Guidance

RISE: South East regional plan

Updated 3 July 2026

Applies to England

Plan purpose

The regional improvement for standards and excellence (RISE) regional plan sets out how universal RISE will be delivered across our region to improve outcomes for all children and young people in the South East.

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 plan aims 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 and local authorities – adding value, not duplication.
• Align with wider local strategies, recognising statutory responsibilities and stepping back where local authorities and mayoral combined authorities, where applicable 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 reforms, including developing special educational 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 South East Regional Director

I am delighted to present the South East RISE Regional Plan, which sets out our plan for improving educational outcomes in the South East, in line with the commitments set out in Every Child Achieving and Thriving. 

In the South East, we’re building on a strong foundation: pupils, on average, perform above national average across all attainment measures. Yet we know that success is not equally shared. Despite the region’s relative strengths, some areas, particularly coastal and rural communities, face significant barriers which lead to some of the widest attainment gaps in the country. Disparities between disadvantaged pupils and their peers are entrenched and the collective effort of all partners is required to reverse these trends.

This plan outlines how we will work together to address these challenges and raise outcomes for all children. Our priorities are shaped by the experiences of pupils, staff and wider school communities and are aligned with national ambitions. This includes closing attainment gaps between disadvantaged pupils and their peers; returning attendance to pre-pandemic levels and beyond, with a particular focus on pupils with SEND and free school meals, strengthening inclusion within our mainstream settings and ensuring that all pupils, particularly those in rural and coastal areas, have the strongest foundations in their early education.

This plan reflects the voices of our partners - local authorities, trusts, dioceses and schools. We will continue to build on our strong networks of dedicated professionals in delivering this crucial work. Together, we will rise to the challenge and ensure that all children, in every part of our region, can succeed.

Dame Kate Dethridge

Regional Director, South East

Meet the South East RISE advisers

We are pleased to introduce the South East RISE Regional Plan – a shared commitment to improving outcomes for children and young people. As South East RISE advisers, we work alongside schools, trusts, local authorities, dioceses and wider partners to support evidence-informed, sustainable improvement.

RISE is the Department for Education’s (DfE’s) school improvement offer, bringing together universal support for all schools with targeted intervention for those needing additional challenge and support.

In the South East, our role as RISE advisers spans both elements. We work with schools directly involved in targeted RISE activity, and we also contribute to the wider universal offer – connecting schools to high-quality support, facilitating collaboration and helping strong practice travel across the system.

Our regional plan reflects our South East context, building on what works well while focusing effort where it is most needed. Our work is aligned to 4 national RISE priorities, shaped by regional need:

• improving attendance, particularly for disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND
• raising attainment in English and maths, with a focus on closing gaps between disadvantaged pupils and their peers
• strengthening inclusive practice, including improving provision for pupils with Speech, Language and Communication Needs (SLCN) and Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH)
• enhancing the quality of reception-year provision, especially in coastal communities and for disadvantaged pupils

As advisers, we act as connectors across the system: bringing insight from schools and responsible bodies into regional and national discussions and helping translate policy intent into practical support that makes a difference in classrooms. Our emphasis is on professional dialogue, intelligent use of evidence, and shared learning. We aim to offer appropriate challenge, constructive support and clarity of expectation, always with the goal of improving outcomes for children.

We look forward to working with you as this plan moves forward, and we welcome ongoing feedback as the work develops.

We are:

• Emma Bradshaw
• Jamie Clarke
• Maria Dawes
• Claire Lowe
• Lee Mason-Ellis
• Tim Mills
• Catherine Morley
• Pan Panayiotou
• Kate Parietti

For general enquiries, email:
 southeast.riseregionalmailbox@education.gov.uk.

Regional focus for South East

We have engaged with local authorities, dioceses, trust leaders and hubs and assessed data (Explore our statistics and data) to identify regional focus areas against the RISE national priorities and how this will be delivered across the South East.

While these are regional-level trends, we recognise that there will be variation at school level. Local contexts and individual school circumstances will continue to inform how these priorities are addressed in practice. In the South East, our work to deliver the national priorities will focus on:

• Reception-year quality: enhancing the quality of reception provision, especially in coastal communities and for disadvantaged pupils.
• Inclusive mainstream: strengthening mainstream inclusive practice, including improving provision for pupils with SLCN and SEMH.
• Attendance: improving attendance, particularly for disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND.
• Attainment, with a focus on English and maths: raising attainment in English and maths, with a focus on closing gaps for disadvantaged pupils.

The South East region has the largest population of any region in England, home to over 9 million people and 1.4 million pupils. The region covers a diverse geographic area, stretching across busy urban centres such as Brighton, Reading and Southampton, the southern coast of Kent and Sussex, island communities and large rural landscapes.

The region benefits from strong finance, technology and advanced manufacturing sectors and many residents also have access to employment and cultural opportunities with good transport links to London. However, some communities, particularly those in rural and coastal areas, face significant barriers to opportunity including high levels of deprivation, limited access to services and poor connectivity.

Where pockets of inequality remain, especially in coastal and rural areas, employment opportunities can be more limited. Similarly, educational outcomes and pupil experiences vary significantly across the region.

Whilst the South East region consistently performs well across key educational indicators compared to other regions in England, we know this success masks significant variation across the region. Variations exist across the 19 local authority areas and within these areas, across local authority districts. 

Reception-year quality

RISE support for reception improvement

Overview

The proportion of pupils achieving a good level of development (GLD) at the end of reception year in the South East is above the national average, having the second highest GLD outcomes of any region in the country. However, percentages vary across local authority areas, with several areas sitting below both the regional and national averages, particularly in those that have a higher proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals.

Regional focus for the South East on reception-year quality

In the South East, GLD outcomes for pupils eligible for free school meals are significantly below the national average for all pupils, and the gap between pupils eligible for free school meals and non-free school meals pupils is wider than that seen in some other regions. GLD outcomes for White British pupils are also particularly low.

Although the proportion of pupils with SEND achieving GLD across the South East is above the national average for similar pupils, outcomes vary considerably between local authority areas within the region.

Outcomes also vary considerably within the region when it comes to the underlying Early Learning Goals (ELGs), with literacy, and especially writing, being a key priority for improvement in many areas in the South East.

Our regional ambition is to raise GLD outcomes for all children, with a focus on narrowing the disadvantage gap and tackling longstanding challenges in coastal schools.

Proposed strategies to address reception-year quality in the South East:

Activity 1: Sharing effective practice and support

To ensure consistent, high-quality reception provision across the whole South East region we will build a strong, collaborative system that supports schools. 5 RISE reception networks will operate across the region to spread best practice and encourage strong partnerships. These are:

• Front Lawn Primary Academy (The Kemnal Academies Trust) 
• Holy Trinity Catholic School, Chipping Norton (The Pope Francis Catholic Multi Academy Company) 
• Marnel Community Infant School (Hampshire local authority) 
• Shatterlocks Infant and Nursery School (Samphire Star Education Trust) 
• Theale CE Primary School (West Berkshire local authority).

These networks will bring schools together in a variety of ways, including open days, virtual meetings and developing and disseminating a coherent set of reception resources that exemplify strong practice. We will work with the networks to focus their efforts on schools that need them most, particularly where in the past, GLD outcomes have been too low.

In addition to the RISE reception networks, working with multi-academy trusts (MATs) and local authorities, we are utilising the RISE Universal Grant Scheme to establish several local place-based networks focused on improving reception-year quality and attainment, particularly for pupils eligible for free school meals and in coastal areas, with a specific focus on local authority districts where GLD outcomes are particularly low. We will share the learning from these.

Early years stronger practice hubs will work with our networks and will also identify and share the strongest practice across our region, with a particular focus on supporting children eligible for free school meals. 

We will do more to help trusts, local authorities and schools to better understand their data and make the best use of the GLD comparison tool to benchmark their outcomes against similar settings and responsible bodies, helping identify strengths and areas for development.

We will support schools to use data to inform practice both in reception and for those children transitioning into year 1 with a specific focus on pupils who did not achieve GLD in their reception year. Through focused priority conversations, responsible bodies (trusts and local authorities) will be supported to interpret and act on their data ensuring it drives improvement. In this way we can focus the support we offer to where it is needed most.

Activity 2: Improving transitions into, and readiness for, reception

We will build capacity in the system by creating new early education and childcare places, including through the expansion of nurseries in schools. This includes the 67 new school-based nurseries that are opening in the South East as part of the school-based Nursery Capital Grant.

Through our hubs and networks, we will share best practice with schools, from those effectively supporting children into reception, including how they use home visits to engage families early and ease transition. This is especially important to support our regional ambition to narrow the disadvantage gap. We will also link with hubs and networks in other regions, so we learn from what works in similar contexts outside of the South East.

We will promote clear, accessible guidance that helps families feel confident in supporting their children in their first steps into education. We will also support existing school networks to design effective parental engagement models that work for all parents, and share these through workshops, case studies and peer learning.

As part of this, East Sussex local authority is leading a RISE universal grant-funded project to build the evidence for a model that identifies the most effective family hub programmes for supporting children’s transition into school settings.

In parallel, we will work with schools and trusts that have invested in family support to promote cost-effective models that others can adopt. We will strengthen partnerships between all types of early years settings and primary schools, including childminders and private, voluntary and independent (PVI) settings, encouraging closer working, shared expectations and alignment of curriculum and pedagogy. 

Activity 3: Support the improvement of writing and early language acquisition

Strong language and communication skills are essential for children’s development and future learning. In the South East, we are committed to ensuring every child in reception has access to high-quality early language support and develops key writing skills to start their educational journey with the tools they need to thrive. To achieve this, we will: 

• Strengthen partnerships with schools and the region’s 3 English hubs (Kingsnorth, Springhill and Whiteknights) to provide schools with expert support in teaching writing and phonics and language development, ensuring consistent, evidence-informed practice that develops fluent readers and confident communicators.
• Promote the use of the writing framework including the specific guidance on reception practice and assessment.
• Promote the offer of universal access to proven programmes such as the Nuffield Early Language Intervention (NELI), enabling every reception class to deliver focused support that boosts vocabulary, listening, and speaking skills.
• Promote inclusive approaches to language development, with a particular focus on children eligible for free school meals, ensuring all pupils, regardless of background, develop the strong oral language foundations essential for success in key stage 1 and beyond.

By embedding strong early language practice across the region, we aim to close gaps in communication development and ensure every child starts their educational journey with the tools to thrive.

Inclusive mainstream

RISE support for inclusive mainstream education.

Overview

The South East is broadly in line with national averages for the proportion of children with education, health and care plans (EHCPs) or receiving SEND support, and similarly, suspension and exclusion data for children with SEND is typically in line with or below the national average.

However, this does not mean the South East is without its challenges in providing high-quality, inclusive support for children and young people with SEND; for example, outcomes data suggests that there is significant variance in how well local authorities and schools are embedding inclusion at a local level. It is critical that this variability is tackled to improve the experiences of all children when accessing provision, and to ensure all children with SEND can achieve consistently better outcomes and thrive in their local schools.

Regional focus for the South East on inclusive mainstream

We understand from the data and conversations with stakeholders that SLCN and SEMH are areas of prevalent need in the South East. It is important that we ensure that needs are identified early to reduce the requirement for escalation and schools have access to high-quality professional development to equip teachers with skills and knowledge of inclusive teaching practice.

A further priority is to increase the capacity and quality of inclusion bases in the region in line with national policy ambitions, ensuring these are effectively located to serve communities and meet need. As of March 2026, there are 469 inclusion bases in the South East (ranging from 7 to 86 across the region’s 19 local authority areas). These are not dispersed strategically across the region, meaning some are undersubscribed and there is not enough provision overall to meet current and future need in all local authority areas.

It is also critical that those children receiving support in inclusion bases are accessing high-quality education appropriate to their needs, and that the spirit of inclusion is maintained; inclusion bases must be properly integrated within schools, otherwise they risk becoming exclusionary.

Across all areas, we will invest in regionally designed and driven initiatives to strengthen inclusion in mainstream settings. We will encourage collaboration and empower those with the expertise and knowledge of SEND in their areas to determine local priorities and activities, to improve ways of working and prepare for system-wide SEND reform.

We will also ensure that in all our engagement with schools and settings, partners are prioritising the voice of families and children and young people with SEND.

Proposed strategies to address inclusive mainstream in region

Activity 1: identifying and embedding strong SEND practice through sector networks, with focus on SLCN and SEMH

We will engage with specialist providers and already inclusive mainstream settings to identify and spotlight effective teaching strategies, high-performing schools and good SEND practice, sharing these with the broader sector to better equip staff and pave the way for system reform.

We will also encourage alternative provision (AP) schools to provide outreach support to mainstream settings, including support for early intervention, promoting inclusive practice and sharing expertise in managing complex needs, particularly in relation to SEMH.

We will utilise established partnerships and networks to drive this where appropriate, and will work to strengthen existing groups, or create new groups if needed, to ensure there is a robust structure in place to support and shape the mainstream inclusion agenda.

This includes establishing a new South East Mainstream Inclusion Forum to bring together colleagues working at a regional level on programmes relating to inclusive mainstream, in order to improve coordination, reduce duplication, and support join-up across the South East Regional Improvement and Innovation Alliance’s (SESLIP) SEND Delivery Plan, the SEND Change Programme, and RISE inclusive mainstream.

We will work closely with Whole School SEND to facilitate the effective sharing of best practice across the region, as well as utilising the work of the maths and English hubs; for example, the Reading Ambition for ALL (RAfA) programme, which explores the appropriate teaching, support and provision of phonics teaching for children not reading at age-related expectations, with a particular focus on those with SEND.

We will also use the national peer networks we have recently launched, including two specific networks designed to share best practice for inclusion bases with specialisms in SLCN and SEMH. These networks support frontline practitioners so that children benefit from high-quality and consistent provision and provide a forum for sharing best practice and collaborative problem-solving.

We will be embedding inclusion into our core engagement with trusts, to ensure it is properly prioritised by executive teams, governing bodies, and trust boards.

We are aware that the strength and effectiveness of partnership working varies across the region. We will prioritise strengthening local relationships, including between schools and local authorities, supporting and encouraging partnerships that are focused on embedding inclusion and better outcomes for all children with SEND.

Activity 2: We will work with the sector to create strategies and proposals to address the current gaps in coverage and support offered by inclusion bases

We will map the current inclusion base landscape in the South East region and the ability to meet current and projected SEND need. This will include ensuring inclusion bases are recorded and registered appropriately.

We will support proposals for more inclusion bases where they are needed and will work with stakeholders and commissioners to progress plans at pace. 

Where inclusion bases are delivering high-quality provision, demonstrating integration within broader school settings and embedding inclusive cultures, we will facilitate the sharing of good practice. This will include utilising new and existing Inclusion base networks, for example, the recently launched national peer networks in relation to provisions with specialisms in autism, SLCN, and SEMH (also referenced under Activity 1).

Activity 3: Investing in regional improvement, designed and driven by the South East

We are committed to supporting improvement at a local level, utilising the knowledge and expertise of those practitioners working in-region to improve services. This has included securing increased investment to strengthen regional partnerships and support preparation for system-wide reform, allocating £1,190,200 to the South East Regional Improvement and Innovation Alliance, SESLIP, for SEND in 2025 to 2026. 

SESLIP has published a Regional Improvement Plan which outlines the ongoing action they are taking, utilising this grant funding, to assist all local authorities in the South East to deliver effective services which improve outcomes for children and young people.  

Activity is split across 4 themes (data, diagnostics, universal and targeted work) and includes specific projects relating to Mainstream Inclusion. As part of these projects, local areas are being supported to develop pragmatic, collaborative approaches that increase confidence and knowledge around including children and young people with SEND in mainstream settings.

The activity is building a community of practice for area partners in SEND, as well as schools, settings and young people. Activity is designed to share innovative ideas, tools and materials, culminating in annual regional best practice summits.   

The SENDAP Inclusion project and the Mainstream Inclusion Project (Regional Improvement Plan) support local authority peer-to-peer learning and practice development, to promote robust local authority policies and clearer decision-making.

Specific projects facilitate local authorities working together to improve policies, decision protocols, funding mechanisms and collaborative working with schools.

The overall regional improvement plan is overseen by the SESLIP steering group, with a dedicated SEND governance group ensuring alignment with SEND priorities and the 5 SEND Enablers:

• co-production and relationships at the heart of the system
• shared vision and evidence-informed priorities
• stable and knowledgeable leadership and governance
• a focus on high-quality delivery of the essentials
• a well-organised, skilled and supported workforce

Work is aligned to drive mainstream inclusion as an integral part of SESLIP’s regional priorities. 

Attendance

RISE support for improving attendance in schools.

Overview

As with other regions, pupil absence rates increased sharply in the South East after the COVID-19 pandemic and have been slow to fall since then. Attendance patterns in the region now broadly remain in line with national averages, with similar overall absence rates for pupils, similar trends across primary and secondary, and similar rates of suspensions and exclusions.

However, attendance is much lower for disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND, with the South East having some of the highest rates of absence in the country for those pupils.

Regional focus for South East on attendance

These higher rates of absence for disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND are almost universal across every local authority area in the region. For example, 17 out of 19 local authorities in the South East have higher than average absence rates for disadvantaged pupils at secondary. Coastal areas in the region also have particularly high levels of persistent absence.

The region has a slightly higher proportion of pupils in the lowest absence band of 0-5% (55.2% vs 54.3% nationally) and only 34.2% miss 5-15% of sessions (compared to 34.8% nationally). However, addressing absence early within these lower bands is still essential to prevent more pupils becoming persistently or severely absent.

Therefore, this will continue to be a focus for the South East, as will other important areas in which we are generally in line with national averages – such as the transition of pupils from primary to secondary.

Proposed strategies to address attendance in the South East region

Activity 1: Targeted engagement to help improve attendance for disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND

We will hold structured engagement with responsible bodies that have lower than expected attendance in their schools.

We will take a data-led approach to identify those responsible bodies with lower-than-expected attendance, particularly for disadvantaged pupils and SEND pupils. Through a balanced approach of support and challenge, we will help them identify the main areas for improvement in their schools, consider appropriate strategies, and agree specific actions.

We will match those that have higher than expected attendance for disadvantaged and SEND pupils with those that do not, helping them to learn how others have improved attendance for these pupils.

Activity 2: Providing expert support through our RISE attendance and behaviour hubs

We will ensure all schools have access to high-quality resources through our RISE attendance and behaviour hubs, which will provide support through 3 layers.

First, there will be universal support available to all schools, who will be able to access high-quality guidance, templates and webinars. Second, schools will be able to sign-up for a year of light-touch support which includes 6 online continuing professional development (CPD) sessions and 3 open days at a hub lead school. And lastly, schools with the greatest need will have access to an enhanced offer, delivering up to 10 days of targeted support, reaching around 60 schools across the South East by the end of the first year and around 180 schools over 3 years.

We will pro-actively identify and engage those schools that are most likely to benefit from the offer and will build awareness of the available support through focused communications to LAs, trusts and dioceses.

Activity 3: Supporting effective use of data tools and resources

We will help schools, trusts and local authorities across the South East make the best use of DfE resources, including webinars, case studies and data tools available via Access your school attendance data .

By promoting wider adoption of the tools available on the View your education data platform, such as the Similar Schools Comparison Report, we will help leaders take a data‑led approach to improving attendance.

This will include reviewing absence for types of pupils, particular year groups, and particular absence bands (for example 0 to 5%, 5 to 10% absence). We will also discuss Attendance Baseline Improvement Expectations (ABIEs), which set out expected improvements to support national progress.

We will signpost schools and trusts to the universal RISE offer and webpages available to access evidence-informed strategies. This will include case studies, webinars and best practice toolkits that will help schools monitor and improve attendance, for example by improving communication with families.

Activity 4: encouraging collaboration within the sector

We will work through networks – such as academy trust CEO groups and local authority forums – to bring responsible bodies together and promote effective partnership working.  

We will use these groups as an opportunity to share key messages on attendance and to showcase best practice. By leveraging these strong local networks, we will ensure that national guidance and support is best applied to regional contexts, such as in our coastal communities and high deprivation areas. This may also involve connecting schools in the South East to those in other regions that have a strong track record of achieving high levels of attendance in disadvantaged areas.  

We will bring schools together through our South East Action Learning Sets, which will help similar schools discuss how they might best address shared attendance challenges within their contexts, such as improving attendance within coastal areas or improving how they work with different agencies. We will also ensure that attendance features prominently in other regional networks, such as those focused on attainment and mainstream inclusion.

Attainment, with a focus on English and maths

RISE support for improving attainment in schools

Overview

Nationally, attainment has not yet returned to pre-pandemic levels, with gaps between different groups of pupils widening. Average key stage 1 and key stage 2 outcomes for all pupils in the South East are broadly in line with the national average. At key stage 4, average measures for all pupils are above the national average in the South East.

However, outcomes for disadvantaged pupils in the South East across all key stages are lower than disadvantaged pupils nationally. This means that the attainment gap for disadvantaged pupils in the South East is wider than it is nationally.

We also see significant variation in outcomes between local authority areas across the South East. For example, within the South East some local authority areas are in the top 20 nationally for outcomes at key stage 2, and some are in the bottom 10.

Nationally, White working-class pupils are one of the largest and lowest-performing groups in schools and are disproportionately identified as having SEND. When we look at average outcomes for White British disadvantaged pupils, in the South East these are lower than for White working-class pupils nationally.

Regional focus for South East on raising attainment

The data is clear that disadvantaged pupils, particularly White working-class pupils in the South East, have lower outcomes on average compared to their peers nationally. This is the case for key stage 1 phonics, key stage 2, attainment 8 and % of pupils of achieving a Grade 5 or above in English and Maths at GCSE. To improve attainment for this cohort, we need to understand how to support disadvantaged pupils well. 

We know that we need to work with schools and responsible bodies to improve our understanding of the barriers they are facing, as well as identifying good practice. In some cases, this may mean looking beyond our region to find schools that have similar characteristics but manage to achieve stronger outcomes for their disadvantage pupils. 

We also know that the barriers to improving attainment are multi-faceted, and we recognise that the strategies developed under the other 3 priorities will also have a positive impact on attainment and will play an important role in supporting us to improve outcomes for disadvantaged pupils, alongside the activities below. 

Proposed strategies to address attainment in the South East region

Activity 1: enhancing our understanding of the problem

We will focus on 3 groups of pupils:

• Pupils in coastal areas with low outcomes: Coastal areas in the South East see higher levels of deprivation and pupil mobility, compounded by low aspirations and significant difficulties in recruiting and retaining teachers, impacting educational outcomes.
• Concentrated disadvantage in inland towns: there are several towns that appear advantaged but have pockets of high levels of deprivation. This creates localised challenges for schools, requiring focused interventions.
• Hidden disadvantage in affluent areas: many schools in prosperous counties have very small proportions of disadvantaged pupils. These schools can achieve excellent results for pupils from higher socio-economic backgrounds, but small numbers of disadvantaged children are at risk of being overlooked, creating pockets of unmet need.

We will enhance our understanding of the problem by mapping out existing research and programmes for disadvantaged pupils that are currently taking place. We will also identify and bring together schools with cohorts that align with these 3 groupings.

Bringing this information together will allow us to understand more about the barriers these schools face, the strategies that have been tried and those that have had the most impact. It will also be a chance to share effective practice, create toolkits that schools can use and build meaningful networks.

Activity 2: challenge and support schools with low outcomes

We will identify schools with the lowest outcomes for disadvantaged pupils and hold data-led conversations with them to challenge leaders around what they are doing to improve outcomes and agree concrete next steps. This could include accessing support through the Universal RISE offer, such as hubs, peer networks and trusted school improvement partners with experience in similar contexts

We will also focus on identifying schools where the proportion of disadvantaged pupils not achieving the expected standard in phonics in year 1 is particularly low, as phonics provides the foundation for reading. We will direct those schools to the support provided by the English hubs.

Activity 3: encourage collaboration across the sector

We will support the development of the South East key stage 2 network, building on the work it has already started, to improve outcomes at key stage 2 and expanding from its initial focus on year 6 to supporting teachers and schools across all year groups. We will share our findings from activity 1 to help shape a programme of events that are focused to specific barriers facing schools in the South East.

We will promote network events via our universal RISE page and direct communication to schools we think would most benefit from the sessions.

We will also support the establishment of a South East key stage 3 network, which will feed into a national key stage 3 alliance. To begin with, the network will identify common challenges related to key stage 3 transition and share effective approaches to transition across schools in the South East. Further work will be shaped by the outcomes of activity 1.

We will support the establishment of the regional improvement team pilot in Kent and Medway to deliver innovative, place-based approaches that tackle the root causes of post 16 underperformance. 

Through these networks and our RISE advisers, we will also support schools to implement changes following the publication of the revised national curriculum in 2027.

Regional themes

Throughout our work, developing this plan, stakeholders have identified certain conditions that need to be in place to make the delivery of our plans a success.

Delivery of the 4 national RISE priorities in the South East depends on strong leadership and governance: the effective use of technology and artificial intelligence (AI) and financial sustainability. These strong foundations will enable partners across the region to deliver consistently, sustainably and at scale.

Theme 1: leadership and governance

Strong executive leadership and effective governance are essential to raising standards and delivering the RISE priorities. We will focus specifically on promoting a culture of collaborative leadership, acknowledging the importance of strong partnership working between schools, trusts, local authorities, dioceses and other key partners.

To support this, we will:

• Strengthen the pipeline of school and trust leaders across the region by promoting national professional qualifications (NPQs) and other CPD such as leadership development programmes.
• Encourage peer-to-peer support for trust CEOs and chairs, particularly those new to role, to foster a culture of openness and collaboration.
• Invest in strategic partnerships and sustained dialogue with local authority and diocesan education leaders, including through meetings with the Regional Director.
• Support existing leadership networks across the region, including those focused on attendance, inclusion, disadvantage, and curriculum innovation.
• Support trustees and leaders to build data confidence and fluency, for example in analysing attendance patterns and identifying emerging risks for vulnerable groups.
• Deploy RISE advisers to support local partnership working, helping to align strategies, broker support, and build capacity across local systems.

Theme 2: technology and AI

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.

To support this, we:

• have funded Portsmouth City Council to support the launch of the South East RISE Digital Partnership building on the award-winning Portsmouth: The Digital City Project. It is an initiative designed to narrow the digital divide in the South East and help partner schools and trusts make better use of AI and technology to raise standards in English and maths, reduce workload, and promote inclusive practice. Recent webinars have covered accessibility tools, technology to support reading and writing, and digital strategies for improving outcomes for all learners.
• will support workload reduction and teaching quality, by signposting practical training and examples of effective AI use in planning, feedback and administration.
• will strengthen inclusion, by promoting assistive technology training for new teachers and sharing local examples where AI supports pupils with SEND, English as an additional language (EAL) learners and young carers.

Theme 3: financial sustainability

Feedback through our engagement with the sector on the contents of this plan has consistently pointed to financial sustainability and the capacity of some schools to collaborate effectively as being a key foundation for the successful delivery of our broader school improvement priorities. This is a particular challenge for small and rural schools.

We recognise that local authorities, trusts and schools do not make strategic decisions in isolation. For us to achieve the aims set out in this plan, we will need to work together collectively, to find effective solutions when faced with these challenges. In the South East, we will work closely with schools to ensure that funding is deployed as efficiently and effectively as possible and provide a suite of initiatives to support school finances.

To support this, the department will:

• Strengthen financial leadership and share good practice by supporting a range of opportunities for school and trust business leads to connect and collaborate.
• Maintain clear signposting to DfE guidance and support through Maximising value for pupils, to help schools and groups seize opportunities to maximise value from every pound in 4 key areas: commercial spend; assets, including reserves; workforce deployment; and developing capabilities, including digital and technology. The new programme will build on the tools and services we already offer, providing an expanded level of support in the form of benchmark data, toolkits, commercial offers, capability building, case studies, and investment in areas such as technology
• Support strategic planning at a local level, work with the sector to develop a decision-making framework for the use of mainstream school space through demographic change.

We will ensure that the department is balancing the opportunities created by the fall in birth rates – including delivery of priorities such as support for children and young people with SEND, school-based nursery provision and Best Start Family Hubs – with a collective view on the long-term risks.

The department is committed to:

• learning from strong local area approaches as we develop a framework that will embed best practice across the system and ensure the mainstream school estate remains resilient and flexible to changing local demand
• co-creating this framework with the sector and will engage with key stakeholders throughout 2026, with a view to publishing a framework in autumn 2026

Ambitions

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

Reception-year quality

• By April 2026: to have established several place-based networks focused on improving reception-year quality and attainment particularly for pupils eligible for free school meals and in coastal areas. 
• By September 2026: all 5 RISE reception networks are fully established and operational, with early collaborative activity underway and initial examples of effective practice shared across the region. 
• By April 2027: uptake of Nuffield Early Language Intervention (NELI) has increased in focused areas, and schools are embedding communication-rich pedagogy and early literacy practice. 

Inclusive mainstream

• By July 2026: we will have embedded the new South East Mainstream Inclusion Forum, using this to strengthen cohesion across inclusion activity in the South East.
• By November 2026: we will have mapped the current Inclusion base landscape in the South East region and the ability to meet current and projected SEND need, informing our decision-making and enabling us to better support proposals.
• By April 2027: the regular sharing of best practice examples by peer networks, high-performing settings and local partnerships, facilitated by our South East Regional team, actively supporting schools and with a specific focus on improving practice for supporting SLCN and SEMH.

Attendance

  - By April 2027: we will have completed targeted engagement with responsible bodies that have been identified as having higher than expected absence. - By April 2027: 10 attendance and behaviour hubs are fully operational, with up to 60 schools receiving enhanced support via tailored guidance, mentoring, and peer support.

Attainment, with a focus on English and maths

• By March 2026: key stage 2 attainment network is operational, sharing high-quality literacy and numeracy resources, with early improvements expected in 2026 key stage 2 reading, writing, and maths outcomes.  
• By May 2026: key stage 3 secondary networks linked to the RISE key stage 3 Alliance are established, supporting curriculum coherence and progression into key stage 4.

How these ambitions relate to the commitments in ‘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 2028/29 (equivalent to 20 million additional days in school).
• Every mainstream school will be set an Attendance Baseline Improvement Expectations (ABIE), which set 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 South East, our ambition is for key stage 2 outcomes to reach 66% for all pupils and 48% for disadvantaged pupils by the end of this Parliament.

RISE universal school improvement architecture

The South East regional support page has a range of school improvement resources, including RISE hubs and networks to support your improvement journey:

Introduction

Successful implementation of this plan will depend on the effectiveness of our RISE universal regional school improvement architecture, by which we mean the combined system of DfE-funded and DfE-endorsed hubs, networks, alliances and the governance, operational and communication structures that connect them.

It is through this system we will seek to deliver consistent, high-quality support for every school in the region to help deliver the 4 priorities set out in this plan. For this reason, we will be intentional in working to develop and continuously strengthen this architecture.

For clarity, we define the different elements of the Universal RISE architecture as follows:

• hub: a DfE‑designated school or organisation delivering against a defined methodology and evidence base
• network: a recognised sector‑led group focused on collaboration, sharing effective practice and peer support
• alliance: a national, time‑limited, DfE‑initiated group of sector leaders focused on a specific strategic priority

Aim for school improvement architecture in the South East

To be as effective as possible for schools, we aim to develop the architecture, so all elements are:

• accessible to all schools
• well-connected with the department, with key stakeholder and, where needed, with one another
• aligned with RISE priorities, and
• delivering evidence-led support.

So, the work of this system can reach every school, we will work with a range of organisations and groupings in the South East which will be key to enabling effective communication to, and engagement of, schools. These enabling organisations and groupings include:

• trust and CEO forums, diocesan networks, and local education partnerships
• well‑established subject and phase networks
• regional groupings of local authorities, MATs, and other system leaders
• strategic partnerships with SESLIP, diocesan education teams, sector alliances and SEND networks

Together, these organisations and groupings will play an important role in:

• providing clear and consistent communication routes into all schools regarding RISE priorities, opportunities and expectations
• encouraging full engagement across responsible bodies
• acting as a two‑way communication channel, enabling schools and leaders to shape delivery through feedback, and contributing to problem‑solving
• connecting effectively with the department and the regional architecture, ensuring regional delivery aligns with national evidence and priorities.

To ensure this architecture and our work with these enabling organisations results in a high-quality service to schools, robust mechanisms for quality assurance will be in place. This will include using feedback from schools and responsible bodies, performance data and local intelligence so that we understand need, identify highly effective practice, and share this accordingly.

Existing RISE universal architecture

The established RISE Universal architecture in the South East currently includes:

• English, maths, music and teaching school hubs
• Early years stronger practice hubs
• SEND hubs and inclusive practice networks
• attendance and behaviour hubs
• digital and EdTech networks
• reception-focused networks and early years improvement groups.

We have recently supplemented the system with:

• reception networks to support reception-year quality and early language
• networks for inclusion bases with specialisms in autism, SLCN and SEMH needs
• the new South East Mainstream Inclusion Forum, to improve collaboration and coordination across SESLIP, RISE, and other regional inclusion programmes.
• RISE key stage 3 alliance
• key stage 2 regional networks

Approach to developing our architecture

To strengthen our system in the South East further, ensuring schools experience a coherent offer from which they can access the support they need, we will work with all elements of our existing architecture and key stakeholders to:

• improve the culture of collaboration across the region and consider how to help overcome practical barriers to schools collaborating
• minimise duplication across the system, including by building on successful local structures and considering how the existing elements of the RISE architecture might usefully become involved in local networks to strengthen system coherence
• identify gaps in the existing architecture and determine how they will be filled
• establish new, or develop existing, networks where required by national developments to ensure full coverage
• monitor and improve engagement with all aspects of Universal RISE across the region, prioritising those schools with greatest need, by:
  • improving our approach to communications, ensuring all schools, governing boards and responsible bodies receive coherent information about Universal RISE in a timely way
  • focusing communications at schools with lower engagement and encouraging involvement of those which deliver the most effective practice

Implementation of our plans will be sequenced in line with national timelines and regional capacity, so change is manageable, coherent and sustainable.

The South East Regions Group will establish a RISE regional delivery partnership bringing together representation from, for example, local authorities, dioceses, trusts, hubs, network leads, and/or RISE advisers. The group will provide strategic oversight, alignment, and direction across the region, driving progress and ensuring activity is well coordinated, transparent, and connected to wider national and regional priorities.

Operational delivery will be supported by clear roles and responsibilities, coordination mechanisms and regular engagement with hubs, networks and partners. We will actively invite schools, trusts, local authorities, dioceses and sector leaders to feedback and contribute to shaping and strengthening the architecture over time.

RISE advisers act as guides, helping schools, trusts and local authorities navigate the universal RISE offer, connect with the most relevant hubs and networks, and align activity with regional priorities.  

Email us at: southeast.riseregionalmailbox@education.gov.uk.

Case study: system collaboration to strengthen mathematics across phases

The challenge

A 10‑primary and 2‑secondary school trust in Oxfordshire is working with the Bucks, Berks and Oxon maths hub to strengthen coherence in mathematics teaching across phases.

The partnership aims to develop shared approaches to mathematical language, representations and reasoning, improving consistency across schools and ensuring smoother progression from upper key stage 2 into key stage 3.

Working collaboratively

The work draws on the complementary strengths of both organisations: the trust contributes deep knowledge of its schools and strategic aims, while the maths hub brings specialist expertise in teaching for mastery and high‑quality professional development. Together they have adapted the established maths hub work group model to create structured cross‑phase collaboration.

Trust leaders had identified significant variation in mathematical approaches across their ten primary schools and recognised that greater alignment between primary and secondary practice would support pupils transitioning into year 7.

In response, the collaboration extends the Primary Teaching for Mastery Work Group to include year 5 and year 6 teachers working directly with secondary heads of mathematics, guided by the trust’s senior leaders. A primary assistant maths hub lead facilitates the professional learning, with a focus on deepening subject knowledge, strengthening the use of representations and manipulatives, and developing reasoning through collaborative planning and discussion.

Impact

Although the work is ongoing, early impact is visible. Teachers are beginning to adopt shared language, representations and approaches across the trust. There is a clearer, more collective understanding of curriculum progression and growing collaboration between primary and secondary colleagues.

What worked well and next steps

Overall, the case study demonstrates how partnerships between trusts and maths hubs can combine strategic leadership, school‑level insight and specialist expertise to improve professional learning and curriculum coherence across phases.