Guidance

RISE: West Midlands

Published 19 September 2025

Applies to England

Regional Director’s welcome

The Regional Director for the West Midlands is Sue Lovelock.

Welcome to our regional improvement for standards and excellence (RISE) universal offer for all schools in the West Midlands. Our region is rich in potential and diversity: from the bustling urban hearts of Birmingham, Solihull, Coventry, Stoke-on-Trent and the Black Country to our market towns and expansive rural landscapes of Shropshire, Worcestershire, Herefordshire, Staffordshire and Warwickshire. The West Midlands is the home of Shakespeare, Eliot and Zephaniah. It is where the makers and doers such as Cadbury, Wedgwood and JCB blazed a trail.

We are a growing and youthful region, with a quarter of the West Midlands residents aged below 19, rising to a third in some places. We have more than 2,000 state-funded schools and over one million pupils. This rich setting inspires every child to thrive, positioning our region’s schools at the heart of our communities.   

The RISE programme is a key piece of Regions Group activity, including engagement with local authorities regarding education, SEND and children’s social care. The RISE programme is making a significant contribution to breaking the link between a child’s background and their future success.

We recognise our region’s challenges:

• increasing the number of children reaching a good level of development in reception from 67% to 75%
• raising attainment at KS2 and KS4
• improving inclusion in mainstream schools
• continuing gains made in school attendance, especially at key transition points

Our RISE universal resources aim to connect school and trust leaders with our region’s networks, hubs and partnerships, while recognising and showcasing the excellent practice across the West Midlands. Whether you’re sharing best practice, developing pedagogy or building relationships, we hope the RISE resources support you on your school improvement journey. 

Our RISE advisers and I look forward to working with you. Together, we can raise aspirations and drive progress in our regional priorities. By building on our strengths, we will ensure every young person in the West Midlands grows, learns, belongs and thrives, skilled and ready for adulthood and employment.

RISE advisers

The RISE advisers for the West Midlands are:

• Kate Brunt – former Chief Executive, Rivers CofE Academy Trust

• Herminder Channa – Regional Director for West Midlands, Oasis Community Learning

• Anita Cliff – Chief Executive Advisor, Manor Multi Academy Trust

• Lynsey Draycott – Chief Executive, Matrix Academy Trust

• Paul Drew – Chief Operating Officer, The Lighthouse Federation

• Christopher Mansell – former Chief Executive, Birmingham Diocese Multi-Academy Trust

• Heather McLachlan – Chief Executive, Potteries Educational Trust

• Sharron Philpot – Chief Executive, Victoria Academies Trust

• Anthony Quinn – Director of Education, Our Lady of the Magnificat

• Tom Twort – Deputy Director of Education, REAch2 Academy Trust

• Julie Waddington – Director of Education, King Edward VI Foundation and Multi Academy Trust

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

Central Maths Hub 
Areas: Birmingham, Dudley, Sandwell
mathshub@bishopchalloner.bham.sch.uk

North Mids Maths Hub
Areas: Staffordshire, Stoke-on-Trent, Walsall
mathshub@painsley.staffs.sch.uk

Origin Maths Hub 
Areas: Coventry, Solihull, Warwickshire
office@originmathshub.tgacademy.org.uk

SHaW Maths Hub 
Areas: Herefordshire, Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin, Wolverhampton
operations@shawmathshub.co.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

There are 34 English hubs in England.

Little Sutton English Hub 
Areas: Birmingham, Coventry, East Staffordshire, Lichfield, Newcastle-under-Lyme, North Warwickshire, Nuneaton and Bedworth, Rugby, Solihull, Stafford, Staffordshire Moorlands, Stoke-on-Trent, Tamworth

St John Bosco English Hub 
Areas: Bromsgrove, Cannock Chase, Dudley, Herefordshire, Malvern, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Redditch, Sandwell, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, South Staffordshire, Stratford-Upon-Avon, Telford and Wrekin, Walsall, Warwick, Wolverhampton, Worcester, Wychavon, Wyre Forest

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.

Arthur Terry Teaching School Hub 
Areas: Birmingham North
northbirminghamTSH@atlp.org.uk

Coventry and Central Warwickshire Teaching School Hub 
Areas: Coventry, Rugby, Warwick
tshub@lawrencesheriffschool.com 

Golden Thread Teaching School Hub 
Areas: Newcastle-under-Lyme, Stafford, Staffordshire Moorlands, Stoke-on-Trent
tsh@painsley.staffs.sch.uk 

Haybridge Teaching School Hub 
Areas: Dudley, Sandwell
info@haybridgeteachingschoolhub.co.uk 

John Taylor Teaching School Hub
Areas: Cannock Chase, East Staffordshire, Lichfield, North Warwickshire, Nuneaton and Bedworth, Tamworth
CPD@jths.co.uk 

Manor Teaching School Hub 
Areas: South Staffordshire, Walsall, Wolverhampton
info@manorteachingschoolhub.com 

Prince Henry’s Teaching School Hub 
Areas: Herefordshire, Malvern Hills, Worcester, Wychavon, Wyre Forest
tsh@princehenrys.worcs.sch.uk

Shropshire and Telford Education Partnership (STEP) 
Areas: Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin
info@stepwm2.co.uk 

STAR Teaching School Hub Birmingham South 
Areas: Birmingham South
bhamsth@starteachingschoolhubs.org

Tudor Grange Teaching School Hub 
Areas: Bromsgrove, Redditch, Solihull, Stratford-on-Avon
tsh@tgacademy.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.

Coventry Music (Coventry City Council)
Areas: Coventry, Solihull, Warwickshire

Dudley Performing Arts (Dudley Metropolitan Council)
Areas: Black Country
dpa.cs@dudley.gov.uk

Entrust Support Services
Areas: Shropshire, Staffordshire, Stoke on Trent, Telford and Wrekin
admin@shropshiremusicservice.org.uk

Services for Education Ltd
Areas: Birmingham

Severn Arts
Areas: Herefordshire, Worcestershire

Sector-led networks

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

The Education Exchange West Midlands
The Education Exchange operates as a network of schools to share best practice so schools can draw on support from other members to receive intensive support. 
Areas: regional

Thrive at Five
Areas: Regional and national