Guidance

RISE: South West

Published 19 September 2025

Applies to England

Regional Director’s welcome

The Regional Director for the South West is Lucy Livings.

The South West is England’s largest region, but its diverse and scenic landscapes should be no barrier to collaboration. We already have a strong culture of connectivity, which is helping to drive the sharing of good practice for the common good of our young people.

Your regional improvement for standards and excellence (RISE) advisers and I are looking forward to working with you on our regional priorities:

• raising attainment in English and maths
• improving attendance
• strengthening inclusive mainstream provision
• delivering high-quality reception practice

Whether you are looking to share practice, strengthen your improvement journey or build new relationships, I hope that through RISE you find the community of support and collaboration that I know is flourishing in the South West.

By learning from each other, building strong partnerships and drawing on the evidence of what works, we can rise to the challenge and secure better futures for young people in the South West.

RISE advisers

The RISE advisers for the South West are:

• Mike Ion – former Education Director, Avanti Schools Trust

• Joe Ambrose – Associate Director of Strategy, Greenshaw Learning Trust

• Jo Stoaling – Head Teacher, Three Ways School

• Chris Gould – Director of Education and Deputy Chief Executive, Truro and Penwith Academy Trust

• Jonathan Bishop – Chief Executive, Cornerstone Academy Trust

• Siobhan Meredith – Executive Director of Education, Ted Wragg Multi Academy Trust

• Alison Fletcher – Director of CLF Institute, Cabot Learning Federation

Hubs

Maths hubs

There are 40 national maths hubs in England. Each hub is a partnership of schools, colleges, multi-academy trusts and other organisations. Hubs provide a range of:

• subject and pedagogical knowledge
• wider professional and school development opportunities for teachers, leaders and teaching assistants, from reception to A level

This consists of: 

• work groups (particularly supporting implementation of teaching for mastery pedagogy)  
• specialist knowledge for teaching mathematics (SKTM) programmes  
• professional learning communities for leaders   
• development programmes for local leaders of mathematics education (LLME)
• targeted, bespoke, intensive support for schools in need of greater assistance to help them benefit from universal support

Boolean Maths Hub​
Areas: Bath and North East Somerset, Bristol, North Somerset, Somerset, South Gloucestershire
team@booleanmathshub.co.uk 

CODE Maths Hub​
Areas: Cornwall, Districts in Devon (South Hams, Teignbridge, West Devon), Isles of Scilly, Plymouth, Torbay
codemathshub@tpacademytrust.org

GLOW Maths Hub​
Areas: Gloucestershire, Worcestershire
glowmathshub@balcarras.gloucs.sch.uk​ 

Jurassic Maths Hub​
Areas: Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, Districts in Devon (East Devon, Exeter, Mid Devon, North Devon, Torridge), Dorset
infojurassic@woodroffe.dorset.sch.uk

Mobius Maths Hub
Areas: Bracknell Forest, Reading, Swindon, West Berkshire, Wiltshire, Wokingham
info@mobiusmathshub.org.uk 

English hubs 

English hubs offer a range of support and continuing professional development (CPD) to primary schools to improve the teaching of early reading, with a particular focus on:

• systematic synthetic phonics
• early language
• reading for pleasure

This consists of tailored support from a literacy specialist, CPD and funding to buy phonics and early language resources. 

English hubs are also running a secondary pilot that builds on the existing offer by helping secondary schools:

• embed reading as a whole-school priority
• improve outcomes for pupils with reading needs
• strengthen professional knowledge around effective reading support

The Cornerstone English Hub  
Areas: Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, Dorset, East Devon, Somerset West, South Somerset​, Taunton

Ilsham English Hub  
Areas: Exeter, Mendip, Mid Devon, North Devon, North Somerset, Plymouth, Sedgemoor, Somerset West and Taunton, South Hams, Teignbridge, Torbay

Kernow English Hub  
Areas: Cornwall, Isles of Scilly, ​Torridge, West Devon

Mangotsfield English Hub  
Areas: Cheltenham, Forest of Dean, Gloucester, South Gloucestershire, Stroud, Tewkesbury

Ramsbury English Hub  
Areas: Dorset, Cotswolds, Swindon, Wiltshire

Unlocking Excellence English Hub
Areas: Bath and North East Somerset, Bristol, Mendip, North Somerset, Sedgemoor

Teaching school hubs 

Teaching school hubs are centres of excellence led by schools and multi-academy trusts. 

They offer teacher training and professional development for teachers and leaders at all stages of their career.  

They play a significant role in the delivery of: 

• school-based initial teacher training (ITT) 
• national professional qualifications (NPQs) 
• the early career teacher entitlement (ECTE)  
• appropriate body services for the induction of early career teachers 

Teaching school hubs are the main provider of appropriate body services.

Balcarras Teaching School  
Areas: Cheltenham, Cotswold, Stroud
ts-hub@balcarras.gloucs.sch.uk 

Five Counties Teaching School Hub Alliance
Areas: Bristol, Bath and North East Somerset, North Somerset, Somerset, South Gloucestershire
info@fivecountiesalliance.co.uk 

Odyssey Teaching School Hub  
Areas: Gloucester, Forest of Dean, Tewkesbury
admin@odysseytsh.org 

One Cornwall Teaching School Hubs   
Areas: Cornwall, Isles of Scilly
hello@onecornwall.co.uk 

South Central Teaching School Hub
Areas: Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, Dorset

South West Institute for Teaching (SWIFT) Teaching School Hubs  
Areas: East Devon, Exeter, Mid Devon, North Devon, Plymouth, South Hams, Teignbridge, Torbay, Torridge, West Devon
info@sw-ift.org.uk

Swindon and Wiltshire Teaching School Hub   
Areas: Swindon, Wiltshire
tsh@swindonwiltshiretsh.org.uk

Music hubs

Music hub partnerships are made up of a range of organisations that work together to deliver high-quality music provision for all children and young people in and out of school. The hub programme funds a network of 43 hub partnerships that cover every area of England.

AsOne Perform Community Interest Company  
Areas: Cornwall
hub@asoneperform.com 

Bristol Music Trust 
Areas: Bristol
hello@bristolbeacon.orgh

Devon Music Education Hub 
Areas: Devon
musiceducationhub@devon.gov.uk 

Gloucestershire Music Education Hub 
Areas: Gloucestershire
glosmusic@gloucestershire.gov.uk 

Octagon Theatre, Somerset (Somerset Council)
Areas: Dorset and Somerset
octagontheatre@yeovil.gov.uk

Sound Foundation, Somerset Hub
Areas: Somerset
HReid@somerset.gov.uk 

Sector-led networks

Contact your regional director’s office if you are interested in working with us to develop or contribute to future networks.

Chair Learning Sets  
These learning sets are for academy trust chairs.
Areas: Regional
SouthWest.RISEREGIONALMAILBOX@education.gov.uk

CEO Learning Sets  
These learning sets are for academy trust leaders.
Areas: Regional
southwest.riseregionalmailbox@education.gov.uk

Disadvantage Network
This network is for leaders of local-authority-maintained schools, academies and academy trusts, and other education professionals.
Areas: Regional
dnicholls@twhf.org.uk

South West Attendance Network
This network is for leaders of local-authority-maintained schools, academies and academy trusts, and other education professionals.
Areas: Regional
Kate.richardson@clf.uk

South West CFO and Business Leaders Network
This network is for school business professionals from local-authority-maintained schools, academies and academy trusts.
Areas: Regional
Paul.Evry@mosaicpt.org.uk

South West Inclusion and SEND Network
This network is for leaders of local-authority-maintained schools, academies and academy trusts, and other education professionals.
Areas: Regional

South West Primary School Improvement Network
This network is for local authority and academy trust primary school improvement professionals.
Areas: Regional
jhicks@dsat.org.uk 

South West Secondary School Improvement Network 
This network is for local authority and academy trust secondary school improvement professionals.
Areas: Regional
jon.lunn@tedwraggtrust.co.uk 

Trust Leaders Network
This network is for academy trust leaders.
Areas: Regional
sarah.gardner@olympustrust.co.uk