Educating Yorkshire to return to Channel 4
The show last aired in August 2014 as part of a wider collection giving a fly-on-the-wall look at schools across the country.
Fly-on-the-wall documentary Educating Yorkshire is to return to Channel 4 next year.
The new series will show how Thornhill Community Academy in Dewsbury has changed since it first appeared on the small screen in August 2014.
Educating Yorkshire’s first series was watched by millions, with its most famous scenes showing English teacher Mr Burton helping year 11 student Musharaf overcome his stammer.
In the new series, Mr Burton has taken over from Mr Mitchell as headteacher, with a new team of staff.
The programme is part of a collection which started with Educating Essex in 2011, and most recently focused on Harrop Fold School for Educating Greater Manchester in 2020.
Mr Burton said he was “excited” to welcome the cameras back into the school for a number of months.
He said: “The national challenges the profession faces are well publicised, and at Thornhill I’m really proud of how our staff and students work together to thrive through those.
“Our values – work hard and be nice – are at the centre of all we do. I have no doubt that viewers will see those come to life in our brilliant community.”
Storylines will show how teachers deal with challenges such as mobile phones in the classroom, the national school attendance crisis, and issues such as teenage anxiety and exam pressure.
It will also show the pressures on school bosses amid a teacher recruitment crisis which sees nearly a third leaving the job within five years.
Rita Daniels, Channel 4 commissioning editor, said: “Telling the complex story of young people in Britain in 2025 is crucial for Channel 4, and what better way to do so than through this iconic, much-loved school.
“It will be fantastic to see Mr Burton in charge, and I look forward to watching him seize the reins with full gusto.
“Much has changed for British teenagers since we were last at Thornhill Academy.
“It will be fascinating to see how practices have developed and adapted since the burgeoning impact of social media, the Covid epidemic and the intense pressure to deliver good results.”
The show will be produced by Twofour, which is part of ITV Studios, with Yorkshire-based talent being recruited to work on the series.
