More from this theme Recent articles Bosses of under-performing schools given targeted support through the government’s RISE improvement scheme have felt “on trial” and ignored during the first few months of the programme. Others reported feeling stigmatised and reduced staff morale after their schools were branded ‘stuck’ by the Department for Education. Despite this, a government-commissioned evaluation of the RISE targeted support service found the programme has been “successful”. The scheme was launched last year, with its 65-strong team of advisers – leaders seconded to work alongside officials – appointed to specific schools in their region to identify priorities and propose an outside organisation to provide support. The programme focused on ‘stuck’ schools, those rated ‘requires improvement’ by Ofsted following an earlier inspection that resulted in a grade below ‘good’. The study focused on a sample from the first 223 RISE schools. Further reviews are set to be conducted. Here’s what you need to know… 1. ‘Clunky’ and anxiety-inducing The report said RISE teams would kick off the process through “informal initial contact” with the …