In Trouble Our School

Each September, half a million children begin

the most important year of school so far...

Year 7.

CBBC have rigged this secondary school with loads of cameras,

so you can see exactly what happens...

..as they make new friends

and get into trouble.

If you wish to find out how strict I can be,

then break the rules I set down.

I'm not spotting make-up there, am I?

-But what they learn here...

-THEY CHANT

..will stay with them for ever.

Hello there. I'm Mr Thoburn, and I'm a science teacher here.

If you've ever wondered what secondary school is like,

here's your chance to find out. This is Our School!

HE BELCHES LOUDLY

How can you do that?!

This time, we meet Ewan.

Ewan loves his freedom.

When you're out motorbiking, it's just you and your bike

and you can just forget about anything.

It just wipes your mind.

But at primary school, he sometimes struggled to obey the rules.

And when he got told off, he'd get angry and walk out of school.

Primary school's just, like, no fun at all.

Everyone gets angry. No-one can not get angry.

I used to, like, feel like I wanted to get out.

I felt I was, like, trapped.

He's hoping secondary school will be different.

I'm really excited to go to high school,

cos, like, I used to be naughty

but now, like, I'm having a fresh start.

But just two weeks into term

and he's already testing the teachers.

Wait, where do you think you're going?

Sometimes I can get, like, really frustrated and walk out.

When I say we do not talk, what don't we do?

-Don't talk.

-Don't talk.

You are sorry, aren't you?

Yeah.

I don't want to see you back up here again.

-All right.

-OK?

I can get in trouble, like, once in a while,

but, like, not all the time.

Can Ewan make the most of his fresh start?

Over 600 students travel by bus to our school every day.

Each student will make almost 2,000 trips on the bus

to and from school before they're 16.

That's a lot of journeys!

For many, it can be about having fun with mates, while for others,

it's a chance to mess about without teachers around to stop them.

Getting on a bus in the morning with no teachers on the bus,

and then getting on that bus on the way home,

that is, I think,

more difficult for a year 7 than anything else that they do.

In some cases, the year 7s are going to have to be

physically sat with other year groups, and...

There's an inevitable bit of one-upmanship

that takes place on buses.

Getting the bus is really nice, cos you have all your friends there

and all you have to do is, like, go to the bus stop on time

and then you get to school.

You don't have to worry about anything else.

I have missed the bus twice now.

We always sit near the back,

and one time, the worst thing that happened

is that we were getting thrown biscuits at.

And then when you got off the bus,

you just thought, "Oh, God, look at the mess on the floor!"

It's cooler to sit at the back of the bus,

because that's where all the cool people sit.

There's, like, year nines and tens...

Oh, my God, they're absolutely so naughty.

People tend to throw things. Like, not all the time,

but I have been hit by a few flying projectiles.

I mean, I got hit on the head by a Pringles box the other day.

Noisy, cold....

Boring.

..and boring, yeah.

Sometimes it can be good fun, the bus, because, like,

sometimes like it's fun, cos you sit next to your friends and stuff.

Noisy, cramped...

..and smelly.

There's been an incident on the bus,

and this morning, everyone seems to be talking about

who's involved - two year 8s, and year 7 student Ewan.

Why, what did he do? What did he do?

-He set his shoes on fire on the bus.

-Did he?!

-Yeah!

-On the bus, he set his shoe on fire with a lighter.

-Why?

I dunno.

This guy called Ewan in Year 7 on the bus, on the bus,

he got a lighter and set his shoe on fire.

-He's been a naughty, naughty boy.

-Yeah, he did.

Like, I knew I was going to get in trouble for it.

I just have a laugh with my mates.

Ewan is in English.

You saw Leo take the treasure chest.

Ewan saw him.

Year 7 manager Mr Livesey has spent all morning

investigating the bus incident, trying to track down the culprits.

I'm bringing Ewan in.

He's involved in this incident with lighters and deodorants and stuff.

Oh, no.

Lucy's got statements from some of the kids

-that don't want to be named.

-Right.

They've been flame throwing and they're lighting...

Spraying their feet, then lighting their feet so they can stamp it out.

-So I'm going to bring him in.

-OK.

Looks like Ewan is going to be pulled out of class.

First impressions of Ewan, when I met him,

was that he was going to be a bit of a challenge -

a bit outgoing, had a bit of spark about him,

but was someone I was going to have to keep a close eye on

to try and keep on the straight and narrow.

Yes, Ewan.

Cos pirates might have, like, written it down somewhere

and people from our time might have found it.

Somebody might have written it down and somebody else has found it.

Sorry, sir, can I take Ewan, please?

OK, Ewan.

Bring all your stuff. Thank you.

No problem, sir.

OK? I'll write those down for you. OK? I'll write them down.

Ewan's in big trouble.

Playing with fire on a bus

is going to mean serious punishment for anyone involved.

Did you have a deodorant?

-I had a deodorant.

-And a lighter...

I haven't got a lighter.

No, I'm not saying you've got one now. You may have, I don't know.

No, I don't have one.

I've been told from a number of students on the bus

-that you had a lighter.

-No.

We were on the bus and my mates were, like, lighting aerosols

and setting their shoes on fire.

Then they asked me, let me...let me, like, set my shoe on fire,

so I let them set it on fire once.

It felt good, but it was bad as well,

cos, like, it could have, like, spreaded up to your leg,

like, set you on fire,

but, like, it didn't.

I think Ewan wasn't the ringleader.

I think he was obviously misled by older students,

but I think he realises what he did was wrong

and I think it's trying to get through to Ewan

that we are giving him a fresh start,

not holding anything over him

from what's gone on in his primary school.

It's so serious that Head of Behaviour, Mr Maggiore,

has been called.

Right. OK, can you sit up straight, Ewan?

-Right, you know what this is about, don't you?

-Yeah.

You could have done some real damage here to yourself

and to the other students you were messing around with.

This could have gone horribly wrong.

We can't allow this to go without being punished,

so we're going to give you - and this is not a light punishment -

we're going to isolate you for at least three days.

-Do you know what isolation means?

-Yeah.

-Yes, sir.

-Yes, sir.

-What does it mean?

-Like, when you can't go to classes.

-Yeah.

You'll be kept out of classes, but you'll be isolated,

you'll be in no contact with any of your friends, and you'll be worked.

So this is no holiday.

OK?

Because we're not going to allow this to happen again.

OK? Right. Thank you. Just come with me.

We thought about excluding him,

but decided because of the Year 7 situation

and what had gone on with him, we wanted to do the best by him

and keep him in school to get him back focused on what was going on.

So we went for the three days in isolation,

which is a big punishment for a year 7.

And the incident on the bus gets everyone talking.

He set fire to his shoe...

No, someone...

No, someone else's shoe, a chair, and this girl's hair,

and then, apparently, he set fire to his own shoe.

Yeah, that's not actually what happened,

but it shows you how gossip spreads.

As well as three days in isolation,

Ewan won't be allowed out with his friends at break

or to have his mobile.

Plus, he's been banned from the school bus for half a term.

Hi, it's Mr Livesey at Conyers.

Hiya. I just want to fill you up to speed on what I've found out today.

Mr Livesey calls Ewan's mum to let her know what's happened.

He needs to knuckle down and sort himself out,

otherwise his time at Conyers may not last very long.

OK, thanks, Mrs K. Cheers. Bye now.

Isolation is, like, when you get put in a room by yourself,

and look at the wall and do your work.

-It's when you have to sit...

-In a room...

-..in a room...

-..by yourself.

..with boxes, like, kind of like a box thing.

And, like, you sit there, and, like, you do work.

I haven't been in isolation, just so you know.

You're not allowed to speak, you've got to do all the work,

but you're nowhere, you're just in a quiet room.

Ooh, eh, it's not, it's not...it's really bad.

You've got to sit in a cubicle for six and a half hours.

Yeah, how long do you stay for, then?

Six and a half hours.

Six and a half hours?! The full day?

IMAN WHISTLES

But then you've got to, like, deal with it,

you've done something bad, and that's life.

That's life.

It's the start of Ewan's three days in isolation,

which means no mobile, no talking and no seeing mates.

When the bell goes, I'll meet you somewhere.

Yeah, I've gotta go to isolation.

Year 7 Manager Mr Livesey will be watching over Ewan the whole time.

Will Ewan knuckle down?

Jack, where do students report from here?

Through there. Up the stairs.

All right, then.

Today, you get work, you sit in the booth,

you do not turn around, you stay focused,

you get your lunch at a separate time.

-Do you understand?

-Yeah.

-With me.

OK, Ewan, into that booth there, please.

Hang your coat on the back of the chair.

Put your bag down. Thank you.

Right, your work will get sent up during the day.

You've got a maths test, so there we are, OK?

-Yeah.

-Thank you.

Like, I deserve isolation, because I set my shoe on fire

when I shouldn't have.

But then, you get lonely.

His mum has come in to chat about what actually happened on the bus.

Ewan's only been in isolation for less than two hours,

but he's finding it too tough to handle.

He's got three days to do!

Now he's threatening to walk out,

just like he did at primary school when things got too much.

So his mum tries to calm him down.

You're not in primary now, son, you're in seniors.

Yeah, I'm going home.

-You're not going home.

-I am.

-Right, Ewan...

Do you want to be excluded from school?

-Yeah.

-Why?

Because I don't want to stay and just sit in that room.

But you know that's your punishment for what you've done.

Yeah, but...you go and sit in there, then.

But, hang on, I haven't done anything wrong.

Yeah, but you try go and sit in there for a day, then.

I just want to go home and I am.

-You're not going home.

-I am.

-Right...

-You're not going home, babe.

-I am.

-Ewan, why won't you go back in isolation?

-Because I won't.

If you're not going to drop me off, I'll get the train home.

You do know you've done summat wrong, don't you?

-Eh?

-Yes!

Right, so you do know you have to think of the punishment.

I'm not doing that. Mum!

Right, I'm not staying in school, all right?

You're not coming home.

Well, tell me why you're not staying in school.

Cos I don't like it!

-You're not going home, like.

-I am.

I'll go.

Ewan, just wait for me a second.

Talk to me later on down there, yeah? All right.

'Things just go around and around your head.'

So it gets you angry and angrier.

So like, then, if it gets you really angry,

you grab your bags and walk out.

Ewan, come here, please. Or stop...

Well, stop there then, stop there.

'I was definitely surprised that Ewan walked out.'

It's the first time I've seen a year 7 in that early stage

have the nerve to do that, so I was quite surprised and quite shocked.

Just stop. Right, can you and I just have a little chat now?

-No!

-Right, just hear me out.

What I don't understand is, this morning, you came in

and you were prepared to do isolation, weren't you?

Yeah, but my mum said I can go home, but now she's saying no.

Right, listen to me, listen to me. Listen, listen. Look at me.

If you go home, you're still going to have to do

three days of isolation, aren't you?

-Does that make sense?

-Yeah.

And if you don't do it, it ends up to an exclusion,

which goes on your record.

This is really silly. It's freezing out here.

Come on.

Mr Livesey persuades Ewan to go back to school.

But he's still refusing to go into isolation.

I was thinking, like, shall I just run

or shall I just listen to them, shall I not?

It's a horrible feeling, cos things are going around your head

and, like, you don't know what to do.

Yeah, like, I feel like I'm locked in a metal cage.

Let's make the right decisions.

Ewan's made a decision.

He's leaving.

He heads to the nearby train station.

Head teacher Mrs Spellman and Mr Livesey are right behind him

to try and convince him to come back.

He's...I mean, the more you get close to him,

the more he gets agitated.

He's in the...shelter on this side here.

ANNOUNCEMENT OVER TANNOY

After you ended primary, you needed a fresh start.

You've got one here. I just know your mum,

she's just hoping that you'll make the right choice.

You did the first hour and a bit of isolation brilliantly.

I'm not doing isolation.

It's your decision. You know your own mind.

They've spent almost an hour

trying to persuade Ewan to go back to school.

Off to lunch? I'm starving, you know, and freezing.

I'm nice and warm.

Yeah, but who's in the jumper, and who's just in a shirt?

Are you pleased you done that? Eh? Good man, let's get in.

The train come and then I stepped onto it,

then I stepped back off it to go back to school.

Cos I thought about my mum.

She wouldn't want me to and I knew I was going to get into more trouble.

Good decision, Ewan!

And Mr Livesey finds out they've got something in common.

Mr Livesey, who do you support?

Who do you think? Only one team to support around here.

-Middlesbrough?

-Yeah. They're useless, like, but...

Oh, you are my 'Boro, my only 'Boro...

# You make me happy when skies are grey

# You'll never notice how much I love you

# Don't ever take my 'Boro away. #

I know a few words out of it.

Quality.

MUSIC: You Are My Sunshine

Ewan completes his three days in isolation.

The school hopes that if Ewan gets involved in sport,

it might channel his energy into something positive.

This lunchtime, he's trying out for the rugby team.

All the way down to the end!

There's some pretty tough competition.

You've got to shadow your partner.

-BLOWS WHISTLE

-Go!

Go on, bonny lad!

The idea is that you're trying to catch your player out.

For Ewan, rugby could be a way into lots of positives.

You can move left or right.

It's a way of him getting some praise, it's a way of him

feeling that he's been selected above others.

OK, pass the ball up to Ewan, good.

Ewan, you start now, jog, forward, pass.

Good, Ewan, that's lovely.

That there's a bit of investment in him,

he's being rewarded for doing the right kind of things.

Remembering his kit, turning up on time,

'listening to instructions.'

You're aiming to try and bash through the middle.

They're not going to move apart - you're only little, lads,

you have to get through the middle.

So they're not going to move away.

'All of those things are'

what you want him to do every day,

but just in a different set of circumstances.

Good. Good boy.

So has Ewan done enough to impress?

All right, boys. Right, I'll stick this up and we'll have a look.

Drum roll. I'll get out your way.

Two days later, and Mr Livesey has the news

they've all been waiting for -

who has made the year 7 rugby team.

Right, there we go.

Ewan's on the list and he's made the team!

-Right, good news?

-Yeah.

-So you're really pleased about that?

I'm really pleased, Ewan.

-How's today gone so far now we're back in lessons?

-Good.

Good. Let's keep it like that.

When I saw my name on the rugby board,

like, it was exciting, because I was in the rugby team.

I was proud of myself.

Well done, Ewan!

Keep going to practices...

'Ewan's not a naughty boy at heart.

'When I look at Ewan, I think he definitely cares.'

I think Ewan himself expects to fail,

and I think that's a problem in his head.

If he thinks he's going to fail, he will fail.

I think if you can get Ewan to be on a positive

where he's going to succeed, he will succeed.

'He wants to do the right thing.

'I think he wants to do the right thing for himself.'

It's just a matter of him having the ability

and the confidence to do the right thing.

# Is gonna be alright... #

Let's hope Ewan can start again and make the most of secondary school.

Everyone stand up please and salute the captain.

Right, everyone stand up and salute the captain.

You're the captain. Salute the captain, thank you very much.

You also get...

'It's good to have Ewan in the classroom.'

He has brought in an element of fun with him.

'Other students like to be around him, and he's very popular.'

So, when I say "pointy finger"

I want you to tell me what you think the book is about.

Pointy finger!

A kid and a pirate meet and they're both looking for treasure,

and then they go on an adventure and then, finally, they find it.

OK, excellent!

Ewan is very sporty, and he's really helpful,

because he helped me in my ICT when I was a bit behind.

But he can be quite cheeky.

Captain, don't be doodling on the front of my book.

All right.

You'll get the black spot.

I think Ewan's had a tough time,

because some of the teachers are quite strict

and he's done quite naughty stuff, like, the stuff that he's done.

He's, like, one of my favourite friends.

Like, a couple of days ago, I wasn't too keen on him,

but now, he's all right.

-COREY SIGHS

-He's your best friend, eh?

Yeah.

Ah, you can never have more than one best friend.

Even though Ewan has been trying his best,

it's not always easy to keep out of trouble,

and soon, he's walking out of school again.

Do you realise, if you don't come back in,

there could be sanctions next week?

Mm-hm.

Worst case scenario, what do you think could happen?

You not bothered?

I don't think you're going to last very long, do you, at Conyers,

if that's the attitude.

And I know it's better than that - I've seen better than that.

What happened for you to walk out?

Ewan?

Do you want to change your mind and do the right thing for everyone?

Come on. I'm going to have a wander around there.

I want you to have a little think, all right?

Yeah?

Did you get anything? Did he say anything?

Nah, he just wants to go home. He said he wants to go home.

-Is that what he said?

-Yeah.

I think he may go today.

Mr Livesey can only wait while Ewan decides what to do.

This time, Ewan gets on the train.

No, I just couldn't help it. Walking out and just going home.

Some adults do understand me and some don't understand me.

'I'd love to sit here and say it's going to be plain sailing

'for the next four and a half years, and Ewan will leave'

Conyers School in four and a half years' time

and done really well.

I'm sure he will do really well,

but I would imagine that we're going to have a rocky ride.

But when he makes a mistake,

he's going to know that I'm there for him to try and get him back

on the path to success straightaway.

Mr Livesey's, like, looking out for me

so I don't get kicked out of the school.

I, like, appreciate it.

It's been a difficult time for Ewan.

Good lad, and over there.

-Yeah!

-Fabulous.

The fresh start he had hoped for went wrong almost from day one.

Well done.

But now, he's more settled.

He's getting stuck into lessons and,

with the help of Mr Livesey and the other teachers,

he's keeping out of trouble.

How are we doing over there?

All right.

'I think Ewan has had a change of heart.'

He's realised that he does want to be in this school

and he wants to do the best, not for himself,

but he wants to please Mum and Dad and make them proud of him.

So I think that's helped change Ewan's ideas

of what he wants to achieve at Conyers School.

I used to be naughty, but I feel, like, proud of myself,

cos like I've turned it around

and I don't get frustrated as much as I used to.

Right, it's done.

So do you want tomato on top while you...

No. No, Miss, I don't like tomato.

Primary school was all right,

but then when you come to secondary, it's a bit harder, like the work,

and then, like, you just get used to it, so...

I want to do well at school and try to be good.

Beautiful, well done.

If someone in Year 7 next year went, "Go to the train station,"

I would tell them not to go,

cos you get in more and more bother.

Ewan seems to have a big smile on his face a lot more.

I don't think he'll be our model student

and be a perfect angel.

He's still going to have a little bit of that wild side to him

and get himself into trouble now and again.

But if I see that cheeky smile on Ewan and he's on board with me,

I think that will work great over five years.

-Did you not like that?

-No.

Go on, do your dishes. Quick as you can.

At primary, Ewan was a champion swimmer,

but gave it up when he started skipping class.

Now, he's jumped back in the pool again.

And he's becoming a rising star on the rugby field as well.

COACH SHOUTS INSTRUCTIONS

Keep up the good work, buddy!

I'm really excited, like, cos I'm getting stuck in.

I've been feeling welcome.

That makes me feel, like, really happy. People want me here.

Next time on Our School,

we meet two students who are worried about fitting in.

Lucas, who's come from a small village primary...

-They need half oxygen to make fire.

-Nerd!

Well, everyone does call me a nerd.

..and Katie, who's worried about making friends.

When you, like, feel lonely and you've got no friends,

it feels like you're in a world all by yourself.

# Have you ever seen a zombie come to tea? #

And we see some of the more unusual classes that year 7s try.

THEY CHANT