1 00:00:11,600 --> 00:00:13,840 Tracking down kids who aren't in class... 2 00:00:13,840 --> 00:00:15,640 KNOCKING. 3 00:00:16,840 --> 00:00:20,360 ..school and council staff are knocking on doors. 4 00:00:21,400 --> 00:00:24,240 So, she should be back in school today, yes? 5 00:00:24,280 --> 00:00:26,120 Good morning, Year 7, this side. 6 00:00:26,160 --> 00:00:28,080 Your child has not returned to college today. 7 00:00:28,080 --> 00:00:31,200 Good morning, good morning. 8 00:00:31,200 --> 00:00:33,560 Driving up attendance after the pandemic disruption 9 00:00:33,560 --> 00:00:36,640 is a priority for the school system. 10 00:00:36,680 --> 00:00:40,280 Hi, it's Horizon Attendance. 11 00:00:40,280 --> 00:00:41,920 We absolutely need them back in school. 12 00:00:41,920 --> 00:00:44,560 It's got to be a priority. 13 00:00:44,560 --> 00:00:46,280 It's got to be a top priority. 14 00:00:46,280 --> 00:00:48,200 We've been following three teenagers this summer - 15 00:00:48,200 --> 00:00:53,520 as they battle to get back to school regularly. 16 00:00:56,200 --> 00:00:59,160 School definitely isn't suitable for everybody. 17 00:00:59,160 --> 00:01:01,720 There was always something like kicking off like you couldn't 18 00:01:01,720 --> 00:01:04,240 go, like, a week without something going off. 19 00:01:04,240 --> 00:01:09,440 Some people went, like, lost their brain in the lockdown - 20 00:01:11,160 --> 00:01:13,920 like I think I kind of did, too. 21 00:01:30,280 --> 00:01:33,720 Multiple teachers have said that, you know, I'm always smiling, 22 00:01:33,800 --> 00:01:37,520 so, it's kind of like, yeah, I'm not always smiling. 23 00:01:37,560 --> 00:01:40,760 It's not always how I feel. 24 00:01:44,960 --> 00:01:47,640 This year, while her friends were in school, 25 00:01:47,640 --> 00:01:50,720 13-year-old Abbie wasn't. 26 00:01:52,880 --> 00:01:56,040 She hasn't attended since January. 27 00:01:56,640 --> 00:02:01,280 It gradually started getting harder and harder for me to go into school. 28 00:02:04,560 --> 00:02:07,760 It's kind of like, "Why can't I just be like everyone else?" 29 00:02:09,480 --> 00:02:14,160 Abbie has ADHD and is autistic. 30 00:02:14,160 --> 00:02:17,440 She's more sensitive to sound and touch than other teenagers. 31 00:02:17,600 --> 00:02:22,080 Major changes can be especially hard to handle. 32 00:02:23,360 --> 00:02:27,760 She started secondary school during the pandemic. 33 00:02:27,800 --> 00:02:30,160 She struggled to cope when things went back to normal 34 00:02:30,160 --> 00:02:35,040 after the Covid restrictions eased. 35 00:02:36,840 --> 00:02:40,720 I started to find it really challenging because it was all these 36 00:02:40,720 --> 00:02:43,800 different sensory things that were all of these people 37 00:02:43,800 --> 00:02:47,440 talking, it was really noisy. 38 00:02:51,360 --> 00:02:52,960 NOISES ECHOING 39 00:02:53,040 --> 00:02:57,240 I mean, there were a lot of things that would stress me out at school. 40 00:02:57,600 --> 00:03:01,400 I'd be getting to sleep at maybe 3am, 3am to 4am. 41 00:03:02,000 --> 00:03:07,240 But I think I was just thinking about everything. 42 00:03:11,920 --> 00:03:13,400 Abbie's school did all it could, 43 00:03:13,400 --> 00:03:16,040 but coping with a busy environment became too much for her. 44 00:03:16,040 --> 00:03:18,520 She was diagnosed with autistic burnout. 45 00:03:18,560 --> 00:03:21,840 I want to be in school. 46 00:03:21,920 --> 00:03:25,000 I want to learn in school because I find it easier to focus 47 00:03:25,000 --> 00:03:27,480 in school, in a school environment. 48 00:03:30,120 --> 00:03:34,360 I just wanted to be able to do that because everyone else could. 49 00:03:39,040 --> 00:03:41,240 For Abbie, it's additional needs, but for other children, 50 00:03:41,240 --> 00:03:45,520 it could be problems at home or trouble at school. 51 00:03:47,760 --> 00:03:51,920 In the autumn term last year, almost 1.7 million children 52 00:03:52,000 --> 00:03:56,200 missed seven days of school or more. 53 00:03:56,280 --> 00:03:57,720 Even allowing for some Covid disruption, 54 00:03:57,720 --> 00:04:01,480 that's significantly higher than before the pandemic. 55 00:04:05,800 --> 00:04:08,440 As the BBC's Education Editor, I've been reporting on the challenges 56 00:04:08,440 --> 00:04:12,360 faced by schools in England since the outbreak of Covid. 57 00:04:14,960 --> 00:04:18,440 Congratulations, again, it is just so nice to see a happy face. 58 00:04:20,880 --> 00:04:23,040 During the lockdowns, schools across the UK were closed 59 00:04:23,040 --> 00:04:26,560 to most children. 60 00:04:26,600 --> 00:04:30,840 Now, there's a big push to get them all back. 61 00:04:30,920 --> 00:04:32,000 The Children's Commissioner 62 00:04:32,000 --> 00:04:37,160 protects and promotes the rights of children in England. 63 00:04:37,240 --> 00:04:39,320 I really think the Prime Minister... 64 00:04:39,320 --> 00:04:42,600 The Prime Minister needs to make this one of her top priorities. 65 00:04:43,760 --> 00:04:45,640 Getting our children back to school and thriving 66 00:04:45,640 --> 00:04:50,120 and succeeding and achieving, it's got to be a top priority. 67 00:04:50,120 --> 00:04:55,200 You've talked about an ambition for 100% attendance this term - 68 00:04:55,280 --> 00:04:57,640 something that's never been achieved. 69 00:04:57,640 --> 00:05:00,400 Why set the bar so high? 70 00:05:00,400 --> 00:05:04,760 Who would we leave out, Branwen? Who would we leave out? 71 00:05:06,880 --> 00:05:09,280 Some are trying to deal with problems beyond their control. 72 00:05:09,280 --> 00:05:11,480 Head of year, Luke Kirkham, is waiting. 73 00:05:32,600 --> 00:05:36,040 Head of year Luke Kirkham is waiting. 74 00:05:40,240 --> 00:05:45,000 Quite surprised he was this late now, honestly. 75 00:05:46,000 --> 00:05:48,840 It's not a regular occurrence for Bradley to be late to school. 76 00:05:48,840 --> 00:05:51,480 15-year-old Bradley is in a hurry to make it to class. 77 00:05:51,480 --> 00:05:55,600 He's running late. 78 00:06:09,560 --> 00:06:12,400 Bradley's been working hard to attend school regularly 79 00:06:12,400 --> 00:06:15,440 since his dad died a year ago. 80 00:06:15,440 --> 00:06:17,880 Even the days he did come in, he did force himself to come in. 81 00:06:19,720 --> 00:06:22,560 You could clearly tell that he had some like mental barrier resistance, 82 00:06:22,560 --> 00:06:25,760 he climbed the mountain of getting out the door and getting to school. 83 00:06:25,760 --> 00:06:29,880 And he was just not engaged and he didn't want to be there. 84 00:06:29,880 --> 00:06:35,120 Last year was, like, it was a horrible year for me anyway. 85 00:06:36,480 --> 00:06:38,800 I dunno about anyone else, but for me, it was... 86 00:06:38,800 --> 00:06:41,040 I was just finding different ways to obviously cope 87 00:06:41,040 --> 00:06:43,640 with my grief over my dad. 88 00:06:48,960 --> 00:06:50,360 WHISTLE BLOWS. 89 00:06:50,360 --> 00:06:52,800 Off we go, please. 90 00:06:57,960 --> 00:07:00,120 At Horizon Community College, pushing up attendance means tackling 91 00:07:00,120 --> 00:07:02,480 students and parents directly. 92 00:07:04,600 --> 00:07:09,480 The bar has been set high this year, you know, we have got a mantra 93 00:07:09,480 --> 00:07:12,000 that every child attends school. 94 00:07:12,000 --> 00:07:14,360 You know, 100% attendance shouldn't be out of the realms 95 00:07:14,360 --> 00:07:16,440 of possibility for children. 96 00:07:16,440 --> 00:07:18,640 Hi, it's Horizon Attendance, I'm just letting you know 97 00:07:18,640 --> 00:07:20,600 that your son has not arrived as yet. 98 00:07:20,600 --> 00:07:21,920 Is he on his way? 99 00:07:21,920 --> 00:07:24,120 We haven't got your daughter in school as yet, 100 00:07:24,120 --> 00:07:25,520 should she be on her way? 101 00:07:25,520 --> 00:07:30,760 Your child has not returned to college today. 102 00:07:30,800 --> 00:07:33,240 The college takes immediate action as soon as it knows 103 00:07:33,240 --> 00:07:37,120 a child hasn't made it to class. 104 00:07:38,080 --> 00:07:42,360 She was in yesterday, however not in today. 105 00:07:45,040 --> 00:07:49,480 So, I have a team that straight away can pull those registers 106 00:07:49,480 --> 00:07:52,040 within minutes and start to see who's in, who's not. 107 00:07:52,040 --> 00:07:54,960 We know some of the children that we need to look for 108 00:07:54,960 --> 00:07:56,600 straight away and start making those calls 109 00:07:56,600 --> 00:07:58,520 or actually go out on to home visits. 110 00:07:58,520 --> 00:08:01,240 It's just there. 111 00:08:01,680 --> 00:08:03,640 They're visiting the home of a teenage girl 112 00:08:03,640 --> 00:08:08,920 who they expected to be in class this morning. 113 00:08:17,080 --> 00:08:20,320 Hello. 114 00:08:20,960 --> 00:08:23,320 In terms of returning back to school, do you think 115 00:08:23,320 --> 00:08:24,480 she'll be back in tomorrow? 116 00:08:24,480 --> 00:08:25,640 Yes, she will. 117 00:08:25,640 --> 00:08:28,560 She did want to come today because she was so looking forward 118 00:08:28,560 --> 00:08:33,280 to trying Business and her options. But we do need her back in tomorrow. 119 00:08:33,280 --> 00:08:36,200 She'll be back. Bless her. 120 00:08:36,200 --> 00:08:40,560 And she was back in school the next day. 121 00:08:50,840 --> 00:08:54,680 Careful, watch your fingers. Watch your fingers! 122 00:08:55,360 --> 00:08:57,040 Once she's helped her brother with breakfast, 123 00:08:57,040 --> 00:09:00,840 16 year-old Mollie will be off to school. 124 00:09:02,840 --> 00:09:04,240 Her attendance record shows she missed 125 00:09:04,240 --> 00:09:07,960 almost a quarter of the year. 126 00:09:08,720 --> 00:09:13,600 She's only going in this morning because she's doing a GCSE exam. 127 00:09:17,440 --> 00:09:20,560 There's constantly a battle with school. 128 00:09:20,560 --> 00:09:23,120 I'm always on the phone, or there's something, 129 00:09:23,120 --> 00:09:24,760 she's coming home, there's a problem. 130 00:09:24,760 --> 00:09:30,040 Mollie's relationship with school has almost completely broken down. 131 00:09:30,880 --> 00:09:33,760 Message me when you're done, let me know how you get on. 132 00:09:36,760 --> 00:09:38,760 She was often in trouble, sometimes with students, 133 00:09:38,760 --> 00:09:42,640 sometimes with staff. 134 00:09:42,680 --> 00:09:44,880 Mollie was repeatedly sent out of class, sent home 135 00:09:44,880 --> 00:09:48,320 and told to study there. 136 00:09:48,360 --> 00:09:51,400 But her mum says she was being bullied. 137 00:09:51,400 --> 00:09:53,600 Mollie says the school didn't manage the situation well 138 00:09:53,600 --> 00:09:58,840 and wanted to get rid of her. 139 00:09:58,880 --> 00:10:04,080 There was always something, like, kicking off. 140 00:10:05,080 --> 00:10:09,640 Like, you couldn't go, like, a week without something going. 141 00:10:09,640 --> 00:10:13,840 Like, how everything was like kind of like ignored so anything 142 00:10:13,840 --> 00:10:17,680 that was, like, an actual problem would be, like, ignored 143 00:10:17,680 --> 00:10:20,040 and then it was easier to, like, send someone home 144 00:10:20,040 --> 00:10:21,120 than deal with it. 145 00:10:21,120 --> 00:10:23,040 An Ofsted report published in September has rated 146 00:10:23,040 --> 00:10:26,960 the school inadequate. 147 00:10:26,960 --> 00:10:29,640 It says behaviour and bullying is poorly managed and too many 148 00:10:29,640 --> 00:10:32,400 pupils are persistently absent. 149 00:10:36,080 --> 00:10:40,520 From the start to the finish, it's just been an absolute mess. 150 00:10:40,520 --> 00:10:45,800 She had a few bullying issues. 151 00:10:45,840 --> 00:10:48,920 And as much as I was going to school for support with that, 152 00:10:48,920 --> 00:10:51,280 I was kind of getting nowhere. 153 00:10:51,280 --> 00:10:53,920 GCSE year's massive, anyway. 154 00:10:53,920 --> 00:10:56,360 The pressure that it was bringing home, it was continuous. 155 00:10:56,360 --> 00:10:59,600 And you could kind of see the breakdown of Mollie. 156 00:11:02,680 --> 00:11:05,280 The Holgate Academy won't comment on individual cases and says it 157 00:11:05,280 --> 00:11:09,560 deals with any disruptive behaviour in line with school policy. 158 00:11:10,400 --> 00:11:13,320 It says bullying is not tolerated in any form and its staff 159 00:11:13,320 --> 00:11:18,400 try to support all students in any kind of difficulty. 160 00:11:19,720 --> 00:11:22,960 Obviously, I know where I went wrong. 161 00:11:22,960 --> 00:11:26,640 Like, I admit when I've done stuff wrong, but then I can also see, 162 00:11:26,640 --> 00:11:29,480 like, where school did wrong or they'll help, like, one kid out 163 00:11:29,480 --> 00:11:32,120 but won't help the other out. 164 00:11:32,920 --> 00:11:35,160 The Government expects pupils to be taught in school 165 00:11:35,160 --> 00:11:38,600 as much as possible. 166 00:11:40,760 --> 00:11:43,120 Is there ever any justification for poor behaviour being used 167 00:11:43,120 --> 00:11:46,320 to not support someone? 168 00:11:46,360 --> 00:11:50,040 The simple answer is no. 169 00:11:50,040 --> 00:11:52,920 The intervention and the support for the child really needs to go 170 00:11:52,920 --> 00:11:55,280 in to find out what is actually going on there. 171 00:11:55,280 --> 00:11:58,920 Um, you know, children need to be in school. 172 00:12:05,800 --> 00:12:10,720 Over the last year, Bradley's been trying to get himself back on track. 173 00:12:10,760 --> 00:12:14,080 Having hardly been in after his dad's death, 174 00:12:14,080 --> 00:12:17,800 he's been making it in almost every day. 175 00:12:20,040 --> 00:12:21,680 Bradley's school is doing everything it can 176 00:12:21,680 --> 00:12:25,160 to help him in the classroom. 177 00:12:26,760 --> 00:12:30,200 Teachers let him use a timeout card. 178 00:12:30,200 --> 00:12:33,440 He can use it a few times a day at any point in class 179 00:12:33,440 --> 00:12:37,120 when it feels too much for him. 180 00:12:38,160 --> 00:12:41,040 A member of staff can just see this and give a nod. 181 00:12:41,040 --> 00:12:43,720 And that student could quietly slip away before any further anxiety 182 00:12:43,720 --> 00:12:46,680 builds or any stress about what they were doing. 183 00:12:47,080 --> 00:12:49,720 They just mostly live around us everywhere... 184 00:12:49,720 --> 00:12:52,000 But it doesn't always work out like that. 185 00:12:52,000 --> 00:12:55,000 Miss, Miss, Miss, can I go toilet? 186 00:12:55,200 --> 00:12:56,600 Are you taking your timeout? 187 00:12:56,600 --> 00:12:58,360 Yeah and then use the toilet. 188 00:12:58,360 --> 00:13:00,080 OK, Bradley, for the last five minutes!? 189 00:13:00,080 --> 00:13:02,080 I need to use the toilet! 190 00:13:02,080 --> 00:13:06,200 It's either that or you just let me go. 191 00:13:10,240 --> 00:13:11,760 That's all right. 192 00:13:11,760 --> 00:13:14,680 People think that I'm actually using it to stay out of class. 193 00:13:14,680 --> 00:13:17,160 And sometimes I actually do... 194 00:13:17,160 --> 00:13:19,160 Like, sometimes I feel like I should like... 195 00:13:19,160 --> 00:13:22,000 I don't want to go to class, but there is definitely times 196 00:13:22,000 --> 00:13:25,360 where I use it because I've got stuff on my mind that I'm trying 197 00:13:25,360 --> 00:13:28,920 to forget about. 198 00:13:30,400 --> 00:13:33,040 So, your dad might come into your mind or your grief 199 00:13:33,040 --> 00:13:35,440 might come into your mind at that moment in class? 200 00:13:35,440 --> 00:13:38,040 Yeah. 201 00:13:43,120 --> 00:13:44,560 It's not been without challenges itself, 202 00:13:44,560 --> 00:13:46,960 the introduction of this card and the use of it. 203 00:13:46,960 --> 00:13:49,080 But, overall, we've seen a direct improvement in attendance 204 00:13:49,080 --> 00:13:54,120 and attainment and punctuality to just lessons. 205 00:13:54,720 --> 00:13:56,720 Without those timeout cards, without that escape valve 206 00:13:56,720 --> 00:13:58,800 for Bradley, do you think he would actually be 207 00:13:58,800 --> 00:14:02,840 turning up to school every day? 208 00:14:02,840 --> 00:14:05,280 It's certainly less likely, I would imagine that his attendance 209 00:14:05,280 --> 00:14:07,400 would be a lot lower than it currently is, 210 00:14:07,400 --> 00:14:11,640 which is in a very good place. 211 00:14:15,840 --> 00:14:18,280 First game on pitch one over here will be STMM 212 00:14:18,280 --> 00:14:19,520 against Harris Mordant. 213 00:14:19,520 --> 00:14:22,120 Bradley's also been supported by Football Beyond Borders, 214 00:14:22,120 --> 00:14:24,920 a charity that helps young people get the most out of school, 215 00:14:24,920 --> 00:14:30,280 using football to keep kids like Bradley engaged. 216 00:14:31,920 --> 00:14:36,560 His mentor, Lorenzo, has known him since he was 11. 217 00:14:38,680 --> 00:14:41,800 Cool, so three, four years ago, started off the programme, 218 00:14:41,800 --> 00:14:45,080 if you're... 219 00:14:45,080 --> 00:14:47,160 If you're, like, this tall now, how tall do 220 00:14:47,160 --> 00:14:51,200 you reckon you was back then, if you compare it to my hand? 221 00:14:51,200 --> 00:14:52,240 About here? 222 00:14:52,240 --> 00:14:56,840 Yeah, you was a little, little yout! 223 00:14:56,840 --> 00:14:59,480 And whenever you need someone to talk to or some advice, 224 00:14:59,480 --> 00:15:00,520 I'll be here. 225 00:15:00,520 --> 00:15:03,640 The charity helps Bradley and others tackle 226 00:15:03,640 --> 00:15:07,440 the problems that have been holding them back. 227 00:15:07,440 --> 00:15:09,880 It was very hard to control my emotions sometimes - 228 00:15:09,880 --> 00:15:12,680 I'd get very angry on the football pitch. 229 00:15:12,680 --> 00:15:13,720 It's self control. 230 00:15:13,720 --> 00:15:15,360 Hm, how so? What does it mean? 231 00:15:15,360 --> 00:15:19,640 A combination of sympathetic teaching 232 00:15:19,640 --> 00:15:24,680 and mentoring from a charity has supported Bradley in school. 233 00:15:24,720 --> 00:15:27,200 I'm just improving, like, every day as a person 234 00:15:27,200 --> 00:15:29,560 and, like, on the football pitch, as well. 235 00:15:29,560 --> 00:15:34,800 APPLAUSE. 236 00:15:35,880 --> 00:15:40,320 Confidence was a big thing for me, like, at the start of my FBB 237 00:15:40,320 --> 00:15:42,840 journey and I was never ever this confident ever. 238 00:15:42,840 --> 00:15:46,400 Like, I was always that silent kid. 239 00:15:46,400 --> 00:15:51,600 A supportive strategy appears to have worked for Bradley 240 00:15:52,440 --> 00:15:56,400 If all else fails, Government guidance 241 00:15:56,400 --> 00:16:00,240 recommends a tough approach. 242 00:16:00,240 --> 00:16:03,720 Parents can be issued with a fixed penalty fine of £60 243 00:16:03,720 --> 00:16:07,720 if their child keeps missing school without reason. 244 00:16:07,720 --> 00:16:11,680 During the pandemic, the use of fines dwindled almost to nothing 245 00:16:11,680 --> 00:16:14,640 but Panorama has discovered they're making a comeback. 246 00:16:14,640 --> 00:16:19,720 We looked at how fines were issued in England 247 00:16:19,760 --> 00:16:25,040 during the last school year. 248 00:16:25,720 --> 00:16:28,280 Some councils issued dozens of penalties. 249 00:16:28,280 --> 00:16:31,920 Others handed out thousands of them. 250 00:16:31,920 --> 00:16:35,160 At least £8.6 million of fines were issued to parents, 251 00:16:35,160 --> 00:16:40,440 suggesting a return to pre-pandemic levels. 252 00:16:42,920 --> 00:16:45,760 I can think of a number of cases where fines can work, 253 00:16:45,760 --> 00:16:48,040 but, of course, they're not the whole story. 254 00:16:48,040 --> 00:16:50,600 And sometimes they don't work. 255 00:16:50,600 --> 00:16:54,360 And we need to really look with each child 256 00:16:54,360 --> 00:16:57,000 at what is the underlying reason for them not coming in 257 00:16:57,000 --> 00:17:02,400 and address that with whatever it takes. 258 00:17:05,040 --> 00:17:07,680 You know when it gets to, like, September, that's when I'm 259 00:17:07,680 --> 00:17:10,720 gonna start freaking out about it. 260 00:17:10,720 --> 00:17:12,960 No amount of threats or inducements would make 261 00:17:12,960 --> 00:17:17,400 a difference to Abbie's parents. 262 00:17:17,400 --> 00:17:19,480 They know the value of school - 263 00:17:19,480 --> 00:17:23,000 they're both teachers. 264 00:17:23,000 --> 00:17:26,800 Both of us wanted her in school but it was hard 265 00:17:26,800 --> 00:17:29,960 watching her put so much pressure on herself to do something and then 266 00:17:29,960 --> 00:17:35,240 be completely unable to do it. 267 00:17:35,600 --> 00:17:39,200 And it's a painful thing to watch as a parent but it's also she had 268 00:17:39,200 --> 00:17:42,040 a voice and we needed to listen to what she was saying. 269 00:17:42,040 --> 00:17:45,680 How was the walk, Abs? 270 00:17:45,680 --> 00:17:48,200 It was a walk! 271 00:17:48,200 --> 00:17:50,560 LAUGHTER. 272 00:17:50,560 --> 00:17:52,960 Mum and Dad think they've found a solution. 273 00:17:52,960 --> 00:17:55,320 Abbie's going to a small private school. 274 00:17:55,320 --> 00:17:58,080 The local authority will pay the fees because it agrees 275 00:17:58,080 --> 00:18:03,320 this will best meet her needs. 276 00:18:04,920 --> 00:18:05,920 ABBIE LAUGHS. 277 00:18:05,920 --> 00:18:08,600 How worried are you about the start of this term, then? 278 00:18:08,600 --> 00:18:12,520 I'm terrified, if I'm honest. 279 00:18:12,520 --> 00:18:15,120 But she's maintained the whole way along that she wants 280 00:18:15,120 --> 00:18:17,960 to learn in a school, and so we have to give her 281 00:18:17,960 --> 00:18:20,720 the best shot at that. 282 00:18:20,720 --> 00:18:24,640 But we're not inside her head, we can't... 283 00:18:24,640 --> 00:18:27,920 We can't tell what's going on. 284 00:18:27,920 --> 00:18:32,600 We have to be led by her. 285 00:18:32,600 --> 00:18:34,800 So, I think, yeah, we've got our fingers crossed. 286 00:18:34,800 --> 00:18:36,120 Don't eat me! 287 00:18:36,120 --> 00:18:39,280 I will kind of figure out how I feel when that time comes. 288 00:18:39,280 --> 00:18:44,440 Like, the day that I'm supposed to be going to school. 289 00:18:45,600 --> 00:18:50,080 That's when I'll kind of, you know, think about it a little more. 290 00:18:50,080 --> 00:18:53,720 I know that if I think about it, I'm going to make myself 291 00:18:53,720 --> 00:18:58,960 really stressed and really anxious about it. 292 00:19:02,000 --> 00:19:05,680 I really feel for parents of children with special educational 293 00:19:05,680 --> 00:19:10,280 needs where those needs have not been met because I think it can 294 00:19:10,280 --> 00:19:11,720 feel like a huge battle. 295 00:19:11,720 --> 00:19:16,960 Your child should be able to be at school. 296 00:19:24,080 --> 00:19:29,280 Mollie wants to be a sports coach. 297 00:19:31,680 --> 00:19:35,160 After helping out younger kids at school, she's got a placement 298 00:19:35,160 --> 00:19:38,920 with a local charity - Helping Kids Achieve. 299 00:19:38,920 --> 00:19:43,080 So you're right handed, so you throw your left first, yeah? 300 00:19:43,080 --> 00:19:48,360 So, one, two, under, left hook, yeah? 301 00:19:48,960 --> 00:19:50,680 They offer activities and mentoring for children. 302 00:19:50,680 --> 00:19:53,320 So, try and twist your hips a bit more when you... 303 00:19:53,320 --> 00:19:55,240 Because it's more power when you hit, yeah? 304 00:19:55,240 --> 00:19:56,280 All right, you ready? 305 00:19:56,280 --> 00:19:57,320 So, we're gonna duck. 306 00:19:57,320 --> 00:19:59,960 Mollie wants to be the mentor she feels she never had. 307 00:19:59,960 --> 00:20:02,560 So, like, if I had someone like me, I think it 308 00:20:02,560 --> 00:20:04,400 would have gone, like, a lot different. 309 00:20:04,400 --> 00:20:06,840 It sounds to me like you don't want other kids 310 00:20:06,840 --> 00:20:10,720 to have the same kind of experiences that you've had at school? 311 00:20:10,720 --> 00:20:16,000 Yeah, so I think I'd rather go and actually make a change than just 312 00:20:17,440 --> 00:20:18,680 sit and talk about it. 313 00:20:18,680 --> 00:20:21,280 This has happened for me and loads of other people, so... 314 00:20:21,280 --> 00:20:23,320 And it's, like, across the country, as well. 315 00:20:23,320 --> 00:20:27,640 So, it clearly is a problem. 316 00:20:27,640 --> 00:20:32,880 To train as a sports coach, Mollie must get the grades. 317 00:20:33,760 --> 00:20:36,400 I think preparing for the GCSEs, it got quite hard cos 318 00:20:36,400 --> 00:20:40,400 obviously I'd missed out. 319 00:20:40,400 --> 00:20:43,600 And if I don't pass, I'll just have to work my way up, 320 00:20:43,600 --> 00:20:47,480 it's just one of those things. 321 00:20:47,480 --> 00:20:51,200 It's GCSE results day. 322 00:20:51,200 --> 00:20:56,400 Mollie's about to find out the consequences 323 00:21:00,480 --> 00:21:04,920 of all that time out of class. 324 00:21:04,920 --> 00:21:09,000 She hasn't passed Maths and English. 325 00:21:09,000 --> 00:21:12,160 She missed out by just one grade. 326 00:21:12,160 --> 00:21:16,720 It's annoying but I kind of expected it, so... 327 00:21:16,720 --> 00:21:19,360 Mollie's grades are lower than she needs 328 00:21:19,360 --> 00:21:21,880 to do the college course she wants. 329 00:21:21,880 --> 00:21:25,640 She'll have to resit Maths and English. 330 00:21:25,640 --> 00:21:29,120 I don't think it's fair but it's life. 331 00:21:29,120 --> 00:21:34,360 SHE LAUGHS WRYLY. 332 00:21:36,240 --> 00:21:38,840 # Look, they told me that as more time goes by 333 00:21:38,840 --> 00:21:40,520 # I'll be open in my feels 334 00:21:40,520 --> 00:21:42,480 # But truth is I've got the lowdown 335 00:21:42,480 --> 00:21:44,840 # And it's breaking me, even though I look steel 336 00:21:44,840 --> 00:21:46,000 # Like a genre bro... 337 00:21:46,000 --> 00:21:49,440 # Love to go non-stop...# 338 00:21:49,440 --> 00:21:54,680 It's nearly a year since Bradley's dad died. 339 00:21:55,960 --> 00:21:58,400 I just feel like songs over a situation like that 340 00:21:58,400 --> 00:22:03,560 just helps me a lot. 341 00:22:03,680 --> 00:22:06,600 I find that I'm writing songs myself. 342 00:22:06,600 --> 00:22:10,480 I find that easier than talking to someone. 343 00:22:10,480 --> 00:22:15,680 just find music an easier way to cope with things. 344 00:22:16,000 --> 00:22:19,560 Bradley wrote a track to describe how he felt. 345 00:22:19,560 --> 00:22:21,320 He's never recorded the lyrics. 346 00:22:21,320 --> 00:22:26,600 Until now. 347 00:22:28,440 --> 00:22:30,360 # I'll be real two minutes and enough 348 00:22:30,360 --> 00:22:32,720 # I feel like I've got to show more love... 349 00:22:32,720 --> 00:22:36,240 I might be doing this a while. 350 00:22:36,240 --> 00:22:38,400 # He would never say he's unavailable to speak 351 00:22:38,400 --> 00:22:40,080 # And that really gave me trust 352 00:22:40,080 --> 00:22:45,360 # Oooooh! 353 00:22:45,680 --> 00:22:47,880 # I've got bare on my head like hats, 354 00:22:47,880 --> 00:22:49,960 # I've been on the go just writing tracks 355 00:22:49,960 --> 00:22:51,960 # I've been on the go just writing 356 00:22:51,960 --> 00:22:54,600 # So if you'll call me then I won't call back 357 00:22:54,600 --> 00:22:56,440 # I've been in my zone just thinking 358 00:22:56,440 --> 00:22:58,880 # Mum wishing that she gets her old son back 359 00:22:58,880 --> 00:23:01,320 # But I aint' got no-one to keep me straight 360 00:23:01,320 --> 00:23:06,480 # And I lost the man that did that.# 361 00:23:12,880 --> 00:23:18,120 Bradley knows this new school year leading up to his GCSEs is crucial. 362 00:23:22,240 --> 00:23:24,520 Like, my worry is that because of my habits, 363 00:23:24,520 --> 00:23:26,920 in other years, like Year 9 and Year 10, I've... 364 00:23:26,920 --> 00:23:29,800 Like, if I'm upset, I'm not going to take my tests seriously 365 00:23:29,800 --> 00:23:32,000 or I'm not gonna do it. 366 00:23:32,000 --> 00:23:35,840 My worry is that I'll try and do it in Year 11 which I can't do 367 00:23:35,840 --> 00:23:41,160 because those tests are just, like, important. 368 00:23:44,200 --> 00:23:47,720 Like, they're really important for me - my GCSEs, so 369 00:23:47,720 --> 00:23:52,080 whenever I think about school, I think about that 370 00:23:52,080 --> 00:23:57,320 and I think about going into Year 11. 371 00:23:57,400 --> 00:24:02,680 Yeah... 372 00:24:14,080 --> 00:24:19,320 St Mary Magdalene School, autumn term - 8:45am. 373 00:24:23,400 --> 00:24:25,840 Teacher Luke Kirkham is looking out for Bradley 374 00:24:25,840 --> 00:24:31,080 But he's not here. 375 00:24:31,120 --> 00:24:32,320 He's out of the country. 376 00:24:32,320 --> 00:24:33,560 Where out of the country? 377 00:24:33,560 --> 00:24:35,160 Back home - family place in Africa? 378 00:24:35,160 --> 00:24:36,400 Sierra Leone or Liberia? 379 00:24:36,400 --> 00:24:37,400 Nah. 380 00:24:37,400 --> 00:24:38,400 Neither one? 381 00:24:38,400 --> 00:24:41,440 I don't actually know. 382 00:24:41,440 --> 00:24:44,920 I appreciate you - have a good day. 383 00:24:44,920 --> 00:24:47,800 It turns out Bradley and his family have gone to Sierra Leone 384 00:24:47,800 --> 00:24:53,040 to mark the first anniversary of his Dad's death. 385 00:24:54,480 --> 00:24:57,880 Concern is that school have not been contacted and we've had to find out 386 00:24:57,880 --> 00:24:59,520 from Bradley's social group where he is 387 00:24:59,520 --> 00:25:01,160 and he's currently out of the country, 388 00:25:01,160 --> 00:25:02,600 so it will be reported upwards. 389 00:25:02,600 --> 00:25:04,520 The situation was resolved quickly when the family 390 00:25:04,520 --> 00:25:08,040 contacted the school. 391 00:25:08,040 --> 00:25:11,760 Luke works with Bradley, and teenagers like him, 392 00:25:11,760 --> 00:25:16,800 to keep struggling pupils in class. 393 00:25:16,840 --> 00:25:18,480 This should be, like, a rewarding year 394 00:25:18,480 --> 00:25:20,480 as well as a try-hard year. 395 00:25:20,480 --> 00:25:21,880 Including for Bradley, even after everything 396 00:25:21,880 --> 00:25:22,920 he's been through? 397 00:25:22,920 --> 00:25:24,360 Without a doubt. Without a doubt. 398 00:25:24,360 --> 00:25:26,520 That's the whole point. 399 00:25:26,520 --> 00:25:31,680 Especially students like Bradley. 400 00:25:36,800 --> 00:25:42,000 For some teenagers, supportive teachers alone may not be enough. 401 00:25:42,520 --> 00:25:45,680 Abbie has made it into her new school for her first 402 00:25:45,680 --> 00:25:50,880 full lesson in nine months. 403 00:25:51,960 --> 00:25:54,400 Undoubtedly there's lots and lots of Abbie's out there. 404 00:25:54,400 --> 00:25:58,240 Um, and I think the lesson, there are countless lessons 405 00:25:58,240 --> 00:26:00,880 that we can learn, but perhaps one of the most important 406 00:26:00,880 --> 00:26:02,560 is listening to the child. 407 00:26:02,560 --> 00:26:04,440 Their experience is real. 408 00:26:04,440 --> 00:26:08,000 So telling a child who's struggling to get into school that they've just 409 00:26:08,000 --> 00:26:11,200 got to get there and it will be fine when they get there, 410 00:26:11,200 --> 00:26:15,680 that's not necessarily the case. 411 00:26:15,680 --> 00:26:19,160 Abbie could only make it through an hour today. 412 00:26:19,160 --> 00:26:24,480 It will be a long way back for her. 413 00:26:25,040 --> 00:26:27,920 You all right? 414 00:26:27,920 --> 00:26:31,320 Well, I mean, I want to go to school and so I'm kind of, 415 00:26:31,320 --> 00:26:36,560 if I have enough energy for it, I will. 416 00:26:36,640 --> 00:26:40,680 I'm not really talking to people, but I'm kind of just 417 00:26:40,680 --> 00:26:45,840 trying to socialise a little bit. 418 00:26:53,080 --> 00:26:55,880 Mollie's perseverance has paid off. 419 00:26:55,880 --> 00:26:58,800 The college has let her on to the course she wants 420 00:26:58,800 --> 00:27:03,480 and will help her with her resits. 421 00:27:03,480 --> 00:27:08,760 She's determined to make a success of her new life. 422 00:27:15,840 --> 00:27:18,480 It's going to be different being in a normal classroom setting 423 00:27:18,480 --> 00:27:20,120 compared to what I had in school. 424 00:27:20,120 --> 00:27:21,600 So good luck when you start. 425 00:27:21,600 --> 00:27:24,480 So, I think it's going to be difficult with that sudden change. 426 00:27:24,480 --> 00:27:28,040 But then I feel like I'm going to be able to do it because it's 427 00:27:28,040 --> 00:27:30,080 something I want to do. 428 00:27:30,080 --> 00:27:35,320 Bradley has now returned to school. 429 00:27:38,360 --> 00:27:39,720 English, RS, remember it's Tuesday today. 430 00:27:39,720 --> 00:27:40,800 Have a good day. 431 00:27:40,800 --> 00:27:41,840 You too, miss. 432 00:27:41,840 --> 00:27:47,160 He's working with his teachers to get the most from his GCSE year. 433 00:27:57,520 --> 00:28:01,440 Whether it's being burnt out, a personal crisis, 434 00:28:01,440 --> 00:28:05,720 or falling out with school, some children need the right support 435 00:28:05,720 --> 00:28:10,880 to get them through the gates.