Research & Improvement for SEND Excellence (RISE)

We deliver a bespoke programme of targeted support for local areas addressing key challenges.

SEND early years children in an educational setting

The RISE (Research and Improvement for SEND Excellence) Partnership, led by CDC, was launched in 2022 to support SEND improvement in local areas. Through the RISE Partnership, we work in collaboration with the Department for Education (DfE) leads and local area SEND partnerships to identify local challenges and design a bespoke intervention for each proposed local area that supports their development need and facilitates improvement. Initially a three-year programme, successful to over 67 local areas and workforce training and development to over a thousand colleagues across England has enabled two years of extensions for the Partnership. You can read more about the contract here.

We also design and develop a programme of national online training, events, webinars and eLearning that addresses common challenges identified by leaders and practitioners across the country via a workforce survey. You can view details of upcoming training events and webinars are here.

What Works in SEND is part of a programme of work led by the RISE Partnership bringing together thought leaders from the SEND system who have the necessary understanding of system change and specialist knowledge of SEND. It's an ambitious learning and innovation initiative designed to generate high-quality evidence of what works (and what doesn’t) in SEND service improvement and practice models. You can find resources and examples here. 

In February 2026, the DfE published its White Paper “Every Child Achieving and Thriving”. This sets out a major reform package for schools, focusing on narrowing the disadvantage gap, improving attendance, and strengthening the support for children and young people with special educational needs. It proposes new area-based improvement programmes, attendance recovery targets, and school “profiles” to give parents clearer information. 

Upcoming trainings

National Events and Webinars

  • Check out our Events and Training Calendar for upcoming national events and webinars intended to support leaders across SEND partnerships in this time of change. 

E-Learning

See below our current e-learnings:

If you would like to find out more about the RISE Programme, please contact [email protected] or [email protected].