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RISE teams and a new era for school intervention

Everything you and your board need to know about Regional Improvement for Standards and Excellence (RISE)

Blog
13/03/2025

This blog post was updated on 19 March 2025 to reflect new announcements about plans for RISE teams.

School improvement and accountability remain a central focus for the new government鈥檚 education plans and the latest proposals surrounding Regional Improvement for Standards and Excellence (RISE) teams are a key element. The teams, made up of experienced leaders with a track record of driving improvement, are set to take on a more significant role in supporting underperforming schools. Here鈥檚 everything you need to know.

Focusing on 鈥渟tuck schools鈥

Under current proposals outlined in the Department for Education鈥檚 (DfE鈥檚) , RISE teams will initially focus on 鈥渟tuck schools.鈥 These are schools that:

  • currently hold a 鈥榬equires improvement鈥 single headline grade; or
  • received a sub-judgement of 鈥榬equires improvement鈥 for leadership and management and/or quality of education in 2024/25; and
  • were rated below 鈥榞ood鈥 in their Ofsted inspection before that.

Over 600 stuck schools have already been identified, meaning RISE teams have a significant task on their hands to provide targeted intervention, work alongside school leaders to build capacity and implement sustainable improvement.

Perhaps more interestingly, greater operational detail about the targeted intervention reveals that RISE teams will employ a five-phase process for schools which includes:

  • Phase 1: Schools identified based on Ofsted judgements
  • Phase 2: Initial assessment by a RISE adviser- if a school is already making strong progress, intervention may be light touch, such as regular 鈥榗heck-ins鈥.
  • Phase 3: Where required, schools matched with a high quality intervention partner (MATs or LA partnerships)
  • Phase 4: Improvement plans developed, potentially with funded support
  • Phase 5: Monitoring and evaluation over 12 to 24 months

  • "“Stuck schools are the new front in the fight against low expectations … I will not accept a system that is content for some to sink, even while others soar."

    Bridget Phillipson MP, Secretary of State for Education

    The future of intervention

    Looking forward to September 2026, the role of RISE teams will evolve to align with the government鈥檚 intention to replace the existing intervention model. Currently, underperforming schools are subject to structural intervention measures: academy orders for maintained schools and rebrokering for academies. However, the next academic year will bring a new approach, in which RISE teams will deliver mandatory targeted intervention as the first level of intervention for underperforming schools, and under the new system, structural changes will only be triggered as a last resort. In practice, this will mean a school will have 18 months to demonstrate sufficient progress following RISE intervention, as assessed by Ofsted monitoring and inspection.

    The move to delayed academisation or rebrokering is unsurprising given the Department鈥檚 recent 鈥榮tructural agnosticism鈥 and its preference for internal capacity building in the first instance. Nevertheless, multi academy trusts (MATs) remain a central feature of the intervention model, with the consultation document acknowledging the important role they have in driving improvement. For governors and trustees, this marks a huge shift in accountability structures and introduces a new programme of school improvement. Although more detailed guidance from the DfE is yet to be published, governors and trustees will likely need to work closely with RISE teams to monitor interventions and ensure they lead to meaningful progress for their schools.

    Commenting on these proposals, first set out in the Children鈥檚 Wellbeing and Schools Bill, Emma Balchin, 色情Porn Chief Executive, said:

    鈥淓nding the presumption that any new school will be an academy, and every school causing concern will be academised, is also sensible. Trusts add huge value to many schools and are experts at delivering school improvement. However, it is not realistic to believe that trusts will always be best placed to open a new school in every community, and nor that academisation will always be the best way of delivering improvement for any struggling school. The bill rightly facilitates greater flexibility for local decision makers.鈥

    Universal support services

    Beyond intervention, RISE teams are also expected to deliver a broader 鈥渦niversal service,鈥 supporting all schools by signposting best practice, facilitating peer support networks and encouraging collaboration.聽

    At the Association of School and College Leaders鈥 (ASCL) recent national conference, the Education Secretary announced that the service will focus on four national priorities:

    • Attainment (with an emphasis on English and Maths)
    • Reception year quality
    • Inclusion
    • Attendance

    It should be recognised that for any of the first three priorities to have a meaningful impact, children must be in school every day. With persistent absence rates alarmingly high and the effects of the pandemic still looming, tackling the attendance crisis is more important now than ever. The link between attendance and attainment is well established, but a recent also found that unauthorised school absence is a leading cause of the widening performance gap between disadvantaged pupils and their peers.

    With this in mind, we are pleased to hear the Department has made headway with their attendance plans, with RISE teams already engaging in 100 attendance conversations with trusts and local authorities and hosting national conferences that bring together school leaders to share best practice and develop targeted strategies.

    As information begins to surface about the DfE鈥檚 objectives, it is clear that this future initiative presents a key opportunity for boards to actively participate in sector-wide improvement, ensuring schools benefit from shared learning and cases of innovation driving success in the school system.

    Recognising the role of governance

    While these proposals remain subject to consultation, governing boards should consider what these changes mean for their schools and trusts, particularly against the existing backdrop of Ofsted reform. It has been announced that the definition of 鈥渟tuck schools鈥 will evolve with the introduction of Ofsted鈥檚 new report cards. Once implemented, schools identified as 鈥渘eeding attention鈥 in leadership and governance, alongside a history of below 鈥榞ood鈥 Ofsted outcomes, will be subject to RISE team intervention. More information on Ofsted report cards can be found in their .

    As these reforms take shape, keeping up to date with the evolving accountability landscape will be essential. By engaging with RISE teams and ensuring that interventions lead to sustainable improvement, governance will be instrumental in shaping a system that aims to drive greater school improvement. However, the question remains, will the RISE teams have the governance-specific knowledge to capitalise on the wealth of insights governors and trustees bring to the conversation? As the first line of accountability, those governing are perfectly placed to bridge the gap between strategy and school improvement efforts, positioning them as key partners in this evolving framework of intervention.

    Ultimately, while the ambition behind RISE is clear, its success will depend on effective collaboration, clarity of roles and the recognition and utilisation of an organisation鈥檚 governance expertise.

    A guide to Ofsted inspection

    Read our guide to understand what governing boards need to know about inspections.
    Fariha Choudhury

    Fariha Choudhury

    Senior Projects and Advocacy Officer

    Fariha supports the development of 色情Porn's policy and information outputs with a particular focus on multi academy trust governance. Alongside working at 色情Porn, Fariha is undertaking a Masters in Education at the University of Birmingham.

    View Fariha's full profile

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