Government to pilot new school profiles and expand RISE support

The government is preparing to pilot a new digital “school profiles” system and expand the role of Regional Improvement for Standards and Excellence (RISE) teams in supporting schools with low attainment.

According to its consultation response on school accountability reform, the Department for Education (DfE) will begin testing school profiles in the 2025/26 academic year before launching them publicly in 2026/27.

The profiles will replace existing performance tables and combine Ofsted’s forthcoming report cards with the DfE’s most up-to-date performance data. Officials said the aim is to give parents “clear, transparent and reliable information” while also supporting schools through benchmarking and collaboration tools.

Alongside the profiles, the DfE confirmed RISE teams will begin informal engagement with schools showing “concerning” levels of attainment from autumn 2025. The teams, made up of experienced school leaders and advisers, will work with responsible bodies to identify challenges, connect schools to sources of best practice and agree targeted improvement actions .

The government will also consult this autumn on further options for using RISE to address low attainment, including the metrics that should determine eligibility for support. Respondents to the consultation stressed the need for contextual data, such as disadvantage levels and cohort size, to avoid unfairly penalising schools where results fluctuate year to year .

The reforms follow last year’s removal of Ofsted’s single headline grades and form part of wider changes intended to reduce high-stakes accountability while increasing transparency and intervention where standards are low.