Movement, Meaning and Relationships: RISE Up in Action at Harleston Sancroft

Harleston Sancroft Academy, the only Church of England All Through School in Norfolk, continues to place wellbeing at the heart of its school culture.

Based in the heart of Harleston, the school provides a nurturing, inclusive environment where every child is supported to experience “Life in all its fullness.”

Two years ago, we shared how the school had introduced the RISE Up programme through form time, led brilliantly by Molly Harris and her team of form tutors. That initial layer focused on building mental fitness and emotional literacy. You can read that case study here.

This year, the Academy has taken the next step — embedding RISE Up principles more deeply into the PE curriculum to engage, support, and empower students who need it most.

From Form Time to the Heart of PE

The move to expand the RISE Up programme into PE lessons was driven by a clear ambition: to make physical education meaningful for all students — particularly those who had previously felt disconnected or overlooked.

With Molly moving on to new adventures in New Zealand, PE teacher Lewis Disbury has stepped up to lead this phase.

Working closely with colleagues and school leaders,

Lewis has embedded the RISE Up approach across Years 7–11, with particular focus on Years 8 and 9 fitness modules.

Through movement, regulation strategies, and trusted relationships, PE has become a space where young people can explore wellbeing in action — not just in theory.

Intent

The Academy’s vision was clear:

• Use movement intentionally to support regulation and emotional wellbeing

• Strengthen relationships between staff and students as a protective factor

• Ensure PE is a space where every student feels safe, included, and valued

• Develop targeted approaches for students facing significant challenges

Implementation

Key strategies included:

• RISE Up fitness lessons in Years 8 and 9 focused on emotional regulation, self-care, and accessible movement

• Trauma-informed cues used across all year groups to build psychological safety and encourage connection

• A wider offering of extra-curricular opportunities outside of the traditional curriculum including Match Of The Day Club, Golf, Warhammer and playing Darts

• Lunchtime basketball club launched for KS4 boys to support regulation, especially during wet weather

• Student voice gathered to shape lessons around interests, belonging, and wellbeing needs

• Staff training in Trauma Informed PE, helping tutors and teachers act as emotionally available adults

• Targeted relational support for students with the greatest need, including young carers, EAL students from conflict zones, and those requiring emotional regulation support

Impact

The impact has been both measurable and deeply human.

✅ School Wellbeing Scorecard: Since embedding RISE Up more deeply into the PE curriculum, Harleston Sancroft Academy’s School Wellbeing Scorecard score has risen from 47% in April 2024 to 85% in June 2025.

This 38-percentage-point improvement reflects the school’s growing confidence, culture of care, and commitment to using movement and relationships as a foundation for wellbeing.

Pre Intervention:

Post Intervention: 

📈 WEMWBS – Teacher Perceptions of Student Mental Wellbeing for a target group of Key stage 4 young people.

Using a Likert scale (1–5), teachers reported:

• 300–400% improvement for young people across indicators such as optimism, relaxation, and making up their own mind about things.

• 244% average improvement overall, highlighting the transformational impact of the programme at Sancroft

👥 Supporting Vulnerable Students

Following staff completion of Trauma Informed PE training, and a strengthened understanding of how Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) can affect a child’s wellbeing and life chances, the school has made a deliberate commitment to support some of its most vulnerable students through relational, movement-based strategies.

Here are three anonymised examples:

🎒 Key Stage 4 Young Carer: Previously disengaged and frequently truanting from PE, this student is now a regular, active participant. With the consistent support of a trusted adult and PE content shaped around her interests (such as dance), she now sees PE as a safe, positive space — one that offers emotional security, connection, and an outlet for expression.

Her unauthorised absence has improved by 2% this year, reflecting her growing sense of belonging and engagement in school life.

🏠 Key Stage 4 Virtual School Student Requiring Emotional Regulation Support: This young person initially struggled with emotional regulation, often presenting with anger and anxiety.

Through daily relationship-building and meaningful, personalised movement opportunities, their behaviour points dropped significantly — from a typical average of 50 at this point in the year to just 15.

They now proactively seek support from trusted adults and see PE as a vital tool for wellbeing and self-regulation.

🌍 Key Stage 3 Student with English as an Additional Language: Welcomed with care and intentional trauma-informed practice, this student quickly developed a sense of belonging through Outdoor Adventure activities and team sports.

They now attend football club regularly, have earned 167 positive behaviour points this academic year, and are thriving socially and emotionally. 

The next step is for them to represent the school football team when the new season begins — helping to further strengthen their identity and connection within the school community.

Additional Support: LOHA

Through an introduction by Future Action, the school was offered access to LOHA’s support service for all families.

LOHA focuses on strengthening protective, family-based factors identified in the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) research, helping to build resilience and emotional safety within the home. 

Families can access the service voluntarily as an additional layer of support.

Looking Ahead: The RISE Up Sport Sanctuary

The next exciting step for the school is the creation of a RISE Up Sport Sanctuary — a targeted intervention space offering:

• Personalised movement sessions for students with EHCPs or high SEMH needs

• Opportunities for co-regulation and mentoring with trusted adults

• A calming environment that uses movement to regulate and reconnect

• Access to outdoor activities like cycling and walking to harness biophilic benefits.

  
  

Planning for the sanctuary has begun, with support from Future Action and inspiration from RISE Up schools like Bure Park Specialist Academy.

Lewis is exploring how the sanctuary can meet the needs of the school’s most vulnerable children in a sustainable and trauma-informed way.

Reflections from the Executive Headteacher

Inspirational Executive Headteacher, Rob Connelly, said: 'Relationships are the cornerstone of our community where positive interactions serve to build a true sense of belonging.

We are confident that through building positive relationships, trust and loyalty will grow, enabling wise and thoughtful decisions which in turn promote a culture of success for all.

The RISE Up programme and its core principles align with our intentional interactions and have served to enhance our work, most notably within our PE and extra-curricular offer.

Students have grown in confidence, developing a greater sense of self-worth. Our vision is for all to flourish and experience Life In All Its Fullness.

Lewis has grasped this and lives this daily through his excellent leadership and desire to ensure everyone’s voice is heard and for opportunities to exist for all.'

Final Thoughts

The team at Harleston Sancroft Academy continues to lead the way in embedding movement, relationships, and wellbeing into everyday school life. Their work is an inspiring reminder that schools aren’t just about academic performance — it’s about people.

A huge thank you to Mr Disbury, Mr Connelly, and the brilliant team at Harleston Sancroft who go above and beyond every day to support their young people.

We are also incredibly grateful to Norfolk County Council Virtual School and the EAL team for funding the Norfolk RISE Up programme across all state schools in Norfolk this academic year — making vital early intervention work like this possible.

Do You Want To Take Your First Steps To Joining The Global RISE Up Community?

✅ Complete your School Wellbeing Scorecard – it takes just 3 minutes to map your current provision and identify key areas to strengthen.

📝 Join our waiting list here – explore partnerships, training, consultancy, speaking opportunities, or get your copy of Time to RISE Up.

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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