The government has announced a £20 million plan to help schools that have been struggling for years. More than 600 schools in England are classed as “stuck”, meaning they have received poor Ofsted ratings again and again. Around 300,000 children go to these schools, and many of them leave with lower results—14% behind in primary school and one full grade lower in secondary school subjects.

To tackle this, the Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson, has launched this programme to help turn things around. Special teams called RISE (Regional Improvement and Support Experts) will visit these 'stuck' schools to give them extra support. Each school can get up to £100,000 for improvement, compared to only £6,000 before. The idea is to speed up school improvement, give students a better chance in life, and make sure every child gets a fair shot at success.

Sir Mufti Hamid Patel, Chief Executive of Star Academies, “The introduction of RISE teams to support the work of our outstanding school trusts...will contribute to an aspirational system that benefits all children and families."

The government also wants stronger accountability, which means schools will be monitored more closely. If a school is failing badly, it could be taken over by an academy or moved into a different trust to improve quicker. The number of schools facing this kind of action is expected to double.

Leaders in education have welcomed the changes. They say these new measures are a step in the right direction and will help reduce the gap between children from richer and poorer families. They also believe it will make schools more equal and give every child a better chance to thrive in their future.