Building Belonging Before the Bell: Greenside’s RISE Up Journey
- Neil @ Future Action
- Oct 6
- 5 min read
Since October 2024, it’s been a real privilege to partner alongside Michael Ellis, the driving force behind the RISE Up programme at Greenside Primary School in Droylsden, Tameside.
From our very first meeting, it was clear that Michael and the team were deeply committed to inclusion, wellbeing, and helping every child feel like they belong.
Greenside’s warm, supportive atmosphere has made it an ideal place to embed the RISE Up approach in a way that works for their unique school context.
Here, Michael reflects on the journey so far — in his own words.
Intent
Creating a Positive Start
“At Greenside Primary, we’ve always been committed to ensuring every child feels included, supported, and set up to succeed.
When we started the RISE Up programme, our focus was on a small group of children in Years 4 to 6 who needed an extra boost in confidence, a more positive start to their day, or extra support to improve attendance and engagement.
Some were finding it harder to settle into morning routines or join in with clubs, and we wanted to create a space that gave them a sense of belonging and something to look forward to.
Role Models in the Room
We also deliberately invited two children from Year 5 who were already emotionally intelligent, reliable attendees at school clubs.
They’ve acted as role models and helped set the tone for a supportive, inclusive space right from the start.
Linking with Wider Wellbeing
Over time, the club has become part of a wider network of wellbeing interventions at Greenside — including Forest Schools, the Nurture Room, and the weekly RIC group.
Parents and teachers now actively signpost children towards RISE Up, and we’re also using it to support pupils who find the start of the school day particularly challenging.”
Implementation
Building Trust and Consistency
“We introduced the RISE Up programme through our RISE Up Sport Sanctuary and Active Play provision, initially starting small to build trust and consistency.
Sessions run before school every Monday and Friday and are deliberately fun, inclusive, and movement-based — drawing on the four types of RISE activities. After the active session, we head indoors for toast and a group check-in. Children share stories, updates, and learn the importance of listening to one another.
Expanding the Group
Over time, we co-created clear group rules and routines to balance the nurture-structure highway. This helped build a sense of safety and belonging.
As trust grew, so did our numbers. What began with around 15 pupils now involves closer to 20 regular attenders. More children asked to join after hearing about it from friends, and we gradually expanded the group.
Wellbeing Warriors
Another positive development has been the creation of Wellbeing Warriors — children who support the work we are doing by running a snack bar at school opening and break time.
They provide toast and snacks, encourage peers to use the worry monster, and signpost others to the den if they need to talk. Some of these Wellbeing Warriors are themselves past or present members of the RISE Up Club, which has given them a real sense of pride and responsibility.”
Impact
Growing in Confidence
“The change has been striking.
Children who previously struggled with confidence or didn’t always enjoy the start of the day are now more engaged, positive, and ready to learn. Many are now signing up for extra-curricular activities, and we’ve seen them grow in self-belief, energy, and enthusiasm.
Attendance has improved. Out of eight regular attenders who began the club with concerns around absence, six finished the school year above 92% and were no longer in that category. That shift has been transformational — showing how powerful it can be when children feel they belong and are given a positive start to the day.
Student Focus
One standout example is a girl in the group who used to feel very anxious in the mornings.
Through the club she’s developed real confidence — she’s now arriving at school happy, attending three other clubs each week, and even representing the school at events — something she never would have considered before.
Another lovely moment came when a Year 6 pupil chose to leave the club — because he discovered classmates playing football in the mornings and wanted to join in.
The real win? He’s now in school early every day, something that wouldn’t have happened without the initial boost from the RISE Up club.
Student Voice
Children themselves reflected on what they enjoy most about RISE Up:
“I like getting to talk about what I’ve been up to over the weekend with my friends.”
“I love doing lots of different activities and games.”
“I love doing different sports — it’s cool!!”
“I love that we get toast! It is my breakfast on Monday and Friday!!!”
Opening Doors
We’ve also learned that even when some children decline the invite, it can still open doors. Those conversations often lead to valuable insights about morning routines, giving us the chance to offer extra support where it’s most needed.
Tracking the Impact
To properly track impact, I completed two forms before and after the intervention — the shortened Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale (WEMWBS) and our School Wellbeing Scorecard.
The results speak for themselves: teacher perceptions of pupils’ mental wellbeing improved by 37.5% on WEMWBS, moving children from ‘some of the time’ to ‘often’ or even ‘all of the time’ across almost every domain. The biggest gain was in children ‘feeling close to others,’ which reflects the friendships and sense of belonging that the club has created.
Our School Wellbeing Scorecard also rose from 49% to 77%, showing that RISE Up hasn’t just made a difference for this group — it’s strengthened our wider school culture too.
“It’s become a really positive start to the school day — for our children and our adults.” – Michael Ellis
Moving Forward
Embedding a Culture of Belonging
“We’re proud of the culture we’ve created — a space that helps children start the day positively and strengthens relationships, not just between peers, but between adults and children too.
The group has developed a real sense of ownership, and they’re even suggesting games and activities themselves.
The support from Future Action and the meeting with Neil gave us the confidence to grow something we had already envisioned. It helped validate our approach and inspired us to think bigger.
Most importantly, the club now links seamlessly with everything else we do as a school — from regulation stations and active brain breaks to our wide extra-curricular and events offer.
It has become a natural part of our wider wellbeing culture, supporting not only children who struggle, but also those who model empathy and care for their peers.”
A Huge Thank You
To Michael and the brilliant team at Greenside from all of us at Future Action — and for every educator in our global RISE Up community who goes above and beyond to help young people feel safe, supported, and empowered to flourish.
Do You Want To Take The First Steps To Improving Your Students’ Wellbeing?
✅ [1] Join our waiting list – to explore partnerships, training, consultancy, speaking opportunities, or to get your copy of Time to RISE Up:
👉 Join the Waiting List here
📝 [2] Complete your School Wellbeing Scorecard – it takes just 3 minutes to map your current provision and identify key areas to strengthen:
👉 Complete the Scorecard here
Have a brilliant week, and thank you for all you do for your young people.
Neil Moggan and the Future Action team
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