Supporting the RISE Programme

Connecting evidence, workforce development and system leadership

We are pleased to share that Spencer Academies Trust, through the work of Derby Research School and Spencer Teaching School Hub, will play a role in supporting the delivery of the Department for Education’s new RISE programme, following the publication of the RISE Regional Plans on 29 June 2026.

As part of this, Tammy Elward, Director of Derby Research School and Spencer Teaching School Hub, and Executive Leader within Spencer Academies Trust, has been invited to join the regional RISE Delivery Partnership, working alongside system leaders to support improvement across the region.

Key messages

Derby Research School and Spencer Teaching School Hub will support delivery of the RISE programme.
Tammy Elward has joined the regional RISE Delivery Partnership.
The work will connect evidence, implementation and professional development.
The partnership aims to strengthen outcomes through evidence-informed system leadership.

A shared focus on what matters most

The RISE programme is part of the government’s Opportunity Mission, with a clear ambition: to break the link between background and future success.

The regional plans focus on four key priorities:

Raising attainment
Improving attendance
Strengthening reception year quality
Embedding effective mainstream inclusion

These priorities strongly align with our work across both the Research School and Teaching School Hub. They reflect areas where evidence-informed practice, high-quality professional development and effective implementation can make a sustained difference, particularly for disadvantaged pupils.

The plans provide a coherent framework for collaboration, encouraging schools, trusts and partners to focus effort on what is most likely to improve outcomes.

From evidence to action

A central feature of the RISE programme is the establishment of Regional Delivery Partnerships, designed to move from strategy to implementation at pace.

System leadership

Bringing together experienced leaders across the region.

Clear priorities

Focusing on a small number of agreed regional priorities.

Implementation

Testing, refining and scaling effective practice.

Impact

Driving practical, measurable improvements.

This focus on disciplined prioritisation, collaboration and sustained change closely reflects both the EEF’s implementation guidance and the core principles underpinning high-quality professional development.

Our role across Research School and Teaching School Hub

Through our combined roles, we bring a complementary contribution to the RISE programme:

Derby Research School: supporting schools to engage with and apply evidence effectively.
Spencer Teaching School Hub: strengthening professional development and leadership capacity across the system.
Trust system leadership: connecting practice, networks and partnerships across schools and organisations.

Anchor improvement work in robust evidence
Support effective implementation at scale
Build capability and consistency through professional development
Strengthen collaboration across schools, trusts and partners

Our involvement reflects a commitment to working across and beyond organisational boundaries to support system-wide improvement.

Tammy Elward

Comment from Tammy Elward

Director of Derby Research School and Spencer Teaching School Hub

“I am pleased to contribute to the regional RISE Delivery Partnership at a point where there is a clear and shared focus on the issues that matter most for pupils.

Across both the Research School and Teaching School Hub, our role is to ensure that improvement work is firmly anchored in the evidence base and supported by high-quality professional development. We see this as bringing together evidence, implementation and workforce development to enable change that is both practical and sustainable.

Acting as a guardian of the evidence base, we will support the partnership to draw on what we know works, while applying the principles of effective implementation so that approaches are not only adopted, but embedded over time.

In line with the EEF mission, we remain focused on supporting schools to use evidence well, particularly in ways that improve outcomes for disadvantaged pupils, and on strengthening a system that is both connected and evidence-informed.”

A collective effort

The success of RISE will depend on active participation across the system.

Schools and trusts can engage by:

Working with Research Schools, Teaching School Hubs and other networks
Sharing and reflecting on effective practice
Engaging with regional priorities and contributing to collective improvement efforts

An Expression of Interest process will also open for additional partnership members, enabling a wider group of leaders to contribute to this work.

Looking ahead

The ambition of RISE is clear: not simply to produce plans, but to deliver tangible improvements.

Better outcomes for pupils
Stronger alignment across the system
More consistent, high-quality practice

For Derby Research School and Spencer Teaching School Hub, this is an opportunity to further connect evidence, professional development and system leadership, supporting schools to focus on the approaches that have the greatest impact.