On the Ball Our School

BELL

Meet Year 7.

Awesome!

It's the most important year of school so far.

-THEY GIGGLE

-You are not here to have a laugh.

-You are here to learn.

-BLOWS RASPBERRY

With so many changes...

..new friends...

F, have you got a cloth?

..and new teachers...

You are a Greenwood boy.

..it's an exciting world to discover.

Wow!

It can be fun.

But sometimes, it can be tough.

There are different challenges for everybody.

We're in Year 7, we're acting like three-year-olds!

We have rigged another secondary school with loads of cameras.

Is this what you see when you look through a camera?

Cos this is awesome.

So you can find out exactly what happens.

You are on report by my request.

I'm Trev.

I used to go to school here.

But now, I'm one of the teachers.

Last question. Because you're going to run out of time!

Welcome to Our School.

I need a wee!

Secondary school gives you lots of opportunities to get involved.

But you don't always have to join the clubs everyone thinks you should.

But today, we meet the students who are taking

the challenge of doing something different.

Meet kickboxer Libby.

And best friends Courtney and Dominique.

These three are among some of the Year 7 girls who love

anything sporty and are not shy to show it.

Elise, get in front of her!

If there is a sports club on offer, they are giving it a go.

From basketball to trampolining.

And for the first time in our school's history,

the Year 7 sporty girls are given a chance that I don't think

they will be able to refuse.

For those who don't know me, my name is Mr Davies.

I am obviously a PE teacher here.

One of my remits, one of my other jobs, is also to encourage

a lot of extracurricular activities for year sevens.

I have also, as of yesterday,

been given the pleasure of running the Year 7 football team.

-The girls' football team.

-THEY CHEER

Hooray. Mr Davies is now your team manager.

So you need to be nice to me from now on.

So, girls' football, what we are going to do today is,

there is going to be a sign-up sheet in the canteen downstairs.

If you are interested in signing up for the football team,

you come down today, you sign the sheet. Name, signature.

And maybe put your form on as well.

On Friday, we are going to select a team captain.

If you are interested in being the captain of the team,

you need to come along with a little speech about why you want

to be the captain.

OK? Thank you. Thank you for your time.

So sign up at break time, girls, please.

Judging by that response, I don't think the girls have woken up yet.

Let's hope they are more lively at break time

and Mr Davies gets his girls' footy squad.

Meet BFFs Courtney and Dominique.

Dominique lives with mum, three sisters and her little nephew.

You are heavy. Oh!

For Courtney, home means mum, dad and older brother.

She has always been good at sport and at primary school,

was captain of several teams.

INDISTINCT

These best mates are always hanging out at each other's houses.

I don't think I've ever seen them apart.

Our friendship is amazing, because we're always together

and we've always been close friends, since we started junior school.

If something is going on in a class or something,

I can say something, or just look at her and just laugh at her,

because I know what she's trying to say.

As well as loving a kickabout in the park, secondary school

has given them an opportunity to get involved in a lot more sports.

I'm trying to get into trampolining, street dance and basketball.

And probably a girls' football team, or football just in general.

I don't think there is any more clubs left!

Every table needs to be clean in the next minute.

If not, I will start taking off your break time.

This break time, the only thing on Courtney

and Dominique's mind is joining the football team.

We need to sign the football thingy to be in it.

Girls, do you realise you are sitting next to my Year 7

girls' football team sign-up sheet?

You watch, by the end of break, that is going to be full.

Oh, it will.

Here we go.

What year are you in? 7. Well, that's all right, isn't it?

-SHE CHUCKLES

-Can you play football, though?

-Yeah, I can.

-Well, there you go, you'll be in the team.

Well done, guys. Thank you. Come on, girls.

Come on, come and sign up.

I don't think football is just for boys.

I think there are loads of different sports that girls can do as well.

I think girls' football is quite good, because instead of just

focusing on boys' football, girls get the equality.

-Are you interested football? Not a footballer?

-No.

-Do girls do professional football?

-Yeah.

-Do they?

-They do like volleyball football.

-No, like normal football.

-Like...

-Yeah.

Of course they do.

They do, don't they?

Girls, are you signing up for the football? Year sevens.

Have you signed up, girls?

The only sport that I play is FIFA. On my brother's Xbox.

Have you all signed up, girls?

No... Are you in?

One time, I hit the ball off the wall and I had to do two press ups!

-You can do press ups?

-Yeah. I go like that.

SHE GIGGLES

By the end of break time, Mr Davies' hard work has paid off.

Thank you, Rhianna. Well done. Lunchtime today.

And with a potential new team, it's time for Mr Davies to put them

through their paces at the first girls' football practice.

It's the first time some of our girls have ever been coached in football.

Come on, Courtney, control the ball!

For a first practice, they were extremely keen.

Skill-wise, I realised from the start

that we need to focus on their skills more.

And a little bit off task at times.

At the end of the day, they were all smiling. That's the main thing.

They enjoyed it. They'll come again.

To me.

After a successful first training session,

the girls are going to need a team captain.

Courtney and Dominique have decided to step up and give it a go.

They have to complete their speeches

and perform it in front of Mr Davies and head teacher Mr French.

Dominique heads home to write her speech by herself.

When she has written it,

she practises in front of an eager audience.

"So, if you pick me for the team captain,

"I will support you and help you and give it 110%."

-Bravo!

-Yay! Yay!

Yay!

I think you, Dom, will get captain.

My little sister and nephew, I think they got a bit too overexcited,

cos I don't think they really knew what I was saying meant.

THEY CHANT: Captain! Captain! Captain!

With the best friends now competing for captaincy against each other,

they both decide to seek advice from their form tutor, Mr Elliot.

So...

GIRLS GIGGLE

What are we making a speech about?

Becoming a team captain in football.

-Team captain in football. OK.

-Yes.

-What do you want to say in general?

What is the message behind?

I want them to know that I would be a good team captain

-and I would help them.

-I would support them.

-I would support them, and be confident.

-Yes.

So, Courtney, what you want to think about

when you are writing it, is exactly what you just said.

What will make you a good team captain. But...

You know, you experience, right?

Why... You've done things like this before.

If you stutter or miss a word, if you forget something,

the worst thing that you can do is panic.

You have the experience.

You have the knowledge. You have the confidence.

Courtney and Dominique are not the only ones

with their eye on the prize.

Meet Libby, their sporty friend, who also fancies herself as captain.

Courtney and Dominique, like, they always make you laugh.

Like, even if you're sad, they always make you happy.

She decides to join the race.

Libby may be small, but she certainly packs a punch in the ring.

She has been kickboxing for five years and has even won a few matches.

People are surprised that I do kickboxing, because

when they look at me they think I am like a girlie girl, and everything.

She lives with her mum, brother, sister and Bruce the dog.

She trains with her brother, Brandon,

who recently won gold at kickboxing World Championships.

Just keep it off the spot instead of putting your foot backwards.

How does he rate her?

Technically, she's a better fighter than me.

But, as...power wise, she is missing that,

just because she needs to build a bit more strength.

But as soon as she has built that strength, she will be a lot better.

My mum has always said to me, good things come in small packages.

So I have always went by that, not with what anybody else thinks of me.

She doesn't let her height knock her confidence, does she?

Good on you, Libby!

Let's start again, it's got to make sense. Once...

-BELL

-Ah...

CHEERING

After school, Libby gets to work on her speech with a little help

from friends Quinn and Dulcie.

-Are you going to write a speech?

-Yeah.

-I don't know what to write.

-Do you want a coloured pen? Be cool like that.

-Yeah, a massive.....

I know what I want, I found some in English.

Oh, she has took them. Miss Hanson... Here they are! Pink pen.

-Can I have one, please?

-Don't put it on there, you fruitcake!

-I like the colours.

-She's not a fruitcake!

-Do want a pink pen?

-Yeah.

-Oh, sick. I want one.

-Look for one.

I love this chair.

-Can I have the pink pen, please, Libby.

-Whee!

That's not my idea of doing a speech.

Wheee! I know what I'm doing.

Going to do a beard.

-Do you like my beard?

-Yes, I love your beard!

-Dulce, do you like it?

-Yeah.

-What have we got to write a speech about?

Why would Libby be a good girls' football captain.

Cos she is sporty!

Spotty?

Did you just call me spotty?

No, Libby, she said sporty, not spotty.

My spots are going now, you know.

Libby is using her leadership skills to get her friends

to brainstorm ideas.

They even give speech-writing a go.

I think you would be a good girls' football captain

because you are sporty.

Do you want to read mine?

"Libby would be a good football captain

-"because she loves being sporty and..."

-No...

I think she would be really good at being in charge.

THEY CACKLE

The girls pack up and head home with a strong speech in the bag.

With Libby all set for tomorrow,

conversation quickly turns to celeb crushes.

-I love Joey Essex, man. And...

-Excuse me!

Channing Tatum!

So your candidates for girls' football captain are...

Libby...

..and best friends Courtney and Dominique.

It's the day of the speeches.

Courtney and Dominique head to school, together of course.

But what does it mean for two best friends

to compete against each other?

I think if Dominique became captain, we would still be close friends.

It's not about becoming captain, it's about being part of the team.

Having given it more thought,

Courtney is starting to worry about competing against her best friend.

At break time, she tells Libby and Dominique.

-Libby, are you doing a speech to become team captain?

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

-I ain't.

I want one of you to be. I don't want to be it.

It was a bit of a surprise

when Courtney said she didn't want to do it any more.

Because, like, it's always been out of me and Courtney...

And like, say, if it involves a speech or anything,

and she always wins.

But it was actually, it was a surprise.

Didn't think she would step down.

I started to, like, to get flashbacks from like,

primary school and think I was always captain.

Let someone else have a turn.

BELL

There goes that Friday bell. But the week is not over just yet

for Libby and Dominique.

While everyone is leaving for the weekend,

the two candidates are getting ready to deliver their captaincy speech

in front of PE teacher Mr Davies and the head teacher, Mr French.

No pressure, then.

-Shall we take a seat, then?

-Yes.

-Right... Sit here.

Candidate one is Libby.

I think I would be a good football captain because I am even

and let everyone have their say.

Also, I will try and get as many people dedicated to it

and stick with it as a hobby.

Also, I will make sure they have a lot of fun

and participate in every game we play against opposite schools

and every training session we have.

Even though it is a football club,

some days maybe we could do something fun.

So they enjoy it even more.

I will try my best as a girl football captain.

Please choose me for captain, it will be an amazing opportunity.

Well done. Well done, Libby.

DOMINIQUE WHOOPS

Next up, candidate two. Dominique.

Hello. I believe I should be captain of the girls' football team,

because I will help the team in any way.

I will always be confident leading the team.

I have already been in the team,

so I know what football matches are like.

I will always listen to every individual player

and their problems about the team.

If I was the captain, I would still be me, a team player.

As they say, there is no "I" in team.

So if you pick me for the team captain,

I will support you and help you and give it 110%.

110%, fantastic.

Well done, both of you. I think you have both

made fantastic claims to be the captain

of the Year 7 girls' football team.

That decision will be made between now and Monday morning.

-OK, well done. Thank you.

-Well done, thank you.

-That was really good.

See ya!

All the pressure has got to Dominique.

She decides to go to trampolining

instead of walking home with the girls.

-Where's Dominique?

-Trampolining.

She hasn't told Jay anything.

You know what, if I'm captain, I want her to be co-captain.

I want her to like, be a captain as well.

-Like an assistant captain?

-Yeah. Because I'll feel so horrible.

Libby's feeling it too. It's going to be a long weekend.

In citizenship class,

Year 7 are learning about stereotypes.

You need to give me

a 15-word definition about what a stereotype is.

Archie?

A stereotype is what you assume a person is like and how they act.

-Yes.

-Stereotypes are people that judge other people, eg,

-don't judge a book by its cover.

-I love that phrase.

What kind of subjects at school should girls do?

-Hair and beauty.

-Hair and beauty? Why hair and beauty?

-I know!

-Because they are girls?

So, you guys actually are stereotyping there.

Right, a stereotype is assumed idea about a person or

a group of people that is not necessarily correct.

Just like girls playing football,

there are lots of ways to challenge stereotypes.

Has anyone here ever had a manicure before? Oh, you have?

-Which one do you want?

-Pink.

-You just have to put that on.

This time, the year sevens are given the option to try out lessons

in hair and beauty...

I want that. I want it over my own.

..or construction.

So there is a possibility we could get electrocuted?

You won't get electrocuted.

Meet another Courtney.

A self-confessed tomboy.

She is one of four girls who have decided to do construction

instead of hair and beauty.

-No!

-Nah!

-Mate, you are in the wrong classroom!

Er, I think that's stereotyping, Spencer!

OK, Year 7, can you spread your selves around this table, please.

Welcome to Greenwood Construction.

Today, we are going to look at painting and decorating.

I chose construction because I'm not really like a girlie girl,

I don't like doing... I do like doing nails,

but not, like, massively enough to choose it.

Despite being one of the only girls in class,

she has raced ahead with her work and Geoff is well impressed.

All right. I want to try to use your board as an example.

That's perfect. Well done, really good.

Yeah, that's perfect.

Girls should try and do whatever they want

and shouldn't let other people's opinions worry them.

Cos at the end of the day, it's what you love,

not for everyone else to judge you.

If you give that a good pasting first, that will hold that down.

Absolutely brilliant, girls.

Meanwhile, over in hair and beauty, our hair-obsessed best mates

Spencer and Archie have chosen to take part in today's lesson.

But Spencer feels a bit out of his depth.

This is scary.

-Do we have to do it?

-Yeah.

Yo, Archie, that looks like you!

-FUNNY VOICE:

-Hello...

The reason I wanted to do the hair course, hair and beauty,

was because, like, we are each just into our hair.

-Yeah, we like hair.

-Yeah.

Every single boy in Year 7 has a quiff.

They just can't stop touching their hair.

They put too much gel in it, as well.

They act like their hands are glued to their head.

If my hair is a mess, I've got to redo it.

If it's in my way, I've got to redo it. Like it is now, but I can't.

My hair is sometimes important if I've got like,

an assembly or something.

But if it's just like just a boring day, then I will just pull it up.

-I think girls would do better at long hair, like doing...

-Yeah...

-Like doing the crimple things, and all that.

-I like crimpers.

And boys are better at doing like a...blow dries and that.

-No, we're not.

-Yeah we are. Girls are better at blow dryers.

-Not really.

-Yes, they are.

-Yeah, but girls only...

Boys mainly do it when they get out of the shower, girls do it...

Girls do it out of the shower. Boys mainly do it to pump their hair up.

-Yeah, exactly.

-Exactly.

You don't get out of the shower to pump your hair up.

Exactly!

Let's see how they are enjoying their hair and beauty session.

-It's cold.

-Is it? I thought the heat was on.

Being the only boys there was like, quite fun, actually.

Because there is no other boys around.

We got to talk to the girls more.

The boys soon settle in with the girls

but Spencer is not getting on with his mannequin.

Don't... Oh, for God's sake! Don't... Oh, my God!

He calls for help from teacher Sandy.

See, you make it look easy.

I make it look easy?

Oh, what a charmer.

He has managed to get Sandy to do the work for him

and he has even wrangled a compliment.

-Did you blow dry your hair this morning?

-Yeah, I did, actually.

-Yeah.

-OK, so you blow-dried and used a little straighteners?

-Yeah.

-You've done a good job.

-Thanks.

Time has come for Libby and Dominique to find out

the results of who's going to be the girls' football captain.

-Feeling nervous?

-Come on in, girls.

Take a seat. If you can sit in the two seats I've pulled out.

Oh, I don't know who's going to win. Who's going to win?

I think Dominique, she had more speech than Libby.

How do you think it went? Libby, first.

How do you think it went on Friday?

I... I think it went good.

I tried my best and if Dominique gets it, then maybe we can just...

-I could try next time or something.

-Great, fantastic. Dominique?

I think I did as well as Libby.

-Libby thought the same, so...

-OK, I will let you know where we are at.

I have decided who is going to be

the Year 7 girls' football captain.

Myself and Mr French had a little discussion after you left on Friday.

And we had a quick chat this morning before our briefing.

We were both overwhelmed by both your performances.

You were both fantastic

and you would both make a fantastic Year 7 girls' football captain.

But we had to make a decision.

I am going to offer Libby the opportunity to become

the Year 7 girls' football captain.

Thank you.

What I would like, Dominique, have you heard of like,

a vice-captain? Can you work together as well?

So, when you are doing the warm-ups as well,

because you will need some support. If you can work together? OK?

-Well done, congratulations.

-Thank you.

-OK. Have a lovely day.

-Well done.

-Well done.

-What's happening after school today?

-Football training.

-Football training.

So your little role now, from between now

and the end of the day, is get as many girls in as possible. OK?

Straight after school. Well done again, girls.

I'm, like, really happy that I have became the football captain.

-Hello.

-Hello.

-Do you find out today?

-I found out!

-And...?

It was me. I'm captain.

SHE LAUGHS

Thank you!

I hope Dominique is not too upset because she seemed happy.

Then when we left the school, that day, she said,

"I don't want to think about it, I don't want to think about it."

Because she knew that if she thought about it,

she would get upset even more.

I mean, it doesn't really matter who is captain

because we are all a team anyway, so it is just about winning the game.

Over the next few weeks,

girls get training in preparation for their first big match.

-GIRLS: Yay!

-Right, what have we got next week,

-what is happening this time next week?

-A match!

We've got our first match. And, girls, the idea is,

we will meet straight after school.

I will give you your kit and we will go in the school minibus. OK?

I'm a bit nervous because it's going to be the first

time to come out of the school to an away match for our first match.

Don't worry, Courtney. I'm sure it will all be fine.

The girls hop onto the minibus with

chauffeur and team manager, Mr Davies.

-Do you think we are going to win?

-Think positively!

Yeah, obviously we are going to win!

We all know that we will try our best and if we lose, we lose.

But if we win, then that will be better!

As the girls arrive at their first away football match,

they instantly size up their competition.

I'm not being funny, girls, but they look easy.

Libby seems like she's a very confident captain.

In a happy mood, because I think we can have a chance of winning.

I think we're going to win.

And here is today's Our School line-up.

Courtney in goal...

With Phoebe, Jesse and Quinn at the back.

Midfield, we have Rhianna, Katie and captain Libby

And as strong up front with Dominique and Ellie.

On the bench there is Bethany and Tamar.

Let's enjoy it, girls. OK.

All the things we've done in training -

passing, communicating, all the things you do well.

Working hard for each other.

-Most importantly, girls, we are going to win.

-Yes.

-OK?

Now we will listen to Libby, our captain.

She's going to have a few more words before you start.

Right, all we can do is try our best.

So no matter like, if people get past you or

if people score goals, don't get down.

-Just carry on and try your hardest.

-Keep your head up.

-One, two, three...

-TEAM: Greenwood!

And they kick off.

In the first half, the girls make a promising start

and it looks like Ellie knows her way around the pitch.

We're doing good. We're passing more.

Ellie has tried to score loads of times.

And she is, like, proper going for it.

I think we are doing quite good.

CHEERING Oh, Quinn, have you spoken too soon?

They scored.

Girls, don't let that goal get you down.

I think Mr Davies is going to have to have a word at half-time.

Everything we have done in training, up to now, we're not doing.

We're not passing, we're not controlling,

we're not moving into space.

I don't want to come off second half,

saying we could have done, we should have done,

we do it now. OK, we have got 20 minutes to turn it round.

Let's win this. It's only 1-0.

Unos, dos, tres...

TEAM: Greenwood!

-Let's go, girls. Second half.

-That Spanish.

-I thought that was French!

-No, that's Spanish.

Need to brush up on your languages, Mr Davies.

To me!

With a confidence boost from Mr Davies,

the girls get back out on the pitch for a better second half.

The gaffer gives Dominique a breather.

If we score it's 1-1 and they're not going to score any more.

Cos we won't let them.

Yeah, but we need to score.

With chances for Greenwood coming thick and fast,

Mr Davies puts Dominique back on.

CHEERING

Back of the net! Dominique gets the equaliser.

With moments to the end of the match,

Dominique's goal secures the team a draw.

-Hip hip...

-Hooray!

-Hip hip...

-Hooray

-Hip hip...

-Hooray!

-And one for good luck.

-Hooray!

When I first scored the goal...

We all went mental, we started running everywhere!

I didn't even know I had scored yet.

I just kicked the ball and then I heard people shout and I was like...

"Huh? I've scored!"

I've scored a goal!

I don't know why, but I felt a bit sick when I did it,

because, like, the emotion.

-It was just like...

-Shouldn't you like, be happy, not sick?

Yeah, I know, I was happy, but, like, in a sick way...

Girls' football rocks.

People were saying that they wish they had joined football now.

Because they want to play matches and get involved in it.

So, hopefully, people will start joining.

So, you see, whether you're a boy or a girl, you can

get stuck into all sorts at secondary school.

Let's hope our year sevens can keep it up. Good on you.

Next time...

Taylor-Jay and Charlie go face-to-face

with head teacher Mr French.

-I'll see you about six o'clock.

-In the morning?

Isa learns a new language.

-What bus do you get, what number bus?

-38. No good.

-No, it's not good.

And Charlie invents a new language.

HE SPEAKS INVENTED LANGUAGE

HE GASPS

Ow!

Ow!

Oh, you've got something on your mouth.

THEY GIGGLE

-He is out of order.

-Am I out of order?

You are!

High-five!

-Well done, captain!

-Well done for your goal.