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Girls Compete To Be New Head Girl! & Teachers Tackle Attendance In Class | Educating Yorkshire | EP8

Channel 4 Documentaries

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Twelve years since the nation fell for Educating Yorkshire, Dewsbury's Thornhill Community Academy re-opens its doors, telling stories of modern Britain through the eyes of one brilliant school.

Year 11 feel the pressure building as the school year draws to a close. Mrs Ali works on attendance numbers. And Year 10s Darcie and Alexa compete to become Head Girl.

First shown: 19 Oct 2025

00:00 Intro
02:06 Snow at school
05:31 Attendance issues
10:23 Alexa and Darcie for head girl
14:02 "There's a rumour about carrying a knife"
18:12 GCSE confidence
21:40 Head girl presentations
27:09 Failed to turn up to school
32:30 Head girl announcement
35:52 "Keep your mouth shut!"
39:52 Fear of failure
43:20 "Putting a zip line in school is beyond what we can do"

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20 Comments

@Channel4Documentaries Creator 11 months ago Pinned

Drop your favourite moment from the series in the comments 👇

@hyboduss 11 months ago

If a teacher comes to my house with a 'fun bus' id run away

@bubblesaur10 11 months ago

kid was told to take his earring out then it immediately cuts to girls with multiple ear and facial piercings ?? 😭😭

@Isaacofficials22 11 months ago

Mrs Ali is someone everyone needs especially those who struggle and as a result push school because it’s people like her that see those behaviour patterns and helps challenge them making them so much more confident in the end.

@4eyesinthecorner399 7 months ago (edited)

I think something that this series has highlighted that I think is a real shame and issue in British society as a whole is self-confidence and belief. We are so self-deprecating as a culture and sure, that can lead to some great comedy and general humility, but it's so sad seeing how it effects children from a young age even getting themselves into school in the first place, let alone motivated to do any work.

@TocaGrace-1 6 days ago

I need a miss Ali. She seems so sweet and supportive. I'm someone that surfers with anxiety during test and I feel like I need a support teacher to help me. I have dyslexia but the teachers don't really know about it and they down care about it. I really struggle with maths and I'm scared I'm going to fail. I am in year 9, but I know I got to lock in. I don't want to resit maths in college but I don't want to fail. So it's very scary.

@itz_fireshot1013 11 months ago

Shame this is the last episode was hoping for at least 10 episodes

@no9scrum 11 months ago

Why is it suddenly the responsibility of teachers to go collect their students?? honestly? at what point do the parents actually do their job?!

@krislouise4289 11 months ago

Can’t believe this is the last episode

@kazu9445 11 months ago

The fact this is the last episode makes me so saaaad! I begun to get SO excited for Sundays! Please Channel 4 return to all the Educating schools!
(also just a lil fun fact for you all, in the last episode there was a kid in the comments talking about how school kids "have no rights" and they're being practically tortured in being forced to go to school. Go read some of his comments because it's SO funny)

@xy-zara 11 months ago

very shocked darcy didn’t get it her interview was really great

@BarryEasthope-g8t 11 months ago

I hope gracie may does well in her mocks it'll give her the encouragement that she needs for actual exams ❤❤

@michaelhxhdhdjdj 11 months ago

Its fsntastic seeing stuff like head girl auditions literilly gives them such a head up going into interviews within the next few years. 99.9% of 16 year olds have never had an interview. These kids have now experienced it and its so valuable for the real world

@ax-00-x 11 months ago

They need to do a educating Birmingham series

@SatNavDan 11 months ago

When this first started I wondered whether anyone other than Mr Burton was still at the school and glad to see there is one - Mrs Crowther. Hope there's another series.

@Iknowonething 11 months ago

Honestly the standard of student support in this school is phenomenal, I'm hoping this is the standard in most schools. Was in year 11 10 year ago, the support staff were rather stand offish and lacked the experience needed to support issues surrounding new issues coming up in safe guarding often isolating the pupils who need an open conversation.

@Yngrrr 10 months ago

Nothing hits quite as good as watching this show 😅 especially when you used to watch the original from 10yr ago

@W0LF-F4NGZ 10 months ago (edited)

I love how I'm watching this while off school (sprained my ankle on the ice), going to a British school like this one but a bit further down. I have quite a low attendance and what to adults seems like just a normal look into how British schools work, it is torture for us to the point where we're RELIEVED to be missing even an hour. To us students the rules make no sense and the school is terrible. So, adults, put yourself into the shoes of one of us while watching this as remember how it was for you.