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 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.
As much as I want to be hopeful for each and every one of them... It seems like many of them suffer from deep mental and emotional issues that have gone unresolved since childhood and coupled with a troubling home environment I can't see these programs being as effective as they intended them to be. I don't want to call them a lost cause but at the end of the day you can't force a child to care about being respectful, working hard and seeing a future when the only way they know how to cope with their internal issues is through acting out. However, I'm happy for the few see that are able to lead successful and changed lives because of what they learn through the program.
