Documentary series following 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 the profession continue to rise. The 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?

This episode follows students with Asperger's, Down's Syndrome and other special needs whose future level of funding to support them in a mainstream school is currently the subject of intense national debate. The Castle School in rural south Gloucestershire supports the largest proportion of pupils with Special Educational Needs (SEN) in the Trust. It is well known for its commitment to students of all abilities. As the school is forced to make savings to its overall budget, the support staff who work with the special needs students face significant cuts to their team numbers. Fourteen-year-old Jack is on Castle's special needs register. He has Asperger's Syndrome and suffers severe anxiety about attending school, despite teachers' confidence in his ability. His high target GCSE grades reflect his academic achievements so far, yet Jack has one of the worst attendance records at Castle. Wayne Underwood, a PE teacher and head of year, is tasked with improving Jack's attendance. With no professional training in dealing with pupils with complex needs, and with the school's resources stretched to the limit, Wayne is struggling to provide the right support for Jack. Jack's mum is informed that if her son's attendance doesn't improve, she could face being taken to court by her local council.

With head teacher Angie Browne learning of further budget pressures on special needs support, Castle, like all schools across the country, has to confront an uncertain future for their SEN students. This includes Ollie, who has Down's Syndrome, and has thrived at Castle since joining three years ago. He relies on one-to-one expert support to negotiate life in mainstream education but even with an official education, health and care plan in place his future funding is not guaranteed.

School is a co-production with the Open University.

School is set in three secondary schools: Marlwood, The Castle and Mangotsfield. Together they form part of Castle School Education Trust (CSET), a large multi-academy trust in south Gloucestershire, where their budgets and fortunes are intertwined. Each of the head teachers answers to trust CEO William Roberts, who retrained to be a teacher after starting his career at a multinational corporation. Two thirds of all secondary state schools in England have academy status. Academies are funded and managed independently of Local Education Authorities and are increasingly grouping together to form multi-academy trusts (MATs), each managed by a single board of directors and CEO. The number of MATs in England has tripled in the past five years. Show less