The government is ramping up efforts to tackle regional education gaps by exporting London’s academic success to underperforming schools across England.
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson says the new plan will build on lessons from the Blair-era London Challenge — a programme credited with transforming London’s school system in the 2000s.
Phillipson said the government’s Rise programme will apply proven techniques from that initiative to struggling schools in other regions. “We’re taking the best of what worked,” she said.
The move comes after this week’s A-level results highlighted the widening performance gap between students in London and those in areas like the Midlands and the north-east, where top-grade improvements have stalled.
To respond, the Department for Education will double the number of schools supported by the Rise programme. This initiative targets “stuck schools” — those with repeated poor inspection reports — and offers tailored help through expert leadership support, partnerships with successful schools, and up to £200,000 over two years in extra funding.
The goal is to raise standards and close the divide between high-performing London schools and those falling behind in other parts of the country.
