Outcomes are particularly low for White British disadvantaged pupils - who make up a large proportion of the region’s disadvantaged cohort - although there are schools and areas that buck this pattern and demonstrate stronger results. Pupils with SEND show similar, long‑standing gaps.

These key stage 4 outcomes reflect the earlier patterns seen at key stage 2 and the cumulative impact of gaps that remain open as pupils move through the system.

Proposed strategies to address attainment in East Midlands region

Activity 1: Raising attainment for disadvantaged pupils

We will place disadvantaged pupils - particularly white working‑class pupils - at the centre of our attainment work. In the East Midlands, this group is large, often faces limited opportunities, and has lower attainment and higher absence.

Our aim is to help schools strengthen engagement, accelerate progress and close the gap with their non‑disadvantaged peers, recognising that approaches which improve outcomes for disadvantaged pupils typically benefit all pupils.

We will strengthen the effective use of disadvantage funding by helping schools refine their Pupil Premium strategies and prepare for upcoming reforms. Schools with weaker outcomes will be supported to access government‑funded pupil premium reviews so leaders can align spending with evidence, improve parental engagement, strengthen attendance and target support more effectively.

To drive improvement, we will use our East Midlands RISE networks to bring together teachers, school leaders and local partners to share insight, test approaches and build a shared responsibility for improving outcomes. Where barriers such as low parental engagement or limited local opportunity persist, we will take a test‑and‑refine approach - developing practical solutions with schools, learning quickly from early adopters and scaling successful practice across the region.

We will also commission short, focused projects that develop and share effective approaches, including high‑quality teaching, targeted literacy and numeracy, and academic enrichment. This will include learning from strong practice in a range of challenging contexts.

We will draw on insights from Mission North East on improving outcomes for white working‑class pupils, and from Mission Coastal to inform our work with coastal communities along the Lincolnshire coast. Learning will be shared through the East Midlands Schools Hub, supported by peer review and open‑door visits, to help schools apply what works in their own settings.

Activity 2: accelerating key stage 2 outcomes

Key stage 2 attainment in the East Midlands remains below national averages, with disadvantaged pupils – particularly White British disadvantaged pupils – seeing a slower year‑on‑year improvement in reading, writing and maths compared with other groups.

We will establish key stage 2 raising attainment networks, building on the Spring 2026 sessions focused on early actions to improve key stage 2 outcomes and ensure every child is ready to achieve and thrive in secondary school.

These networks will provide teachers and leaders with expert input, shared problem‑solving and evidence‑informed approaches in writing, mathematics and assessment, and will reflect national curriculum reforms that emphasise coherent sequencing, secure knowledge, metacognition and inclusive adaptation for SEND learners.

To deepen literacy practice, we will help schools use strengthened national guidance on writing fluency and the national writing framework, alongside the new oracy framework. This will be supported by high‑quality, evidence‑led resources from the region’s RISE programme - including blended training, webinars and curated materials - to embed consistent, high‑impact key stage 2 provision.

Finally, we will work closely with English Hubs and Maths Hubs to ensure support reaches the schools that need it most. Through practical tools, peer learning and coordinated brokerage, we will help schools embed consistent key stage 2 practice that raises outcomes and prepares pupils for success in key stage 3.

Activity 3: strengthening key stage 3 literacy, numeracy and transition

We will make key stage 3 a regional priority, supporting schools to strengthen years 7 to 9 as a coherent phase where pupils build securely on key stage 2 foundations, deepen their learning through subject‑specialist teaching and stay engaged during the transition to secondary school. This will help tackle the Year 7 dip, rising absence and widening gaps faced by disadvantaged pupils, white working‑class pupils and those with SEND.

Working with the national RISE key stage 3 Alliance and our East Midlands RISE Secondary Network, we will support schools to give full priority to the three‑year key stage 3 and to strengthen curriculum coherence and sequencing. A key focus will be helping schools strengthen the coherence and sequencing of key stage 3 curricula, so pupils build securely on key stage 2 learning – avoiding unnecessary repetition, particularly in writing – and continue to deepen their disciplinary literacy and mathematical fluency.

We will commission short regional projects to test practical approaches in reading, vocabulary, writing and maths, aligned with strengthened expectations such as Year 8 assessments. We will share models that maintain progression, build challenge and promote breadth, not narrow the key stage 3 experience.

We will also create opportunities for schools to benchmark learning through light‑touch moderation, shared exemplars and common descriptors. This collaborative approach will give schools earlier insight into pupil learning and help target support more precisely.

Finally, we will strengthen regional brokerage with English Hubs and Maths Hubs, ensuring all schools – especially those that are more isolated – can access high‑quality support. Open‑door visits and targeted brokerage will help spread effective key stage 3 practice across the region.

Activity 4: engaging every learner

We will support East Midlands schools to strengthen curriculum, enrichment and careers education so pupils stay engaged, widen their experiences and develop the essential skills needed for future study and employment. This is particularly important for disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND, who often have fewer opportunities to access high quality enrichment and work-related experiences.

We will help schools build effective enrichment and careers provision in line with the Enrichment Framework and the Gatsby Benchmarks. Through our RISE networks, we will identify and showcase schools working with employers, cultural organisations and charities to broaden horizons and expand high quality opportunities for all pupils.

We will facilitate peer to peer learning, share practical models for integrating enrichment within the curriculum, and provide simple tools for planning, monitoring and reviewing provision. This will help schools make learning feel relevant, build pupils’ confidence and develop communication, teamwork and wider employability skills.

We will also support schools to engage parents and carers more effectively by sharing clear, accessible approaches for discussing progress, careers options and next steps, helping families understand how different pathways keep opportunities open.

Finally, we will help schools explain vocational and technical routes, including preparation for the introduction of V Levels alongside A levels and T Levels, as well as strengthened Level 2 pathways. By sharing strong local practice, case studies and examples of materials schools are already using, we will support schools to help pupils and families understand how these pathways lead into further education, training and employment.

Activity 5: supporting school innovation

We will help East Midlands schools use technology confidently and purposefully, focusing on evidence‑led innovation that improves pupil outcomes and reduces workload. This supports the national aim of a self‑improving system where schools test promising ideas, learn from one another and scale what works.

We will support schools to make effective use of EdTech and artificial intelligence (AI) by helping them choose tools that genuinely strengthen teaching, learning and efficiency. This includes brokering links with EdTech specialists and leading schools, and showcasing practical, high‑value uses, such as tools that streamline planning, improve feedback, give clearer insight into pupil learning or reduce administrative tasks.

By drawing on national developments, including Oak’s quality‑assured digital content and emerging AI tools built for safe, curriculum‑aligned use, we will help schools distinguish between technology that adds value and tools that add burden.

Through clear regional guidance and real examples from local schools, we will help leaders navigate new DfE resources on safe and effective AI use, product standards and data protection. This will give schools the confidence to make informed decisions about adopting new technologies and to innovate in ways that are safe, purposeful and focused on improving outcomes.

Regional themes

The activities set out in the regional focus section will not be possible without these themes that underpin all priorities.

Theme 1: school and trust leadership and governance

Strong executive leadership and effective governance are essential to raising standards and delivering the RISE priorities across the East Midlands. Leaders, trustees and governors already demonstrate a strong sense of system responsibility, but regional feedback highlights pressures such as limited leadership capacity, variation in curriculum and assessment leadership, uneven governance oversight and wider workforce challenges.

To meet these challenges, leaders need to engage directly with RISE, the regional plan and opportunities to learn from strong practice, using shared problem‑solving and collaboration to drive improvement.

A key priority is ensuring leaders engage directly with RISE and the regional plan, as they have the strategic influence to embed strong practice consistently across their schools and trusts.

This is particularly important in areas such as reception quality and the development of effective inclusion bases, where senior leadership understanding of what strong practice looks like, and their support for teachers and practitioners in embedding the practice they see, is essential to driving improvement.

This will include:

• Leaders are supported to develop the confidence and capacity to drive improvement, with clear roles and sustainable leadership structures.
• Governors and trustees are supported to provide strategic, well‑informed oversight, offering proportionate challenge and support across key areas including safeguarding, attendance, SEND and inclusion.
• Curriculum and assessment leadership is coherent and consistent, helping reduce variation between subjects and classes.
• Inclusion is led well across schools, with early identification and strong classroom practice that supports disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND.
• Workforce pressures are managed through supportive structures, shared expertise and efficient professional development.
• Leaders and governors are connected through regional networks, enabling shared problem‑solving and wider use of strong practice.

Theme 2: building an open, learning school system

We will build an even stronger culture of collaboration and open practice across the East Midlands, so schools can learn quickly from one another and apply approaches that work - especially for disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND. Schools already show a strong appetite for working together, and the Universal RISE offer is designed to make this easier by providing clear access to high‑quality resources, peer networks and examples of effective practice.

The new high‑quality online school improvement resource for the East Midlands will sit alongside, and link directly to, the RISE webpages, helping leaders understand their strengths, identify priority needs and access the right support with confidence.

This will include:

• Schools are supported to understand their strengths and priorities, using clear prompts and DfE data tools so self‑evaluation is consistent and confident.
• Leaders can access high‑quality support quickly, with reliable entry points to improvement resources.
• Primary, secondary, special, alternative provision and governance networks bring leaders together, enabling practical collaboration, shared problem‑solving and rapid spread of effective practice.
• Schools are supported to navigate professional development, including access to teaching school hubs and relevant RISE and subject hubs, so help is easy to find.
• Leaders can select CPD they trust, with curated, quality‑assured resources aligned to national teacher development reforms and NPQ frameworks.
• Schools can draw on clear examples of what works, through case studies and materials from comparable local contexts that support adaptation and sustained improvement.
• Successes are celebrated and shared, helping strong practice become more visible and easier for others to adopt.

Theme 3: whole‑system collaboration

We will build stronger whole system collaboration across the East Midlands, so pupils experience a more connected learning journey from early years through primary and into secondary school.

This includes improving transitions between phases and ensuring support for pupils with additional needs - including those who are disadvantaged, have SEN or are at risk of disengagement - is introduced, adapted or stepped down in a joined-up way.

Strong relationships with parents, carers and wider local partners also make a significant difference to attendance, behaviour and learning, so helping schools work confidently with families and community services remains central to our approach.

This will include:

• Strengthening transitions between phases, with clearer expectations and earlier information sharing so support for SEND, disadvantaged and at-risk pupils is more consistent.
• Supporting schools to build strong relationships with parents and carers, using practical frameworks, templates and case studies that help leaders increase parent involvement in learning.
• Helping schools connect with wider local partners – including health, youth services and community organisations - to address barriers, promote belonging and widen opportunities.
• Supporting schools to use data well at key transition points, including DfE tools, to identify emerging needs early (attendance, behaviour, SEND indicators) and act proportionately.

Theme 4: using AI and technology

Used well, AI and education technology can reduce workload, improve teaching quality, and support inclusion – especially for disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND. National policy now provides clear direction, training and evidence routes so schools can adopt AI safely and effectively.

Our role in the East Midlands is to help schools and trusts use what works and use it safely – aligning with DfE guidance on product safety, practical training for staff, and new evidence programmes (EdTech Evidence Board and testbeds) that show which tools deliver impact.

This will include:

• Supporting workload reduction and teaching quality, by signposting practical training and examples of effective AI use in planning, feedback and administration.
• Helping schools adopt AI safely and ethically, aligning policies with DfE expectations on product safety, data protection, safeguarding and academic integrity.
• Strengthening inclusion, by promoting assistive technology training for new teachers and sharing local examples where AI supports pupils with SEND, EAL learners and young carers.
• Helping leaders choose well‑evidenced tools, using the EdTech Evidence Board, DfE testbeds and current evidence summaries to inform decision‑making.
• Building school‑level capacity, by supporting digital leads or AI champions to embed safe, effective practice within each school’s wider digital strategy.

Ambitions

The department will monitor our progress against the following RISE national priorities and regional theme ambitions in the East Midlands region over the next year.

Reception year quality

• RISE Reception Networks are sharing strong practice region‑wide, and school leaders are being supported to evaluate and strengthen Reception provision.
• Key stage 2: key stage 2 improvement is underway via Primary Network task groups; schools access support in writing, maths and assessment aligned to hubs and guidance.
• Year 6 to year 7: primary and secondary task groups support primary to secondary transition and early key stage 3 attendance across the region.
• Key stage 3: secondary task groups, with the national RISE key stage 3 Alliance, embed coherent year 7 to 9 curricula and strengthen disciplinary literacy and maths, brokered by English and maths Hubs.
• Inclusive mainstream: commissioned task groups with RIIA, RISE advisers and sector networks strengthen adaptive teaching, inclusive routines and SEND provision reviews across phases.
• Engagement and belonging: a cross‑phase strand is established, supporting pupil belonging and whole‑community partnerships with parents/carers and services (health, police, social care).
• Attendance: attendance and behaviour hubs – enhanced support delivered to 2 cohorts of schools; further cohorts underway. Over 50 open days delivered.

How these ambitions relate to ‘Every Child Achieving and Thriving’

Reception year quality

• The Best Start in Life Strategy sets out our national ambition for 75% of reception children to achieve GLD by 2028. We have agreed bespoke GLD targets for each local authority.
• Best Start Local Plans will outline how local authorities will deliver these ambitions across the full early years system (health, family services, education, childcare providers, Stronger Practice Hubs, schools and the wider community).

Inclusive mainstream

• A national ambition for a more inclusive mainstream system so that more children can be educated in a local mainstream school with timely, flexible and accessible support.
• The RISE regional plan sets out how RISE teams will deliver this through increased inclusion base provision in schools and strong local partnership working to support children with additional needs.

Attendance

• A national target to raise attendance by 1.3 percentage points from 2023 to 2024, reaching over 94% by 2028 to 2029 (equivalent to 20 million additional days in school).
• Every mainstream school will be set an Attendance Baseline Improvement Expectation (ABIE), which sets out expected improvements to support national progress.

Attainment

• The national ambition for the share of pupils achieving the expected standard in key stage 2 reading, writing and maths to rise above the 2019 peak (65% overall; 51% disadvantaged) by the end of this Parliament.

• In the East Midlands, our ambition is for key stage 2 outcomes to reach 63% for all pupils and 49% for disadvantaged pupils by the end of this Parliament.

RISE Universal school improvement architecture

The RISE: East Midlands page has a range of school improvement resources, including access to RISE hubs, networks, and practical tools to support your improvement journey.

The East Midlands already benefits from a substantial set of DfE‑funded and endorsed RISE hubs that support schools across subjects and phases.

Across the region there are 5 maths hubs, 5 English hubs and 5 music hubs that give schools specialist access to subject expertise, together with 8 teaching school hubs and 2 early years stronger practice hubs who provide access to professional development.

Across all these programmes, hubs provide schools with access to specialist expertise, high‑quality professional development and evidence‑informed support, helping them strengthen teaching, leadership and curriculum practice and connect into wider professional communities.

As national developments come onstream - reception networks, attendance and behaviour hubs, key stage 2 regional networks, and the key stage 3 alliance - we will integrate them into this architecture, so schools experience a consistent and coherent offer.

New enabling structures to strengthen the system

To build on our strong foundation of regional hubs and partnerships, we will introduce a small number of new, simple structures that make it easier for every school to engage with RISE and contribute to a more coherent system.

East Midlands Connect will act as the new regional delivery partnership. It will bring together representation from, for example, leads from regional networks, local authorities, diocese, teaching school hubs, curriculum hubs, research schools, RISE advisers and whole school SEND to provide direction, drive progress, maintain coherence and support engagement across the region. It will meet termly, with the summer meeting focused on planning for the following academic year

Alongside East Midlands Connect, we will establish 4 new networks to provide clear, universal routes for schools and responsible bodies to engage with RISE:

• a primary leaders network, coordinating regional work on key stage 2 attainment and wider primary improvement priorities.
• a secondary leaders network, coordinating key stage 3 and key stage 4 activity and linking with the national key stage 3 Alliance as it comes onstream.
• a special and PRU leaders network, ensuring special schools and pupil referral units have a dedicated space to contribute and shape regional improvement work.
• a governance network, giving trustees and governors a dedicated space to share effective practice, build confidence in oversight and contribute to regional improvement priorities.

These 4 networks are new structures created specifically to support RISE delivery. They will bring together school improvement leads from across the region and act as the main commissioning route for future activity.

We expect the networks to work together on shared projects across the national priorities, ensuring expertise is pooled and avoiding silos. For example, leaders from each network might take forward a short task‑and‑finish project to understand and share strong practice in strengthening primary-to-secondary transition.  

Together, East Midlands Connect and the 4 networks will create predictable communication routes, reduce duplication and ensure work is aligned, coherent and accessible - including for schools serving disadvantaged communities and those in rural areas.

How delivery will work

East Midlands Connect sets the conditions for collective endeavour and a strong culture of collaboration. The 4 networks will then commission short, focused task groups to work on specific priorities.

These task groups will research, test and share effective practice - supported by relevant hubs - and produce practical outputs such as case studies, tools, CPD or open‑classroom sessions. This keeps delivery tight and helps effective practice spread quickly.

Connectors and alignment

To make engagement clear and simple, we will use RISE East Midlands connectors: a single digital presence, a predictable communications rhythm and an annual East Midlands RISE event that brings the sector together.

Local authority networks, diocesan teams and existing partnerships will link into the same system, ensuring schools receive consistent messages and can navigate support easily. National developments will also connect through these structures as they mature.

Transition

We will introduce these new structures gradually so they complement what already works in the region. Our first step will be to establish East Midlands Connect and to work with that group to set up the 4 new networks, primary, secondary, special and pupil referral unit, and governance, supported by a simple annual calendar and an initial call for expressions of interest to form the first working groups.

As these networks begin operating, they will coordinate activity, draw relevant hubs into sponsorship roles and provide a clearer, more coherent picture of regional school improvement. This will help schools understand how to engage with RISE and how the different parts of the system connect.

During 2026 to 2027, national developments - including reception improvements, attendance and behaviour hubs, key stage 2 regional work and the national key stage 3 alliance – will be woven into this structure so schools experience the full offer in a consistent, joined‑up way.

Governance, quality, insight and impact

Governance will continue through the regional arrangements already in place, with the East Midlands Connect providing overall steer, alignment and oversight. A small secretariat will coordinate the annual cycle, communications and risk management.

Quality assurance will be proportionate and practical. Chairs and facilitators will be experienced practitioners, supported by the relevant hubs. Networks will work to clear expectations and use simple peer review and short feedback loops to maintain focus and quality.

We will monitor participation and reach - by phase, geography, school type and disadvantage - and use insight from hubs, networks and local partners to refine priorities and ensure the structure remains evidence‑informed and accessible.

Join us in driving a self‑improving system

This is an opportunity to help shape a stronger, more connected East Midlands system.

We invite schools, trusts, local authorities, dioceses and other system partners to step forward:

• to join the East Midlands RISE steering group,
• to lead or co‑lead one of the 4 networks (primary, secondary, special and pupil referral unit, or governance)
• to propose focused working groups that will drive practical improvement across the region.

If you want to help build a culture where collaboration is the norm, where effective practice spreads quickly, and where disadvantaged pupils benefit first, we want you involved.

Contact us through eastmidlands.riseregionalmailbox@education.gov.uk.

Case study: collaborative improvement in Nottingham – tackling literacy and attendance

The challenge

Nottingham faced significant challenges in literacy and attendance. Key stage 2 writing and key stage 3 reading fluency were below national averages, and persistent absence was particularly high in some wards.

Schools often worked in isolation, with limited cross‑phase collaboration or shared professional development. Transition between primary and secondary needed strengthening, as did tools to help families support attendance.

Working collaboratively

Nottingham City Council, Raleigh Education Trust, the Priority Literacy Consortium (PLC) and a wide group of schools and trusts worked together to co‑design and deliver focused support. The approach emphasised practical classroom help, joint professional development and shared accountability, while remaining flexible to local context.

On literacy, the PLC supported 52 schools through a simple cycle of self‑assessment, action planning and coaching from trained literacy specialists. Leaders, teachers and teaching assistants accessed CPD, and a transition portal and resource bank supported continuity across phases. Reading for pleasure was promoted through local events and challenges, with communities of practice helping schools share what worked.

On attendance, a taskforce coordinated by Raleigh Education Trust and the city council focused on high‑need areas, combining:

• one‑to‑one family support
• a multilingual parental engagement campaign
• CPD for staff

Recognition activities celebrated improved attendance, and a named strategic lead coordinated delivery to reduce duplication and keep efforts aligned.

Impact

The work shows early signs of success. In literacy, 83% of focused schools improved from baseline to final audit, and key stage 2 and key stage 4 outcomes have risen, though they remain below national averages.

Schools also report that the transition portal is widely used and helpful. In attendance, 74% of the 287 prioritised pupils improved, with a further 464 children supported through family‑based interventions.

City‑wide indicators improved year on year. Persistent absence fell from 21.52% (9,341 pupils) to 20.42% (8,891 pupils). 450 fewer pupils missing 10% or more sessions and overall absence reduced from 7.38% to 7.19%.

These improvements strengthen the case for an aligned, city‑wide collaborative model and show the value of clear structures and relationships across the system.

What worked well and next steps

Co‑design, clear shared goals and open learning between phases helped keep activity practical and focused.

Strong communication with families, leadership buy‑in and whole‑school approaches supported progress, while light central coordination and simple project tools improved pace and reduced duplication.

To carry forward the legacy of this collaborative work, trust leaders have established the Nottingham City Education Partnership Board to provide a long‑term mechanism for shared priorities.

The board’s initial areas of focus are:

• collective system leadership around SEND
• long‑term planning and shared work with the local authority
• workforce development (including reducing duplication and drawing on strengths across the sector)

A working party is also planning a city‑wide education conference, starting with a taster event this year and building to a larger conference over the next 12 to 18 months. These developments build directly on the collaborative ethos established through the programme and provide a platform for sustained improvement.