Over 4,500 kids are permanently excluded from secondary school in Britain every year. This three-part observational documentary series goes inside one of the country's largest secondary alternative provision (AP) academies to find out what happens next.
With up to 90 kids and 30 staff including teachers, mentors and therapists, the Bridge AP Academy is one of the biggest schools of its kind in the country.
All of its students have been permanently excluded or subjected to a managed move from schools across west London, many for behaviour issues such as fighting or verbal abuse. Staff are trained to deal with all sorts of challenging behaviour, but Bridge students are still expected to succeed academically and each is set a minimum target of five GCSEs.
Filmed over a year, this powerful series follows students at the Bridge as they try to turn their lives around. We see challenging behaviour, yet we also discover the problems - from bereavement to family breakdown - that lie at the root of some of the kids' behavioural issues.
Fifteen-year-old Jess was excluded from her previous school for disruptive behaviour, a problem that started following the break-up of her family. Bright and articulate, Jess is capable of getting good GCSEs if she can only get her emotions under control.
Thirteen-year-old Millie arrived at the Bridge having left two previous schools for verbally abusing teachers. However, we soon get to discover another side of her as we learn she has suffered personal tragedy in recent years. Show less