School

Episode
Episode 6
Broadcast Info
2018 (58 mins)
Description
"School" follows the intimately connected experiences of pupils, teachers, parents and school leaders, across an academic year, in all their complexity. More public money is being spent on education than ever before but financial pressures and the number of teachers quitting their profession continue to rise. This series unpicks the connections between key decisions and their human impact, right across the system. At stake is the future of Britain’s next generation. What should we expect of our teachers, our children and ourselves? The school year is drawing to a close and the GCSE exams are looming. After being the lowest performing secondary school in the Academy Trust the previous year, the team at Mangotsfield decides to employ targeted measures to improve its next set of GCSE results. Across Britain, financially disadvantaged pupils are estimated to be academically more than two years behind their classmates by the time they sit their GCSEs. The government gives an allowance or "Pupil Premium" to schools’ for each disadvantaged pupil to help them close this achievement gap. At Mangotsfield School, one of the Year 11 boys has been identified by the school as needing extra support if he is to hit his target grades. From primary school he was recognised as a higher ability student but is currently achieving 4 or 5 grades lower than his teachers believe he is capable of. With a supportive mum, he should be on course to succeed if he can find the confidence and self belief he needs. He is one of a group of 14 under achieving Pupil Premium boys who the staff decide to target with GCSEs rapidly approaching. The progress of the Pupil Premium students will be closely monitored by the government’s education inspectors, Ofsted, when they next inspect the school - a visit that is due anytime. Mangotsfield is currently classed as "Requires Improvement" by Ofsted but led by Head Teacher, David Spence, the school is vying to achieve the status of ‘Good’ for the first time in its history. Mr Spence and his staff must prove they’ve made sufficient progress in closing the gap between the "Pupil Premium" students and their peers or the school risks remaining in the ‘Requires Improvement’ category With staff fully focussed on mentoring and tutoring the Pupil Premium classmates and the exams just around the corner, David Spence takes a call from Ofsted. They’re coming to inspect the school,tomorrow.
Genre
Business Studies; Education

How to cite this record

The Open University, "School". https://learningonscreen.ac.uk/ou/search/index.php/prog/232381 (Accessed 09 Jan 2025)