RISE - Tracking progress beyond the classroom

At Waterside School, our teachers understand that progress for learners with SEND is about far more than academic attainment. That is why we have developed RISE, our own framework for supporting and monitoring the areas we know matter most for our learners. At Waterside School, staff are genuinely valued. We are a close team, and the work we do together has a real and visible impact on the lives of our learners. Many of the learners who join us have had difficult experiences of school before, and being part of the team that changes that experience is something our staff tell us is deeply rewarding.

RISE stands for Regulation, Independence, Social communication, and Engagement. These four areas are explicitly taught through a series of structured activities that are woven into the school day, and progress in each area is carefully tracked using our RISE tracker. This gives staff, learners, and families a clear and meaningful picture of how each learner is developing across the areas that have the greatest impact on their day to day life and their long term wellbeing.

For parents and carers, the RISE framework is a way of seeing progress that goes beyond grades and test scores. It reflects the things that truly matter for a learner with special educational needs, and it sits at the heart of what Waterside School does.