It’s open evening season, and Year 6 parents are asking the same question: will my child be supported when they start secondary school? The move from primary to secondary is one of the biggest transitions a young person will face. New building, new routines, new faces, and often less time with one trusted adult. For some children, particularly those with SEMH, communication or learning needs, it can feel overwhelming. As a parent, you want to know your child will be supported

Across the country, schools are navigating rising levels of need. Inclusion is more complex, anxiety is more visible, and SEND reform is firmly back in focus. Leaders are not short of initiatives. They are searching for approaches that genuinely work in mainstream settings. Sustainable strategies that strengthen wellbeing without lowering expectations. When I revisited Woodland View Junior School this spring, Sam White invited me in to explore how their approach to regulatio

A new Headship After Hours vodcast with Paul Collin If you're supporting young people struggling with behaviour, regulation, engagement or belonging, I think you'll get lots from this conversation. I recently joined my great friend and former Headteacher Paul Collin for his Headship After Hours vodcast to share practical ideas and reflections around: 🤝 Building relationships before correction 🧠 Understanding what's underneath behaviour 🏃 Using movement to support regulatio

As schools start the new academic year, it feels like the right time to revisit one report that has really stayed with me. Back in July, I had the privilege of spending the afternoon at the Palace of Westminster for the launch of Prevention That Pays, a new report from PBE (formerly Pro Bono Economics), commissioned by The Children's Society. Over the course of my 20-year teaching career, I had a front row seat to the growing challenges surrounding young people's mental healt

Celebrating the people who chose to take action and create a better world for young people I've spent a lot of this summer pulling together our Future Action 2025/26 Impact Report, reading case studies, revisiting the data and reflecting on another year of partnering with incredible schools and organisations. There are lots of numbers we're proud of: improvements in wellbeing and attendance, reductions in behaviour incidents, greater engagement and more young people feeling s

Welcome back. We hope you have had a fantastic summer holiday. As another academic year begins, there is one question worth asking: How will you create the conditions for your young people to thrive this year? Every school will answer that differently. For some, the priority will be attendance. For others, behaviour, engagement, enrichment, belonging, relationships with families or giving staff greater confidence to support young people with increasingly complex needs. For

As educators and school leaders across the country prepare for a new academic year, many will be thinking about the young people coming back through the gates in September. Who is struggling to belong? Who finds it difficult to regulate? Who has disengaged from learning, movement or school altogether? And what can we do differently this year? Those are the questions that drive our work at Future Action. This summer, I’ve also spent some time looking backwards, putting togethe

Friday 3rd July will stay with us for a long time. Six brilliant schools came together at Clare Mount Specialist Sports College to celebrate something special: a year of relationships, movement and courage that has transformed how hundreds of young people across the Wirral experience school. This was not just a fun day out, although it was certainly that too. It was a celebration of everything the Wirral RISE Up partnership has built together since February 2025. A Day of Co

Why Relationship-Led Schools Can Still Hold High Standards KEY IMPACT 31% reduction in behaviour points for a vulnerable student 19% fewer lesson removals and 12% fewer suspensions school-wide 27% improvement in student mental wellbeing School Wellbeing Scorecard increased from 65% to 92% This case study covers: Balancing Nurture and Structure | Trauma-Informed Practice | Internal Provision | Whole-School Culture | Behaviour Without Exclusion | Movement for Regulation | Leade

Last week felt like a snapshot of something bigger happening across education. The publication of the second article in our three-part series for Physical Education Matters. The opportunity to present Confident, Connected, Curriculum-Ready: Embedding Trauma-Informed PE Through RISE Up at the afPE National Conference. The launch of a Hampshire RISE Up partnership alongside Hampshire Virtual School and Hampshire Outdoor Learning, welcoming six new schools committed to supportin

Last week marked Future Action's 6th birthday. This week, we have a podcast for you as a present. Behaviour, attendance, engagement and wellbeing remain significant challenges for many schools. What role can movement and relationships play in helping young people feel safe, connected and ready to learn? In this episode of Trauma Informed Conversations, I was delighted to join the brilliant Jessica Parker for a conversation about practical trauma-informed strategies that can h

Education can be a powerful tool in aiding healing and growth for children who have faced adverse childhood experiences, often abbreviated as ACEs. These troubling experiences range from abuse to family issues and can deeply impact a child's emotional and psychological health. This blog delves into how schools, through early intervention programmes like RISE Up combined with psychologically safe environments and trusted relationships with emotionally available adults, not onl

KEY IMPACT 17% improvement in student wellbeing 33-point increase in School Wellbeing Scorecard (52% → 85%) Mental Fitness improved from 0% → 88%, helping students develop practical self-regulation strategies This case study covers: Special School Context | Profound and Severe Learning Difficulties | Autism | RISE Up for Regulation | Movement for Transitions | Jumping as a Regulation Tool | Classroom Sport Sanctuaries | Staff Confidence | Lunchtime Provision | Student Voice |

As schools begin planning for 2026/27, many leaders are asking similar questions: How do we improve belonging? How do we support wellbeing without creating another initiative? How do we demonstrate impact? How do we build something sustainable? During the half-term break, we were delighted to learn that Future Action has been named the UK's Leading Student Wellbeing Teacher Training Course at the UK Enterprise Awards for the second consecutive year. Whilst we are incredibly p

KEY IMPACT: 55% improvement in student mental wellbeing 44 point improvement in School Wellbeing Scorecard (46% to 90%) 4 out of 8 wellbeing indicators moved from Rarely to Often for Sport Sanctuary pupils This case study covers: Trauma-Informed to Trauma-Invested | Whole School Training | RISE Up Sport Sanctuary | Inclusive Teams and Belonging | Parent Workshop | Movement Breaks | Student Voice It is a Tuesday afternoon in Frimley, Surrey. Gary Pearson has a group of young p

KEY IMPACT: 61% improvement in student mental wellbeing 43% increase in Monday morning attendance 39% increase in School Wellbeing Scorecard At Springfield Primary School in Sandwell, Deputy Headteacher Claire Seddon had a clear conviction: the traditional behaviourist approach was not working for their children. She and her Headteacher Alison Bhardwaj had read widely around trauma-informed practice, but what they needed was a vehicle, something that could bring the whole sch

It was a real pleasure to be on the road last recently, meeting inspiring schools and colleagues, delivering training, capturing case studies, and co-creating strategic visions across Birmingham, Chesterfield and Blackpool. A very warm welcome to all colleagues who have recently joined us, and a big thank you to those who continue to be part of the journey. The Global RISE Up community exists to bring together educators and leaders who are passionate about transforming childr

Last week, James Mooney sent an email to the Bristol School Sport Network asking everyone to put aside time to read the newly published Game On report away from distractions. No notifications. No multitasking. Just read it. That kind of ask from a senior leader says something. It says this matters. James is Senior Curriculum Leader for PE, School Sport and Physical Activity at Cabot Learning Federation and one of the most thoughtful practitioners I know. His take on the repor

Within the global RISE Up community, there is a place for anyone who believes that relationships, movement, and wellbeing toolkits are essential to transforming children’s mental wellbeing and life chances, whether you are a student teacher, an executive head, an external partner, or anywhere in between. This week, we are proud to share the story of the brilliant Bianka Gombás , a PGCE Primary PE student, whose journey back to teaching will resonate with anyone who has ever q

After Easter, the pressure ramps up. Exams are approaching. Energy dips. And for some young people… this becomes the hardest term of the year. Not because of the content. But because of how they feel. Many leaders are telling us the same thing: “We’re trying everything… but we’re still not reaching some of our most vulnerable students.” A growing focus in schools right now Across the schools we’re working with, three priorities keep coming up: Inclusion – every young pers