Education Secretary’s speech at RISE conference South West

The Education Secretary addressed leaders from schools and trusts in the south west to kick off a series of regional conferences focused on driving up standards.

She started by saying thank you to the leaders in the room for delivering so much to help children achieve and thrive, but she noted that there are still groups of children for whom school just isn’t working:

• Children with special educational needs and disabilities
• Children from disadvantaged communities
• White working-class children.

She highlighted that progress to improve can and must come from within the system and explained that the new RISE teams are drawing on the excellence that exists in some schools and spreading it to all schools. Case studies were used to explain how progress has been made already towards an education that is academically challenging by being:

• Strong on standards.
• Rich in opportunity.
• Rooted in strong relationships.
• Filled with purpose and belonging.

See the full speech for further details.