The first programme of the series joins Passmores School's deputy head Mr Drew on the front line of school discipline. Dealing with emotional teenagers, enforcing detentions and maintaining the school's high standards - as well as teaching history - is all in a day's work for Mr Drew. Some love him, others love to hate him. It's the last few days of term before Christmas and Mr Drew has more to contend with than a few snowballs in the playground. When a row over school uniform escalates, an accusation from a pupil threatens to derail his entire career.
This programme features the age-old problem of bullying. From cyber-harassment to an old-fashioned scrap, bullying is something that every school faces. As headteacher Mr Goddard says, it's only by acknowledging this that a school can tackle the issue. And while technology may have changed, with texts and social media, the issues of falling out and fitting in remain the same. Rebel Sam and model student Gabby come from opposite ends of the academic spectrum, but both of them, in different ways, have been affected by bullying. When Gabby starts to receive threatening text messages, deputy headteacher Mr Drew plays detective as he tries to discover the culprit and bring them to justice. And when Sam - who has been bullied in the past for being 'different' - falls out with close friend Dean, Mr Drew is called upon to act as referee as Dean's irate mum and sister arrive at school demanding action. 'Bullying has such a strong connotation,' says Mr Drew. 'People are constantly fearful that their child is being bullied or their child is a bully. Actually these things are very rarely cut and dried.'
Charming but cheeky Vinni was a model student when he started at the school. But since the break-up of Vinni's parents' marriage his behaviour has deteriorated. So much so that head teacher Mr Goddard worries whether Vinni will make it to the end of Year 11. And some staff question how far the school can go to keep him in school. When Vinni's home situation dramatically changes, it has a huge impact on his school life and leads Mr Goddard to one of the most heartbreaking moments in his career.
Final year students Sky and Liam's world is turned upside down when they discover they're expecting a baby. Sky desperately wants to finish school, but will she manage to when the baby is due at the same time as her GCSEs? Luke has a troubled relationship with school. His temper can get the better of him and the staff worry whether they can coax him to the end of the year and the GCSEs that will help determine his future. As autumn exam week arrives, Mr Drew hands out performance-enhancing 'brain food' (fruit) to the students and deals with Luke as he walks out of the hall mid-paper. Meanwhile, first-year student Ciaran has an unusual request for headteacher Vic Goddard: he wants time off from lessons to write a novel.
Carrie and Ashleigh are at the heart of the biggest and loudest clique in school: they love clothes, boys and parties. But teenage girls also love a drama and as the best friends fall out, the argument looks set to disrupt more than their friendship, with the effects spilling into the classroom. In a modern school, arguments are harder to contain as the issues spread from the classroom to Facebook and BlackBerry Messenger . The school grapevine is soon buzzing. Meanwhile, Ashleigh's ex-boyfriend Brad is prepared to fight for her love and the teachers discover how tough it can be to keep students focused on academic work and their futures when there are so many distractions.
Has deputy head Mr Drew finally met his match in clever but complicated student Mollie? As Mollie finds herself on report to him so begins a series of demanding, but often delightful, daily encounters between teacher and pupil. Another regular with Mr Drew is Mollie's equally bright sister Charlotte, who viewers saw bantering with the deputy head earlier in the series. Can the school's teachers coax the two talented girls to finally apply their energy to their academic work? For all the pouting and tantrums it soon becomes clear that Mollie is actually very fond of 'Drewy' and that student and teacher have more in common than they might have once thought. But will she listen enough to achieve the grade As she is capable of?
As leavers' day, exams and the all-important prom approach, the school tries to prepare two very different students for the future. Fifteen-year-old Ryan, a recent arrival at the school, has Asperger's. Unsure of what the future will hold, the teachers attempt to equip him for life beyond the security of the school gates. While Ryan wishes he could stay at school forever, troubled top-set student Vinni can't wait to leave. He voluntarily went into temporary care earlier in the term and now the staff work tirelessly to keep him on the straight and narrow. Will Vinni leave the care home to move back to his family, can the teachers help him to leave with the grades and opportunities his abilities deserve, and will his behaviour improve enough for him to attend the prom? As the series draws to a close the students say goodbye to the staff and school, and nervously await their results. Perhaps more nervous than them all, however, is headteacher Vic Goddard. He finds it hard to sleep in the run-up to results day as he waits to see whether the school will achieve its targets.
This episode follows new Head Teacher Mr Mitchell on his mission to improve the school's fortunes. He's 18 months into his first ever headship and wants to revolutionise the school's ethos, results and reputation. But every day his vision is challenged by the trickiest of adversaries: teenagers.
This programme follows the fallout from a chance clash between the queen bee of the 'cool group' and a member of the quieter crowd. In their quest to prepare every student for life beyond the school gates, Head Teacher Mr Mitchell and his team are left with difficult decisions about who needs to be dealt with and how. The students anxiously wait to learn their fates — for one, this means seeing if she will suffer the ultimate punishment of not being allowed to go to the end of school prom.
This episode focuses on two strikingly similar boys: one nearing his final year and another who's starting out at secondary school. Both are exploding with energy and charm but, to their teachers' frustration, neither of them is particularly interested in learning. As Year 10 student Tom approaches his GCSEs, his failure to settle down is starting to cause concern. And although Year 7 Robbie-Joe's constant chatter seems harmless (and is often hilarious) his teachers are worried it's a sign of more serious things to come. The programme follows the school in their attempts to channel Tom and Robbie-Joe's boundless energies in the right direction, revealing how a chance, life-changing event radically alters the course of Tom's year and watching as the school do all they can to intervene early with Robbie-Joe. Ultimately, this is a film about two inspirational teachers guiding two lively lads through some of the toughest times they will face at school.
This episode presents the unlikely friendship of Hadiqa and Safiyyah. As headteacher Mr Mitchell says, these are the last two children that you'd expect to be best mates. Irrepressibly chatty Safiyyah punctuates every sentence with 'innit'. She dreams of becoming an air hostess, while gifted student Hadiqa has her sights set on becoming prime minister. As pastoral year leader Mrs Crowther knows only too well, close friendships mean everything when you're a teenager. But as exams approach, a crisis in Hadiqa and Safiyyah's friendship threatens to derail the girls academically and cause major upset.
Everything changes in Year 9. It's full of hormonal 13-year-olds and is a critical academic turning point as the students choose their options for GCSE. It's a year when Thornhill's students, hopefully, do some dramatic growing up but it's also the year with the worst behaviour record in the school. Tasked with guiding his students through a perfect storm of adolescent pressures is Head of Year Mr Moses: an unlikely pacifier of teenage angst. His job, as a pastoral leader, is to keep every Year 9 student on the straight and narrow. This year, one student proves particularly testing and strikes a chord with Mr Moses. Meanwhile, not all is complete in the Head of Year's own life: Mr Moses is looking for love.
Exams are approaching at Thornhill and it's not just the students that are feeling the pressure. From highly experienced deputy head Mr Steer to newly qualified teachers, everyone is feeling the demands of the school's ever increasing targets. Mr Steer is in charge of the school's attainment and, as a rapidly improving academy, it's crucial that he makes sure that results are the very best they can be. Mr Steer is also a star maths teacher and this year he has a particularly tough challenge as he takes on a group of girls more interested in hair, make-up and parties than algebra and trigonometry. They're achieving U grades when he takes them on, and he's determined to get them that crucial C in maths that will ensure them places in college. Pretty and popular Sheridan, who's at the heart of the group, proudly tells her friends 'I love maths me; I'm just shit at it.' But while concentrating in maths is a real problem, it's nothing compared to how she behaves in geography. New teacher Miss Stephens, who's 24, is tasked with getting Sheridan through her geography GCSE, but engaging Sheridan in academic debate around the European Union is not easy. As the clock ticks down to the all-important exams, and stress levels soar, Mr Steer pushes himself to the limit...
Jack loves history but is disruptive, and the school staff are worried that he may become Mr Mitchell's first ever permanent exclusion. Can Jack and his teachers turn around his behaviour?
It's the final months of school and the Year 11 students are preparing for life beyond Thornhill. English teacher Mr Burton is one of a kind. He's an Assistant Head at just 30 years old, and music, fancy-dress and jumping on tables are all part of his teacher's toolkit. This year, he has his most challenging C/D borderline class so far, and two of his students pose very different challenges. Musharaf has a severe stammer, and anxiety about leaving Thornhill seems to have made it worse. As Musharaf prepares for his GCSE English oral exam, Mr Burton is prepared to try any tactic, no matter how unusual, to help improve his fluency. Meanwhile, Hannah would be capable of A grades, were it not for her aversion to staying in class. The school staff are concerned about her not achieving her potential, and wish she'd devote more energy to staying in lessons than finding excuses to escape them. Can Mr Burton's unique teaching style help his students make the grade?
Catching up with the staff and pupils of Thornhill Community Academy near Dewsbury in West Yorkshire, and following a selection of students as they find out how they did in their GCSEs. Musharaf captured the attention of the nation by overcoming his stammer and is now at college trying to fulfil his ambition to become a teacher, while Sheridan is learning to drive and hoping to achieve a grade C in Maths. Headmaster Mr Mitchell and teachers including Mr Burton and Mr Steer prepare for the end of the school year and those important exams
Frederick Bremer school's newest teacher, Mr Bispham, soon learns that teaching isn't always plain sailing, especially when it comes to educating Year 9 girls
This time at Frederick Bremer School in East London it's all about the boys, and Head Teacher Jenny Smith is determined to set two strong-minded pupils off on the right path. Halil thinks he is the coolest kid at Frederick Bremer School, but despite his infectious laugh and "cheeky chappy" persona, he can't stay out of trouble. Meanwhile, Lemar doesn't like the stereotype of London "hoodies" hanging around the streets in big groups. His main ambition is to make it as a professional footballer, but staff are working hard to ensure he has other options available
Election fever hits Frederick Bremer School as the pupils get on the campaign trail and vote for Head Boy and Girl. Will they vote for the confident candidates or the self-confessed geeks?
Being a head teacher often keeps Ms Smith awake at night. She has 900 pupils in her care and feels responsible for every one of them. Some of the students' family dramas can impact on school life, and in this episode, alongside Ms Smith, English teacher Mr Bispham and deputy head Miss Hillman have to find a multitude of ways of engaging with the kids to help them leave their sometimes unsettling troubles at the gates. The programme also meets Hazel, an East-Ender born and bred, and a non-teaching pastoral support worker at Frederick Bremer. She's the first port of call when kids are sent out of the classroom and can be found patrolling the corridor, walkie-talkie in hand, often notching up as many as five miles a day. She was excluded from her own school when she was younger and talks to the pupils in an open and honest manner; and in return the pupils respond to her. Her own experience of a personal family tragedy means she feels particularly close to those hard-to-reach students she works with.
This episode meets three boys at different stages of their school life. Twelve-year-old Louie has just started secondary school at Frederick Bremer; he struggles to make friends and starts to bunk off. With his attendance record steadily getting worse, it's time for home support worker Emma Austin to step in. She's a pastoral care worker who's always available as an emotional crutch for the students. Devonté, who's also 12, is another of Mrs Austin's charges. He loves rap music and is constantly found playing songs through his phone in lesson time and rapping at inappropriate moments. Due to his responsibilities at home, helping to care for his mother, Devonté relaxes at school instead, and often gets into trouble. Charlie, who's 16, is one of the top students in his year group, but the pressure of exams is resulting in panic attacks. He finds that playing music helps him relax. His band are going to play at the school concert, but will he get over his nerves and manage to perform on stage in front of 200 other pupils?
Those all-important GCSE exams are creeping ever closer, but while the pressure is on for the students of Year 11 to knuckle down to some much-needed revision, for many of the girls - Paige in particular - their attention has a habit of turning away from study, and instead toward friendships, proms and boys. She and her closest friends Georgia and Yasmine are three of the most popular girls in school, and while the younger girls look up to them, the boys have crushes on them. The girls are expected to do well in their exams, but they are very aware that the pressure on them is mounting, and cracks soon start to appear in the friendship and threaten to undo all the hard work they have put in so far
With GCSE exams fast approaching, the teachers at Frederick Bremer School face the difficult task of motivating their students to revise. However, the staff face difficulties with two particular Year 11 boys, Paris and Oscar, who are both at risk of failing to reach their full potential. As concerns mount over the pair's performance, the teachers set out to discover what might be distracting the duo from their studies
The school year is drawing to a close. The staff at Frederick Bremer are preparing the students for life beyond the school gates, ensuring that they have the confidence to move on to pastures new. This heart-warming episode explores the autism provision, meeting a team who help to create a diverse school community and work hard to ensure that their pupils are ready for life beyond the classroom. Year 10 student Christopher is one of a handful of students at Frederick Bremer on the autism spectrum. He is constantly smiling and passing on his motto 'keep positive'. Home support worker Mrs Austin defines the impact he has on the school perfectly: 'everyone needs a spoonful of Christopher.'
This episode meets Head Teacher Joy Ballard, firm but fair Mr Hennessy, and two Year 11 girls facing very different issues.
Moving from primary to secondary school isn't easy. This episode meets two Year 7 boys. Nervous Aaron struggles to find his feet, while popular Assad's antics disrupt the school.
In this episode, the focus is on two feisty year 10 girls who are proud to wear their emotions on their sleeves, and express exactly how they are feeling at all times.
This episode focuses on Year 8. Corey and Gethin have been inseparable friends both on and off the rugby pitch, but now it's time for them to compete for the title of Rugby Captain.
Benjy and Kalid are struggling in Maths. Extrovert Benjy has a bit of a love/hate relationship with Head of Maths Mr Hennessy. Kalid's missed quite a lot of school and is falling behind.
One of Year 8 pupil George's pranks goes too far and damages school property. It is left to assistant head Mr Whittaker and music teacher Mr Ritter to come up with a suitable punishment and they decide that for three weeks he is going to be the number one backstage helper for the new school drama production. Meanwhile, Year 11 student Georgia struggles with her maths GCSE exam and it is not clear whether she will get the grades she needs to join her high-achieving boyfriend Tyler at college next year
Year 11 Shaun develops a crush on Kelsey in Year 10, but it causes trouble with his best friend Dan, leading to the two being moved to separate classes to avoid any clashes. As rumours fly around the school and trouble flares, the teachers have to try and help the two boys solve their problems and reconcile their friendship. Meanwhile, Year 9 Emily doesn't understand the purpose of school and her behaviour and attitude has got worse as the year has progressed. English teacher Miss Charles believes it has nothing to do with her academic ability and suspects there is something else on her mind
The documentary exploring day-to-day life at Willows High School in Cardiff concludes as the performing arts department prepares to stage a farewell concert. Auditions for the big show are well under way, and energetic pupil Coral is quick to sign up to sing. However, she is easily distracted in class, and her behaviour is worsening, and these issues hint at a bigger problem that may mean she is not yet ready for a solo performance in front of a 200-strong audience. Meanwhile, the women of the well-being and attendance office worry that Sean, a year 8 pupil with cerebral palsy, is relying a little too much on the safety and comfort of the Lunch Club, which offers pupils an alternative break spot to the rowdy canteen. Seeking to bring Sean out of his shell, the ladies decide the school cabaret might be the perfect opportunity to improve the youngster's confidence.
Friendship flourishes in Year 7 between Rani, who recently arrived from Syria, and old-before-his-time Jack. And the school responds to the shock of the terrorist attack at the Ariana Grande concert.
This week it's teen angst as Educating focusses on Harrop Fold's student development team. We meet Mia, 15 - seven months pregnant and just a few months away from her GCSE exams.
Mr Chambers wonders if he should turn equations into a form of dance to get drama enthusiast Mitchell to focus. Football-loving Callum's girlfriend convinces him to audition for the school play.
This episode focuses on Harrop Fold School's behaviour team: dynamic duo Mr Chambers and Mr Ben Povey, who's head teacher Drew's younger brother. Cheeky 12-year-old Kayden is well known to the behaviour team and repeated misdemeanours mean Mr Chambers is close to losing his patience with him. Meanwhile, Kayden's long-suffering older sister, Year 11 Shannon, is trying to concentrate on her GCSEs rather than her little brother's antics. Head teacher Mr Drew Povey decides to try a leftfield tactic with 14-year-old Vincent - another boy who's often on the team's books - and puts him on a trial period to join the straight-laced Student Council. And 15-year-old Kim becomes unteachable when her older brother is involved in a serious crime in the community.
There's election fever at Harrop Fold as the search for the school's first ever Head Girl and Head Boy begins in Year 10. Head teacher Mr Povey, staff and students will vote for the winning candidates after a rigorous interview selection process and a nail-biting live debate in front of the rest of the year group. The front runners for the Head Girl position are 14-year-old self-confessed geek Rebecca and old-before-her-time Chelci, who's 15 and who prefers to spend her break and lunchtime helping the staff in reception rather than hanging out with her friends. Going head to head for the boys are long-standing rivals Josh and Leon, who are both 14. They already hold the top positions in the Student Council but Josh is struggling to manage his expanding workload and has to rethink his entry into the competition at the last minute. And as the candidates are being shortlisted, amateur boxer Girhan, who's 15, throws his hat into the ring.
The teachers at Harrop Fold grapple with the fun and the friction that social media brings to the school. They struggle to contain a Snapchat revolution when an anonymous school-wide message encourages students to break the rules by coming in in trainers. Meanwhile, head teacher Mr Drew Povey has to try and negotiate peace between Year 11 girls Serena and Lelo when Lelo is accused of breaking the 'girlcode' by talking to a boy on FaceTime. Social media fan Deputy Head Mr Ross Povey tries to motivate 16-year-old Tom, who's studying for his GCSEs, after anxiety problems lead his attendance to drop to an all-time low. And can Miss Bland come to the rescue when 11-year-old Caprice refuses to come to school after being called names on social media? It's also time for The H Factor, Harrop's all singing, all dancing talent competition; will anxious Tom pluck up the courage to perform alongside teacher brothers Ross and Ben Povey?
This episode focuses on Harrop Fold's newest arrivals and youngest students - the Year 7s - and their characterful Head of Year, no-nonsense Miss Bland. Arriving at school at the same time as the Year 7s is new teacher Mr Humphreys, who's 25. With just a year's teaching experience, at an all-girls' school, Mr Humphreys came to Harrop looking for a challenge but gets more than he bargained for when he becomes 11-year-old Tiger and 12-year-old Billy's form tutor. Best friends Tiger and Billy are messing around in lessons, bringing handcuffs into school and getting into all sorts of mischief. And on Valentine's Day love is in the air for 11-year-olds Lily and Jacob. They used to be boyfriend and girlfriend but since Lily called it off they've been calling each other names and falling out in lessons, leaving Miss Bland to pick up the pieces. But Jacob still has feelings for Lily. Can he win her back with a grand gesture?
Headteacher Mr Drew Povey and his two deputies - Mrs Benigno, and Drew's older brother Ross - have their work cut out as Year 11 mocks season begins at Harrop Fold School. There are tears, tantrums and refusals to even sit the exams, so it shouldn't surprise the staff when the results are in and aren't good. With only a few months until the real GCSEs - in a climate of budget cuts, a new exam system, and with one of the toughest year groups they've ever had - Mr Povey is having sleepless nights and Mrs Benigno is doing all she can to turn things around. The school throw everything they have at the problem, putting on extra lessons, calling a special parents' evening and trying to inspire confidence in their students. And all this while Mr Povey has to keep the rest of the school running. His background in behaviour management is put to the test when Year 8 Sean has a fight in the corridor.
The series about modern schooling and teen life returns for a new run to Harrop Fold School, where Jacob discusses his struggles with dyslexia and Katelyn keeps bunking off.
Holly bids to be voted Head Girl. Year 10's Jack is on a final warning for making prank phone calls. And a gaggle of therapy animals come to school to help with pupil wellbeing.
The new head girl is revealed. Year 9 couple Faye and Kieran get interactive 'babies' to look after. Rani plays a Valentine's prank on Jack. Chelci and Cheyenne have a falling out.
The pressure is on at Harrop Fold as GCSE exams get underway, and the school finds itself hitting the headlines when four members of staff are suspended over allegations of removing disadvantaged and struggling pupils from the school roll to improve exam results. The new heads girl launches an online campaign against uniform policy that lands her in trouble. Mr Walker is concerned that year 10 pupil Morgan may not be able to catch up with Spanish in time for her exams, and Mr Povey intervenes to find out the underlying cause of her disruptive behaviour
Channel 4 goes back to school at Thornhill Community Academy to catch up with some of the best-loved characters from Educating Yorkshire. They're a year older and a whole range of things have changed for the students: trouble-makers have turned around their reputations; love is in the air; and new challenges are faced at school and college. Many of the old Year 11s who couldn't wait to escape are now missing Thornhill more than they would ever have imagined. For Musharaf, who spent his school days crippled by a stammer, the final few months of school and life beyond its walls have brought him a new-found confidence, which continues to grow. While the students' lives are ever-changing, Mr Mitchell and his team are still on a mission to make Thornhill a first-choice school while keeping the teenagers' behaviour in check.
Many of us take speaking for granted. But what if the words in your head just won’t come out? For over half a million people in Britain, a stutter affects their lives every single day. Stammer School follows a cast of struggling stammerers as they enrol on an intensive 4 day course called The McGuire Programme. The film features Musharaf Asghar, affectionately known as Mushy, from Educating Yorkshire. Musharaf has had a stutter for as long as he can remember. Last year he found a place in the heart of the nation as millions tuned in to watch him learn methods to overcome his often crippling stutter, and achieve the C grade he needed in his English GCSE. Although Mushy’s stammer has improved, he is still often left speechless. Joining him on the course is 23 year old Vicky Croft who was a fluent speaker until last December when she developed a stammer following a minor stroke. Now more likely to stay at home than go out with friends, Vicky dreams of getting back to the bubbly, confident person that she was before her stutter. The film follows Mushy, Vicky and other stammerers as they attempt to overcome this huge stumbling block in their lives. From learning new breathing techniques, to talking on the phone and even public speaking, they’ll all be pushed to their physical and mental limits. The film follows the stammerers on an emotional, dramatic journey; by the end of the course will they find the courage and resilience it takes to finally find their voice?
