Episode 3 Goodbye Year Six

In Year Six, you're top dog in school.

I'll never be 11 again.

It's a year that's packed with emotional highs...

SHE GASPS

Oh, my God!

Yes!!

..and dramatic lows.

-I'm not going to sit next to you.

-Oh...really?

-That's the wrong attitude.

-Ah...

They're going to take me to hospital, my hand's hurting a lot,

and I can't move it.

And as Year Six-ers start their last ever term at primary school,

-there's a lot to look forward to.

-Well, yeah!

The limos, the glamour,

and the party of their lives at the end-of-year prom.

The challenge of stepping into the spotlight,

showcasing their talent.

BEATBOXING

The adrenaline rush and wild nights of the first trip away from home.

Pillow fight!

But this is also a time when their life changes for ever.

Year Six is about getting them ready to move on,

moving on up into that next stage.

They'll have to face the heartache of saying goodbye to their friends.

-He's like a brother.

-She's the best thing I ever had.

One thing's for sure, the final term

will be like nothing they've ever experienced.

There's so much still to learn.

I, like, don't want to mess up for anyone, and I want to do my best.

-And to laugh about.

-HE LAUGHS

And after that, it's time to say, Goodbye, Year Six.

-Hip hip...

-ALL: Hooray!

Coming up, rehearsals for the school production

put all of Year Six's talents to the test.

No, no, no, no! I haven't time to count all this!

Will Tanarj'e's nerves cost her a place in the play?

-I don't want to do the play.

-Why?

-I don't want to be in it.

Can Patrick cut out his clowning around?

-Patrick, I'm going to take you out of this role.

-Oh!

Who will crack first? The pupils...

-Get your head out of my ear hole!

-I'm angry.

-..or the teachers?

-Is something funny?

Get out. You go, and you, just go. We're ready to just ditch this.

BELL RINGS

For the pupils of Year Six at Heavers Farm School

in South London, the stress of the Sats exams is over,

and it's time to relax, have fun and show off some skills.

LAUGHTER Let me have a go!

Classes Aquamarine and Amethyst are packed full of talent,

and there's competition to prove they can be stars of the future.

The girls love to sing in class. I like to sing.

Next door is dancing. My class sings, next door is dancing.

I want to be famous, I want everyone to know me and remember me.

-What do you want to be when you're grown-up?

-Rapper!

-Beatboxer.

-I taught you how to beatbox!

-I know. And I taught you how to rap.

-No, you didn't!

-Calm down!

In just a few weeks,

Year Six will have a chance to show how much they've grown in confidence

in their time at school, when they perform the end-of-year play

in front of their parents and teachers.

Well, it's a production about us, especially like,

what's happening now, about us leaving Year Six,

but it'll be kids playing teachers, and stuff,

so, looking forward to that.

Miss Sparman and Miss Kelly have been given the job of making

sure "Goodbye My Friend" is a huge success.

I'm going to be scared, cos I don't think I've ever done a play before.

Everyone's after the best parts, and the teachers have got a tough

job deciding who's going to play who.

Do you feel like Simon Cowell and Louis Walsh?

LAUGHTER

Auditions are a chance to impress teachers,

and Tanarj'e is feeling the pressure.

Can she overcome her nerves and get the part she wants?

-Tanarj'e.

-I thought you weren't doing it.

-She is now.

Wasn't I told this morning, somewhere through the grapevine,

"I'm not auditioning..!"?

-It's cos I'm scared of auditioning!

-She's very nervous.

Because you're nervous? You don't need to be nervous.

I thought you were being a diva. No?

-No!

-What part?

-The TA.

-The TA.

-The TA.

-Has everyone got a sheet?

-I haven't.

Would you like... me to deal with that?

If you wouldn't mind, Miss Tanarj'e.

Now, can anyone tell me

how to find the area of a regular four-sided shape?

-Think about the length and breadth.

-That's fine, thank you very much.

-OK!

-It was clear, well done.

-Tanarj'e's audition was a hit.

She's not the only one battling nerves.

Philip has his heart set on a role he thinks is ideal for him.

Ben. Cos I'm not that good at reading, and he's got easy words.

I want to be in the play, just not like, have big sentences,

cos I won't be able to remember it all.

But if I can't remember some of them, I'll just write it on my hand.

When I spoke to Miss Sparman, she said,

like, there's already been ten performers of Ben, so...

Yeah.

It'll be quite tricky to get the part, but hopefully I still can.

But to get the part, he needs to wow the teachers in his audition.

-Go on, then.

-So are you guys ready for...um...

Are you guys ready for your last day ever at... Last ever day at school?

OK, I want you to do it without the script.

-Don't read the script.

-Just say it to me.

-In your own words.

-So are you guys ready for the last day at primary school?

-There you go!

-Perfect.

-See?

-I guarantee I'm not going to get it.

Well, no, no, no, you can't guarantee anything.

You've done well.

The auditions might be stressful for some,

but others relish a chance to perform.

-You'd avoid all the chaos.

-I love that.

The hustle and bustle, to and fro-ing, it leaves you

in no doubt that another school week has well and truly begun.

-That's a lovely audition, thank you.

-Thanks, Tyra.

D'you know what's really annoying about this bus being late?

I could have had... A bowl... Another bowl of cereal.

-You're really good.

-I think we need to have a bigger part...

I really do, Curtis.

Please move your lazy behinds here now!

OK, thank you very much, Patrick.

I wouldn't like you to be my teacher! THEY LAUGH

With lots of Year Six-ers battling for the same roles,

the auditions are tough for best friends Mariam and Marine.

-They're both after the same part.

-Think about it.

If the bus is late on Monday morning,

it means we arrive at school late on Monday,

we'd avoid all the chaos.

Think about it, if the bus is late on Monday morning,

it means we... It means that we'd arrive late...

Er...we would arrive at school late on Monday morning.

We'd avoid all the chaos.

Thank you. Well done.

There's a character we both want to be, called Betty.

I'm cool with it, because we just promised we'd not, like,

have hard feelings, if one of us gets the part.

We'll just congratulate each other. Cos that's how good friends we are.

Along with the rest of Year Six, all they can do is wait,

and hope they get the roles they want.

Thank you!

After a tense few days, it's the moment of truth.

Time to find out who's got the parts they auditioned for.

I know that in Aquamarine, certain children wanted particular roles

and they haven't got them. So, yeah, that could be a problem.

-I feel quite nervous!

-SHE LAUGHS

And for some, it's really good news.

Oh!

Yes! I'm Sarah! Yay!

Yay! I'm Sarah!

Ooooooh!

-Yes!!

-No!

-Yes!

See? I told you!

And Tanarj'e's not the only one who got the part she wanted.

-Who are you?

-Betty!

With Marine cast as Betty, her BFF, Mariam,

is going to have to settle for a role that she didn't ask for.

I can't see her!

-I'm Child Two!

-I'm Child Number One!

-Yes. Very good part.

-Child Two!

-Have you actually looked at the scene?

-Yeah.

-You have?

-And what are you not happy about?

-I don't like it.

Although they promised it wouldn't damage their friendship,

-Mariam is angry at not being chosen to play Betty.

-I don't want it.

Why don't you want it?

Because I didn't want that part in the first place.

I feel really bad.

Cos she really doesn't like the part she got.

I wish I could change it for her.

Can Mariam get over losing the role she wanted,

and make up with her best friend?

It's the start of a new day at Heavers Farm School.

But before rehearsals for the play begin,

there's urgent business to attend to.

It's Seyi's birthday.

The school tradition is, they give boys, not girls, birthday beats.

They punch you on how old you are.

-Like...

-And then I did one extra for next year.

-For good luck, yeah.

When it's your birthday,

all your friends will give you birthday beats.

ALL: One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, 11! 12!

Happy birthday, Seyi!

They all just came for me and started birthday beating me.

Happy birthday!

Yeah, happy birthday!

-Birthday beats!

-One...it's OK.

Birthday beats are not really a bad thing.

They're basically another way of saying, "Happy birthday."

THEY LAUGH

BELL RINGS

With only a few weeks to prepare until the big performance,

Year Six get stuck into their characters.

Last Monday morning, we just did a one-off,

and there was one before that, and the one before that.

They wouldn't hear that.

If you forgot your kit, you'd have to do it in pants and vest.

Well done, lovely, next!

But not everyone is happy with their part.

Best friends Mariam and Marine

fell out after they both auditioned for the character of Betty.

And with Mariam still upset about not being chosen,

it's all getting a bit much for Marine.

It was what you auditioned for.

You was like, "I want to be Betty!"

But now I'm a teacher's pet.

Hey!

SHE CHUCKLES

Don't you dare get upset...

Aaahh!

Although Cookie is doing her best to cheer Marine up.

-MARINE SOBS

-Don't cry.

With a close friendship at stake,

there's only one person who can really make her feel better.

I was coming to talk to you.

But have they managed to get their friendship back on track?

Most of the time, there's friends like us, like,

two people, and if they have an argument, it'll take,

like, days for them to figure it out.

-But we're not like that.

-We sorted it out.

We're friends again, and it feels great, it feels, like, nice.

Cos you don't have fights, you don't stay away from each other,

we can talk to each other.

Pretty cool.

-Bye.

-Bye!

With all the roles decided, Year Six can start rehearsing together.

But Philip doesn't seem quite so keen.

-Morning, Philip!

-Morning.

You coming in?

And have a look at your script?

Going to...

At his audition, Philip had his heart set

-on playing the part of Ben.

-Perform Ben.

Because I'm not that good at reading, and he's got easy words.

He impressed the teachers so much, he's been given a bigger role, Ali.

He's shy about performing such a main character,

-so he runs through the script with Mr Rohan...

-Oh, yes...

The madness that is our Monday morning routine.

Good. Good.

..while his best mate, Tate, stands in for him in rehearsals.

No way, they'd never do that. He's having you on.

I'm loving you as Ali. Philip's got shoes to fill when he comes back.

Philip knows if he wants to keep his role,

he's going to have to overcome his stage fright.

It's only today.

And I have to get used to it.

While some are struggling to find their confidence,

natural performers like Patrick are in their element.

A talented rapper, Patrick's using his freestyling skills

to put his own spin on the role of Lunchtime Supervisor.

But not everyone's impressed.

We can't prove it, so yo... So we're watching...

Sorry, what accent are we trying here?

Are we being American, are we being Jamaican?

-What accent are we trying?

-Am I allowed to do accents?

Erm...are you any good at an accent?

-What accent... Are you good at a Jamaican accent?

-Nigerian?!

Go on, let's see how your Jamaican accent is.

All right...

INDISTINCT JAMAICAN SPEECH

OK. All right, sorry.

-Ohh!

-That was very good, but we still have to understand you.

Shall I speak in Nigerian, then?

Can you speak it in Nigerian? All right, let's try that, then.

NIGERIAN ACCENT: We know that you are trying to get the Infants

to drink vinegar, erm... to drink vinegar.

LAUGHTER

All right, I know. Hold on, stop, stop, stop.

Stop messing about and get on with it.

We know that you are trying to get the Infants to drink vinegar,

but we can't prove it. So we're watching you.

Now get outside and remember.

You two run, they block you, and you say, "Stop in the name of the law."

BOTH: Stop in the name of the law!

-Patrick, I'm going to take you out of this role.

-I didn't do anything!

-Cos you get silly with it.

-You keep changing your accent.

-Exactly!

-Leave him alone!

-Every minute it's one accent, then it's another.

Just get off me...

The director...

thinks I'm being silly.

-Now, are you being silly?

-Maybe. Kind of silly.

We've got your back, Audrey. Call for assistance if you need it.

With Patrick having to rein himself in,

his classmate, Philip, is struggling with his confidence,

and he's still not joining in with rehearsals.

Yes, cos you're in this bit, Philip!

But we have to practise it.

We've got to practise with everybody.

Do you not want to be in it, then?

If you want to be in it, then you've got to do this.

'I don't know about Philip, you know?'

I know... I know, I know.

The day of the play is looming, and Miss Sparman expects the cast

to begin putting more expression into their characters.

Clear voice, loud, please.

And as ever, double-act Patrick and Jevon

have something to say on the matter.

Some people acting, they're not putting oomph into it.

-Like...

-Oomph? What's oomph?

Oh, shh. Like... I'll tell you later.

Having overcome her shyness to win the role of TA,

Tanarj'e now faces the even scarier challenge

of performing in front of her friends.

-They look at you, you say...

-Think about the length and breadth.

Really?

Think about the length and the breadth.

Can't hear you!

I need to see some expression.

The play needs exciting up a bit.

And this scene needs exciting up, so you need to..."Think about..." Hello?

"Think about the length and the breadth."

Think about the length and the breadth.

OK, that's not going to work for me. It's not going to work.

-Can I not do the play?

-Why's that?

-I don't want to be in it.

-Why?

-I just don't want to.

-You don't want to be told what to do?

-No.

-I just don't want to be in the play.

-All right.

Give the script back, I'll find someone else.

Don't have time for strops. I'll take the script.

You won't need it. 'Scuse me? Excuse me?

Thank you.

I'll be the TA for now. OK. Think about the length and the breadth.

Because sometimes I get shy, I was finding it hard to, like...

Do it in front of other people.

That's why I told Miss I didn't want to do it no more.

I should have probably stayed in the play, but...

I'm just going to stay out.

For now. I might change my mind, I'm not sure.

But with time against them,

Tanarj'e has given the teachers a real dilemma.

-What's up with Tanarj'e?

-She's resigned...

-Why?

Cos I asked her to use more expression.

And she didn't like the fact that I asked her maybe two or three times.

She said she doesn't want to do it, so we need a new TA.

OK.

With Tanarj'e dropping out,

the character of TA will need to be filled quickly.

Miss Kelly thinks she has the perfect replacement in Nicole.

ALL: Eighteen!

Excellent! Now look, I'm dividing the rectangle in half...

with a diagonal line. What have I made?

-ALL: Two right-angled triangles!

-Love Nicole in the role.

-Right, Nicole!

-Love it.

-You have the role.

-Well done.

-As TA.

-Well done.

-OK. I'll give this back to Tanarj'e.

-No, no, no.

-She doesn't need it.

She was fantastic in that role!

-She was really good in it!

-I know she was.

Taking over the part of TA from her classmate

-has left Nicole with mixed emotions.

-Tanarj'e has moods sometimes,

and sometimes it's just not the right time and the right place,

and it wasn't the right time and place this time, so...

I'm...

..happy, but a bit upset for Tanarj'e.

Show time is drawing ever closer, and Philip, who has a main role,

still doesn't seem keen on rehearsing.

Can we get this over and done with?

You see? Wrong attitude. "Get it over and done with"? No.

And it's beginning to affect the whole production.

Tate? Can you fill in for Philip, please?

If Philip wants to, then he will, but it's like...

It's either... Now it's like, either he does it or he doesn't,

because Tate can't keep stepping in and not stepping in

and learning his lines and not.

Hopefully, Tate does it, and there's no fuss,

or Philip joins in. If he wants to join in, that's fine,

cos it'll be nice if he's in it, cos he's a part of Year Six.

Knowing some tough decisions need to be made,

Philip's teacher, Mrs Shekhar, steps in for a heart-to-heart.

-Now, this production, do you want to be part of it?

-Mm-hmm.

I asked Miss Kelly, can we do it now, cos I want to play.

Aah, so do you think that would go down well?

It's an important role you're doing, isn't it?

So what we're going to do is get you another part in the play.

Is that OK? We'll change the Ali part

to make it something that is quick, so you can get on, do that part,

and get on with what you're supposed to do. Is that all right?

-Is that all right?

-Yeah.

-Yeah...

-Thank you, Philip.

At last, Philip has officially handed his role over to Tate,

and he's happy to take centre stage in the chorus.

I'm no longer Ali, but I don't care.

Cos I'd never have remembered it all.

I'm in all the songs.

# Six o'clock already

# I was just in the middle of a dream... #

With Philip finally finding a role he's comfortable with,

Tanarj'e is also having second thoughts about quitting.

-Miss Sparman? Tanarj'e said she would like a little part.

-OK. Good.

-That's good.

-But just when things seem to be going right,

there's another problem.

Now even Curtis, who's got a main speaking part in the play,

-isn't co-operating.

-It's not surprising teachers get wound up.

-Slow down, be louder.

-Last week I came a right cropper...

-No!

-Full stop!

-You're not stopping!

-Full stop.

-There's a full stop.

Do you not know your lines in Scene Two?

Curtis?

-You need to learn your lines.

-Mmm.

We haven't got long until the actual production.

You've got important lines, you're important.

You're good at Ben, but you must learn lines.

Let's take a script next door, and start learning our lines.

-I'm not going to sit next to you.

-Oh...really?

-That's the wrong attitude.

-We can't have this attitude.

Listen, we're ready to just ditch this.

Reluctantly, Curtis takes his script to learn his lines.

But it's not long before he's changed his mind.

..But we're in Year Six now, aren't we?

Despite everyone's best efforts, Curtis refuses to join in.

Come on, Curtis. We need you.

-You should be proud! You've got the best part...

-Leave him alone!

Get your head out of my ear hole!

And with rehearsal time running out,

the end-of-year play's reaching crisis point.

The production is not going on well.

Everyone's attitude, they use attitude in the class,

but they can't show it for them when they're doing a production.

And it seems even Miss Sparman is starting to lose faith.

So far, not so great.

We might have to do some swap-rounds,

scrap the whole thing, maybe, and start again, I don't know.

I don't know.

With the entire production on the brink of collapse,

everyone gathers in the hall to practise the grand finale.

-But the rehearsal gets off to a bad start.

-Hello? Waiting!

Sorry, who else is having a chat? Someone's not bothering to listen.

I'm trying to tell you the dance instructor is going to come in

and teach us... Oh, get out, Kyrone, just go away.

If you just want to be clowning around all...

Is something funny, Javel? Get out, you go. And you, just go.

It's the last straw for Miss Sparman.

She calls off the whole production.

People started talking, and, erm... not listening to the teacher,

and they got sent out of the hall.

Yeah, Miss just got really angry, and she was like,

"Get out of the hall! Now!"

And then there was no production.

It's, like, a real bummer, because I had a good part,

and we were trying to work really hard,

but then some people couldn't take it seriously.

-And my dad was going to come!

-So was mine!

For the first time in the history of Heavers Farm,

it looks like there'll be no Year Six production.

It's devastating news for some classmates.

I don't think it's fair on the people that do behave.

-Mmm, like us.

-I feel embarrassed.

Cos all the other Year Sixes have held a production,

and now except for us, we won't have a production.

We broke the record, we're not doing it.

I'm angry. I'm angry at them.

Because, like, it happens all the time,

we'll do something, we won't do anything bad,

and then the others will stop something good from happening to us.

And, yeah, it's happened again.

This is really annoying.

Determined to turn the situation around,

Amethyst class teacher Mrs Cousins

has a heart-to-heart with Miss Sparman.

I'm just... The thing is, it's the same children every day.

And it's just been a build-up, and a build-up, and a build-up...

Shame, you're spoiling it for everybody else.

And she calls an emergency class meeting.

Right, I'm not very happy, to be honest,

what's happened with this production. I'm really not.

We have done this for you. Now, let's just have a vote on this,

who would actually like to do the production? There we go.

It was the last straw, really,

and I've got to do a lot to convince her,

and YOU'VE got to do a lot to convince her

that actually we want this production to happen.

-So any suggestions? Serrenur.

-Miss!

-We should write a class message.

A class message, OK.

-Do a petition?

-Petition? Explain what you mean.

Like, we get a piece of paper, then someone writes on it, like,

"Sorry, Miss Sparman, we promise that we will not talk while...

"during a scene, and don't laugh at you."

And all the things that we did wrong, and turn them around.

-And then get everyone to sign it.

-Right, do we agree?

-ALL: Yeah.

What if they break it, though, Tyra, what should be the rule?

-You don't do the production.

-You don't do it at all.

Amethyst class have decided anyone who misbehaves during rehearsals

will be permanently removed from the production.

And Mrs Shekhar's class are prepared to put even more on the line.

This is the contract,

if you get kicked out of the production,

maybe your chances of going to the prom are taken away.

If you miss the production due to behaviour,

you're not invited to the prom. Mm?

-Mm.

-OK.

Year Six get straight to work on the contracts.

These promise that if anyone gives less than 100%,

they'll miss the show, and be banned from the prom.

The prom!

Ahh...that's going to be a fun day.

This will be the biggest night of the year for classes

Amethyst and Aquamarine.

It's the party no-one wants to miss.

I can't wait till prom, because I get this special dress,

and it's because it's the last time that you can ever spend...

-quality time with your friends.

-These guys take the prom seriously, like,

this is the ball, this is the everything.

Everyone knows the price to pay if they mess around in rehearsals,

but can Year Six make the production a success?

And will they all make it to the prom?

-Some people might have already got dresses, and...

-And they cost a lot.

I'm going to behave, cos I'm usually good in class.

Usually.

Not all the time.

Yeah, yeah, I think I'm going to behave, yeah.

I don't know.

I don't make promises.

It's the morning of the dress rehearsal,

and this is Year Six's big chance to impress Miss Sparman,

and show her they have what it takes to make the production a success.

Dreading it. Dreading it, dreading it.

It's her decision whether the play goes ahead,

and if anyone gets to go to the prom.

This is it. The loudest voice you can possibly come up with.

So far, they've only practised in private, but that's about to change,

as Key Stage One pupils have been invited along to watch.

It's the first time they're going to perform

in front of an audience.

So let's give them a big clap first.

Things get off to a shaky start, as the cast struggle with their lines.

Then we'll be late on Fri...on...

Then we'd arrive late at school on Friday instead...on Monday instead.

Do none of you lot care about an area...

No! I've got...

However, once they get going, there are some signs of improvement.

Here's my slip.

No, no, no, no, no! I haven't got time to count all this!

Just sit down, I'll do it later!

LAUGHTER

And although Patrick gets a little over-excited...

AUDIENCE CHEERS

..the Key Stage One kids seem to be enjoying themselves.

Despite a few bumps along the way, the audience loved it.

But what will hard-to-please Miss Sparman say?

The only thing that I am going to beg for, volume!

Volume in your singing, and volume in your voices when you're acting.

Volume, volume, volume.

I don't mind if you mess up lines, that's not an issue,

cos that can happen. Nicole. Friday or Monday, I wasn't sure.

Friday or Monday? I really like the production now.

Give yourselves a round of applause, we've got it!

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

The production is back on. Year Six have shown they mean business.

And soon they'll be performing the biggest show of their lives.

Like, other practices, we all messed up,

and there weren't that much messing up in this one.

Everyone was really lively at the end.

And we showed a different attitude than we would

when we were rehearsing without the costumes and stuff.

I think I did good. I was confident, and I knew my lines.

So... I just hope it went well.

But I enjoyed it.

Next time...

A trip to the end-of-year adventure camp pushes everyone to their limit.

-It's hard!

-Will a playground disaster ruin everything for Serena?

They're going to take me to hospital,

cos my hand's hurting a lot, I can't move it.

And can Year Six put on the show of their lives

-in the big performance?

-I, like, don't want to mess it up for anyone.

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