Local secondary school selected to support schools across England with attendance and behaviour excellence 

Ely College has been designated as a Department for Education RISE Behaviour and Attendance Hub, recognising the school's exceptional performance in student attendance and positive behaviour management.

The prestigious appointment means Ely College will work alongside schools nationally to share best practices and support improvements in attendance and behaviour systems. The school was selected following a rigorous application process that highlighted its outstanding outcomes and evidence-based approaches.

Simon Warburton, Principal of Ely College and Bishop Laney Sixth Form, said: "We are absolutely delighted to be recognised as a national hub school. This appointment reflects the dedication of our entire staff team and the positive partnership we have with students and families. Our attendance rates exceed national and contextual averages, of 92% while our suspension rates remain well below national levels at 2.7% versus 7.83% nationally."

As a hub school, Ely College will provide support, guidance, and training to other schools seeking to improve their attendance and behaviour outcomes. This includes hosting visits, delivering professional development, and sharing the strategies that have proven successful locally.

Mr Warburton added: "Every student deserves to be in school, engaged in learning, and part of a positive community. We're proud to share what we've learned with colleagues across the country to help more young people achieve their potential."

The DfE's RISE programme (Recognising and Improving School Ethos) aims to create a network of excellent schools that can support system-wide improvement in behaviour and attendance.

Ely College serves 1,640 students aged 11-18 and has shown consistent improvement in recent years, with its Progress 8 score rising from 0.34 to 0.65.  The college’s recent Ofsted report (March 2025) highlighted the “exemplary behaviour of many pupils” and that low level disruption was, “very rare”.