Guidance

Regional plan for East Midlands: summary

Updated 3 July 2026

Applies to England

Summary    

This publication outlines the key elements of the East Midlands universal RISE regional plan and how it will be delivered locally to improve outcomes for children and young people.

It brings partners together around the 4 national priorities, providing shared direction and a practical framework for strengthening practice, building capacity and sustaining improvement.

It translates national priorities into a clear local approach and supports collaboration across schools, trusts and local authorities. Progress depends on every part of the system contributing insight, evidence and leadership so that every child can achieve and thrive.

Regional focus for East Midlands

We have worked with partners across the East Midlands to shape how the RISE priorities translate locally, drawing on regional evidence and insight. While broad trends are shared, school contexts vary and will shape delivery. Our regional focus will be on the following:

• Reception-year quality: accelerate good level of development (GLD) improvement by strengthening practice, leadership and curriculum, ensuring a consistent transition into Year 1, and narrowing gaps for disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
• Inclusive mainstream: improve inclusion by expanding local SEND provision, building staff capacity and addressing secondary-phase pressures where needs are most acute.
• Attendance: strengthen attendance through better secondary transition, addressing the key stage 3 decline in attendance and supporting disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND who experience the sharpest drops.
• Attainment, with a focus on English and maths: raise attainment through early reading, stronger key stage 2 outcomes and improved key stage 3 literacy and numeracy, with particular focus on disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND.

What RISE will deliver in the East Midlands

To achieve our regional focus ambitions we will carry out the following activities.

Reception year quality

RISE support for reception improvement.

• We will expand access to strong reception practice and through RISE Reception Networks, open days and new online resources, helping schools strengthen provision for disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND.
• We will strengthen reception leadership by helping leaders recognise high-quality reception practice, learn from strong schools, and access national programmes, ensuring disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND get a strong start to school.
• We will improve transition into reception by strengthening partnerships between early years settings and schools, and supporting families, especially disadvantaged children and those with SEND.
• We will focus support using data, working with English and maths hubs, improving early identification of needs and promoting programmes, such as Nuffield Early Language Intervention (NELI), so children receive timely, effective help.

Inclusive mainstream

RISE support for inclusive mainstream education.

• We will strengthen inclusive practice by sharing effective adaptive teaching, routines and environments, promoting regular SEND provision reviews, and helping schools embed consistent approaches before new national training begins.
• We will support schools to build inclusive cultures and stronger family engagement, sharing community partnership models that improve belonging, wellbeing and aspiration, especially for disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND.
• We will improve transitions between settings by setting clear expectations, strengthening information‑sharing and continuity of support, and promoting effective diagnostic tools to ensure pupils remain connected to mainstream education.
• We will strengthen and support the expansion of high‑quality inclusion bases through external reviews, shared learning and clear guidance, helping schools offer consistent, locally accessible support as SEND groupings develop.
• We will work with schools and local authorities to understand drivers of suspensions, exclusions and absence, share effective practice, and strengthen reintegration so more pupils remain connected to learning.

Attendance

RISE support for improving attendance in schools.

• We will use 11 attendance and behaviour hubs to provide targeted and wider support, helping schools strengthen systems, relationships and daily practice so attendance improves quickly and is sustained.
• We will improve secondary transition and early key stage 3 attendance by promoting strong induction, early family engagement and belonging, supported by hubs sharing effective practice across primary–secondary partnerships.
• We will tailor support to local needs, strengthen family engagement, improve curriculum relevance and promote effective pupil‑premium use to help disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND stay connected to learning.
• We will use regional attendance data to target support and challenge, build schools’ confidence in using DfE tools, and share effective data‑driven approaches through guidance, webinars and networks.
• We will embed attendance as a leadership priority by providing guidance, convening networks and conferences, and involving governors so schools maintain strong, relationship‑centred approaches to improving attendance.

Attainment, with a focus on English and maths

RISE support for improving attainment in schools.

• We will prioritise disadvantaged pupils by strengthening pupil premium use, supporting reviews, sharing strong practice and testing scalable approaches that boost engagement, progress and outcomes across varied local contexts.
• We will improve key stage 2 reading, writing and maths through raising attainment networks, strengthened literacy guidance and coordinated support from English and maths hubs, ensuring high‑impact practice.
• We will make key stage 3 a priority by improving curriculum coherence, testing approaches in literacy and maths, benchmarking learning and brokering hub support so pupils build on key stage 2 foundations.
• We will strengthen curriculum, enrichment and careers education to boost engagement and essential skills, showcasing effective models and helping schools widen opportunities, especially for disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND.
• We will promote evidence‑led EdTech and artificial intelligence (AI) use, helping schools choose effective tools, reduce workload and improve learning, supported by clear guidance, expert brokerage and practical regional examples.

Regional themes

The activities in the regional focus section rely on 4 cross‑cutting themes that underpin all priorities and enable consistent, sustainable improvement across the East Midlands:

• School and trust leadership and governance: strengthen strategic leadership, governance and curriculum oversight, building capacity to embed strong practice, support inclusion and use shared learning to drive improvement.
• Building an open, learning school system: enable schools to access high‑quality resources, networks and training, share strong practice confidently and use reliable evidence to guide self‑evaluation and improvement.
• Whole‑system collaboration: improve joined‑up support across early years, primary and secondary, strengthening transitions, parent engagement and work with local partners to address barriers and promote belonging.
• Using AI and technology: help schools adopt AI and EdTech safely and effectively, reducing workload, improving teaching and strengthening inclusion through well‑evidenced, ethical and accessible tools.

RISE universal school improvement architecture

We are putting in place a coherent East Midlands improvement architecture that connects hubs, networks and practical tools through a digital presence, predictable communications and an annual regional event.

New national programmes including reception networks, attendance and behaviour hubs, key stage 2 regional work and the key stage 3 alliance will be integrated so that schools experience a simple, joined‑up offer.

We are establishing East Midlands Connect as the regional steering group and creating 4 universal networks (primary, secondary, special and pupil referral unit (PRU), and governance) to give every school and responsible body clear routes into RISE.

These networks will commission short task groups to test, refine and share practice, supported by curriculum and teaching hubs. Governance will continue through existing regional arrangements, with East Midlands Connect providing steer and oversight, supported by proportionate quality assurance, simple peer review and monitoring to keep the system focused and accessible.