0:00:02 > 0:00:06The expectations for us is that we go to McDonald's,
0:00:06 > 0:00:08and clean the toilets,
0:00:08 > 0:00:11do not get very far and don't do very well.
0:00:15 > 0:00:18These six teenagers are exceptionally talented.
0:00:18 > 0:00:21They have all been identified as gifted
0:00:21 > 0:00:24in at least one subject by their schools...
0:00:25 > 0:00:27Maths is like puzzle solving.
0:00:27 > 0:00:30I don't know why, but I really enjoy finding answers.
0:00:30 > 0:00:34When I'm drawing, I just feel like I'm escaping everything around me.
0:00:34 > 0:00:37..but all are from disadvantaged backgrounds.
0:00:37 > 0:00:40My mam does struggle for money.
0:00:40 > 0:00:42You think it's going to be £500 for university?
0:00:43 > 0:00:46Money's there for those who can push them through the door,
0:00:46 > 0:00:48but we're not in that category.
0:00:49 > 0:00:52Kids living in poverty are half as likely
0:00:52 > 0:00:56to achieve the top GCSE grades as their better-off classmates.
0:00:56 > 0:00:59Life is not as simple as a linear graph, and it does not go straight.
0:01:02 > 0:01:06We will follow these kids over the next three crucial years,
0:01:06 > 0:01:10from age 13 until they take their final GCSE exams at 16.
0:01:10 > 0:01:12Best of luck today.
0:01:12 > 0:01:13You may begin.
0:01:13 > 0:01:16They expect me to get the top, top, top grades.
0:01:17 > 0:01:19We'll return each year
0:01:19 > 0:01:22to see the challenges they'll have to overcome,
0:01:22 > 0:01:23both at school...
0:01:23 > 0:01:26Mam, what do you think may be causing these kick-offs and things?
0:01:26 > 0:01:28..and at home.
0:01:28 > 0:01:30Did you honestly think when you got them scores,
0:01:30 > 0:01:32I was going to sit there and go...
0:01:32 > 0:01:34No, I did not. That's why I don't tell you these things.
0:01:35 > 0:01:40At a time when social mobility in the UK is in sharp decline...
0:01:40 > 0:01:44I don't want to be in poverty, but neither do a lot of people,
0:01:44 > 0:01:47and a lot of people don't have that choice.
0:01:47 > 0:01:51..we'll find out just how far these kids can really go.
0:01:52 > 0:01:55This is where their journey begins.
0:01:55 > 0:01:58Well, it's just like giving someone a head start in a race.
0:01:58 > 0:02:00It's your job to catch up.
0:02:19 > 0:02:21In your bedroom, is there anything that defines you
0:02:21 > 0:02:23more than anything else?
0:02:24 > 0:02:26Erm...
0:02:27 > 0:02:29Erm... I have books.
0:02:29 > 0:02:31Lots and lots of books.
0:02:34 > 0:02:36Erm...
0:02:38 > 0:02:39Hmm...
0:02:41 > 0:02:42This one's pretty good.
0:02:43 > 0:02:44Reasons To Stay Alive.
0:02:46 > 0:02:48I kind of finished reading it, cos it made me cry.
0:02:51 > 0:02:55When I'm reading, I feel like I'm where I want to be.
0:02:56 > 0:03:00So it's not in Port Talbot, and it's not on the planet.
0:03:01 > 0:03:04It's within those lines, those pages.
0:03:05 > 0:03:08That's where a reader really wants to be,
0:03:08 > 0:03:11because that's where they feel like they are...
0:03:11 > 0:03:12..most wanted.
0:03:16 > 0:03:19I was born in Barnet, and then...
0:03:19 > 0:03:23..and then when my parents split up, that's when we moved to Port Talbot.
0:03:26 > 0:03:27I was only, like, seven.
0:03:27 > 0:03:29I didn't really understand...
0:03:30 > 0:03:35..like, what it was, like, what splitting up meant, you know?
0:03:39 > 0:03:41I suppose when all that was going on,
0:03:41 > 0:03:44I did grow up quite fast during that time
0:03:44 > 0:03:49because of what it was and how long it went on for and stuff like that.
0:03:49 > 0:03:53Like, I realised quite quickly that the world is not a good place.
0:03:53 > 0:03:56There are... Like...bad things happen.
0:03:58 > 0:04:01Port Talbot is...small.
0:04:02 > 0:04:04Not much goes on.
0:04:07 > 0:04:11It is deprived of tools for, like, education, and...
0:04:12 > 0:04:14..like, work, and stuff like that.
0:04:18 > 0:04:20Mam, what are you doing?
0:04:21 > 0:04:23I'm cutting up a quiche. What does it look like?
0:04:23 > 0:04:27- Yeah...- That's it. That's why I'm doing that.
0:04:29 > 0:04:31Don't drop it.
0:04:31 > 0:04:35Anne-Marie lives with her mum, stepdad and four siblings.
0:04:35 > 0:04:36Place things on the plate properly.
0:04:36 > 0:04:39- Don't put that there. - You sound just like my mother!
0:04:39 > 0:04:41- Yeah, well, don't do that. - Please don't.
0:04:41 > 0:04:42It's annoying.
0:04:42 > 0:04:44The family survive on benefits,
0:04:44 > 0:04:48as her parents are full-time carers for her younger brother,
0:04:48 > 0:04:49who has severe autism.
0:04:49 > 0:04:50Whoo!
0:04:50 > 0:04:53It's hot in here!
0:04:53 > 0:04:56We have a love-hate relationship, I think.
0:04:56 > 0:04:58Not like normal mother and daughter does.
0:04:58 > 0:05:01She doesn't talk to me, and I don't talk to her!
0:05:01 > 0:05:03SHE LAUGHS
0:05:03 > 0:05:05She loves to hate me.
0:05:05 > 0:05:07And...
0:05:07 > 0:05:10I don't talk to people about anything.
0:05:10 > 0:05:12We do have similarities sometimes.
0:05:12 > 0:05:16We are alike, even if she doesn't like to admit it,
0:05:16 > 0:05:20- we are so alike, and it is scary... - Mmm!
0:05:20 > 0:05:23..that we are similar.
0:05:23 > 0:05:24This is quite scary, as well.
0:05:24 > 0:05:26- Yeah, I know.- Yeah!
0:05:26 > 0:05:28What do you mean, Anne-Marie?
0:05:29 > 0:05:31She's interacting with me!
0:05:31 > 0:05:32We're talking!
0:05:32 > 0:05:34ROBIN LAUGHS
0:05:34 > 0:05:38- We always talk!- Yeah! - You just don't listen.
0:05:38 > 0:05:40That's the difference!
0:05:40 > 0:05:42I feel that I can't talk to people,
0:05:42 > 0:05:46and writing gives me a chance to express myself properly
0:05:46 > 0:05:49without having to explain to people how I feel.
0:05:51 > 0:05:53You could write about every single little thing...
0:05:55 > 0:05:56..in this world that you see,
0:05:56 > 0:05:59and every single one of those things is a new story.
0:06:00 > 0:06:03It's like, if one life is just not enough for you,
0:06:03 > 0:06:08or you feel like it's not good enough, you can always write.
0:06:08 > 0:06:11I couldn't cope in a mainstream school, basically.
0:06:11 > 0:06:12I couldn't cope.
0:06:12 > 0:06:17I had ADHD when I was younger, but they didn't know I had ADHD
0:06:17 > 0:06:19when I was younger, of course.
0:06:19 > 0:06:21It was like hyperactivity.
0:06:21 > 0:06:24But I went to college for a bit.
0:06:24 > 0:06:28I did a GNVQ in health and social care,
0:06:28 > 0:06:35and then I just got a job at Butlins Southcoast World.
0:06:35 > 0:06:38And then I moved back to London,
0:06:38 > 0:06:42and then I just floated about, like, had my children.
0:06:42 > 0:06:43So...
0:06:43 > 0:06:48I want her to do well with her life, and not screw up.
0:06:53 > 0:06:57Anne-Marie attends nearby Dyffryn Upper School.
0:06:57 > 0:07:00We need to push you that bit further.
0:07:00 > 0:07:05You need to be working on thinking and creating for yourselves.
0:07:05 > 0:07:06Don't look so scared.
0:07:06 > 0:07:09She's currently in year nine, a make-or-break year,
0:07:09 > 0:07:12when sets for GCSEs are decided.
0:07:12 > 0:07:14Some of you will love the challenge,
0:07:14 > 0:07:17some of you will probably be dreading it and want to run away.
0:07:17 > 0:07:20Although she's one of the top students in the year,
0:07:20 > 0:07:21especially in English,
0:07:21 > 0:07:24staff have recently had concerns that Anne-Marie
0:07:24 > 0:07:26has been losing confidence.
0:07:29 > 0:07:31I wish you would speak up more.
0:07:31 > 0:07:33You have such lovely thoughts,
0:07:33 > 0:07:36but I've noticed, like, in the last few weeks, you've been fairly quiet,
0:07:36 > 0:07:39and not putting the pen to paper whilst you're here.
0:07:39 > 0:07:41We both know you're talented,
0:07:41 > 0:07:44and you should be showing that off a bit more,
0:07:44 > 0:07:47because you do seem to sort of step back.
0:07:47 > 0:07:51It'd be nice to see more of the words from Anne-Marie,
0:07:51 > 0:07:54because I kind of miss them, I'll be honest.
0:07:55 > 0:07:58Anne-Marie is the sort of student that every English teacher
0:07:58 > 0:08:00wants in their class,
0:08:00 > 0:08:06but she's so uncomfortable with her own potential and abilities.
0:08:06 > 0:08:07What makes you uncomfortable?
0:08:08 > 0:08:10- Everything.- Everything?
0:08:11 > 0:08:14Is this a common issue for kids from disadvantaged backgrounds?
0:08:15 > 0:08:18A lot of pupils who come from such backgrounds
0:08:18 > 0:08:23are the sort of pupils who absolutely have low self esteem.
0:08:23 > 0:08:25She's a very anxious person, as well.
0:08:25 > 0:08:29But at the same time, she's capable of a lot more than she thinks.
0:08:30 > 0:08:35So, who was to blame, in your opinion, Anne-Marie,
0:08:35 > 0:08:39who was to blame for the outbreak of World War I?
0:08:39 > 0:08:40What would you say?
0:08:41 > 0:08:42- I don't know.- Anne-Marie?
0:08:43 > 0:08:45I don't know.
0:08:45 > 0:08:46Erm...
0:08:47 > 0:08:49I'm not a very confident person.
0:08:51 > 0:08:54I try and keep myself from thinking about stuff
0:08:54 > 0:08:58that I probably panic about later on.
0:08:59 > 0:09:01What kind of things do you mean?
0:09:02 > 0:09:05I don't know, my GCSEs, college, university.
0:09:05 > 0:09:06SHE CHUCKLES
0:09:06 > 0:09:09Just life, like, later on.
0:09:09 > 0:09:11I'm already panicking about it.
0:09:11 > 0:09:12And I don't know why.
0:09:13 > 0:09:17I want to go to college, and I want to become a criminal psychologist,
0:09:17 > 0:09:21and I want to be able to help people, but before I do that,
0:09:21 > 0:09:23I know that I'm going to have to sort my own problems out
0:09:23 > 0:09:26before I help anybody else with theirs, you know?
0:09:26 > 0:09:27So...
0:09:37 > 0:09:38SCHOOL BELL RINGS
0:09:43 > 0:09:45OK, then, you lot, ssh!
0:09:46 > 0:09:48You lot, year nine!
0:09:48 > 0:09:51Shakira? Listen to me, please.
0:09:51 > 0:09:52In you come.
0:09:55 > 0:09:5814-year-old Shakira has been identified
0:09:58 > 0:10:01as one of the most talented artists in year nine.
0:10:02 > 0:10:03That's amazing.
0:10:04 > 0:10:06So, when you do homework and sketches,
0:10:06 > 0:10:09try and do as much as you can like that, cos that's brilliant.
0:10:09 > 0:10:12- That's nice. - That's what I'm getting tattooed.
0:10:12 > 0:10:14You're getting tattooed?
0:10:14 > 0:10:17- When are you getting a tattoo?- Well, that's what I want my job to be.
0:10:18 > 0:10:21With Shakira, I think this is one of her favourite subjects,
0:10:21 > 0:10:24because she is one of the best.
0:10:24 > 0:10:25This is the type of stuff I'm looking for,
0:10:25 > 0:10:26because that is really...
0:10:26 > 0:10:30But she thinks she can't achieve things.
0:10:30 > 0:10:31It's just confidence.
0:10:31 > 0:10:36It's a much harder task to get through to someone...
0:10:37 > 0:10:38..on free school meals,
0:10:38 > 0:10:41because of their constant struggle
0:10:41 > 0:10:44or their constant battle with believing in themselves.
0:10:44 > 0:10:48Because people often think if you are on free school meals
0:10:48 > 0:10:52or if you are poor, then you cannot achieve anything.
0:10:52 > 0:10:54I want to talk to you about your homework,
0:10:54 > 0:10:56why you did it, why you chose that particular person.
0:10:56 > 0:10:58What they meant to you.
0:10:58 > 0:10:59Right.
0:10:59 > 0:11:02Lovely. OK, so why have you done...?
0:11:02 > 0:11:04- Who is it?- My little brother.
0:11:04 > 0:11:06Why is your little brother important to you?
0:11:06 > 0:11:10He's got Cornelia de Lange Syndrome.
0:11:10 > 0:11:12Can't speak, can't walk.
0:11:12 > 0:11:14- Oh, OK.- Can't sit up.
0:11:14 > 0:11:16- Oh, right.- Can't talk.
0:11:16 > 0:11:18- OK.- But he loves the TV...
0:11:18 > 0:11:20- OK.- ..and he loves to touch things.
0:11:20 > 0:11:24Ah, OK. So I can see now, it looks like, yeah, all the senses.
0:11:24 > 0:11:27Because he can't speak, what he feels like inside.
0:11:27 > 0:11:29A thought bubble is he's really creative,
0:11:29 > 0:11:33he really likes bright colours and likes playing with toys.
0:11:33 > 0:11:35It's brilliant, and you've done exactly like I said -
0:11:35 > 0:11:37find someone that you care about,
0:11:37 > 0:11:38and show me that you care about them.
0:11:41 > 0:11:44DISCORDANT NOTES ON KEYBOARD
0:11:44 > 0:11:45Shh-shh...
0:11:50 > 0:11:51SYNTHESISER MUSIC PLAYS
0:11:51 > 0:11:53FUNK RHYTHM PLAYS
0:11:54 > 0:11:55SHAKIRA LAUGHS
0:12:00 > 0:12:02REGGAE RHYTHM PLAYS
0:12:03 > 0:12:05This is my jam.
0:12:05 > 0:12:06Shush now, please.
0:12:06 > 0:12:09SHAKIRA SINGS AND PLAYS NOTES
0:12:09 > 0:12:10Mum?
0:12:10 > 0:12:13Shakira lives on the Belgrave Estate,
0:12:13 > 0:12:15one of the most deprived parts of Tamworth,
0:12:15 > 0:12:19with her mum, mum's boyfriend and four siblings.
0:12:19 > 0:12:23They live on benefits that include Disability Living Allowance.
0:12:23 > 0:12:25He'll sleep for a nice few hours now.
0:12:25 > 0:12:29That's because he's had his pediatril, his milkshake.
0:12:31 > 0:12:33Look at him smiling!
0:12:35 > 0:12:39My youngest brother, Leo, is disabled.
0:12:39 > 0:12:41He can't really do nothing.
0:12:41 > 0:12:44Can't talk. He just hums.
0:12:44 > 0:12:46But I seem to know what he's going on about,
0:12:46 > 0:12:52like when he needs changing, or he needs feeding,
0:12:52 > 0:12:54he moans and just cries a little bit.
0:12:56 > 0:12:58I do get upset, and I do cry sometimes,
0:12:58 > 0:13:01because I see what he's going through,
0:13:01 > 0:13:03and you just don't get...
0:13:03 > 0:13:07You'll see, like, these two-year-olds running around.
0:13:07 > 0:13:11My brother's still in a pushchair, and just don't do anything.
0:13:11 > 0:13:12I think about it all the time.
0:13:16 > 0:13:18- This is your bedroom?- Yeah.
0:13:18 > 0:13:19It's very pink.
0:13:21 > 0:13:23When I get angry, I just come up and draw.
0:13:24 > 0:13:27I feel happy, and I feel like I can escape.
0:13:27 > 0:13:29Like, some people can escape in a book.
0:13:29 > 0:13:32When I'm drawing, I just feel like I'm escaping everything around me.
0:13:33 > 0:13:37That was just like a quick sketch, doodle thing.
0:13:37 > 0:13:39Do you get angry much?
0:13:39 > 0:13:41Yeah. All the time.
0:13:42 > 0:13:47I was halfway through a video on YouTube of how to draw something...
0:13:48 > 0:13:50..and I was sitting there,
0:13:50 > 0:13:52and then it comes up, "No connection."
0:13:52 > 0:13:54And because Mum wouldn't put the internet on
0:13:54 > 0:13:56because I'd had it on all day,
0:13:56 > 0:13:58I went in a mood and slammed my door.
0:13:58 > 0:14:05Look, I slammed it, and cos they were wobbly anyway, it came off.
0:14:05 > 0:14:07But the wood snapped, that's why.
0:14:09 > 0:14:10Yeah.
0:14:12 > 0:14:14She's good, isn't she?
0:14:14 > 0:14:17How long have you known that she's been so good at art?
0:14:17 > 0:14:19Since primary school.
0:14:19 > 0:14:21- You started at primary school, didn't you?- Yeah.
0:14:21 > 0:14:24- About year three. - Do you want her to do well?
0:14:24 > 0:14:26Yeah, which is why, when she comes home and tells me
0:14:26 > 0:14:28she's done something bad at school,
0:14:28 > 0:14:31I act on it and I take off her iPad, or I ground her.
0:14:31 > 0:14:33- And that's what I was on about earlier.- And that's what I do.
0:14:33 > 0:14:35Because that's something... When I was growing up,
0:14:35 > 0:14:38I never...had that sort of discipline,
0:14:38 > 0:14:40which is probably why I went a bit AWOL.
0:14:40 > 0:14:43Every child needs discipline in order to focus, I think.
0:14:44 > 0:14:46If I could turn back the clock,
0:14:46 > 0:14:48I probably would have done a lot, lot better.
0:14:48 > 0:14:50I got no qualifications.
0:14:50 > 0:14:52No qualifications at all.
0:14:52 > 0:14:53I really haven't.
0:14:53 > 0:14:56Which is why I've brought my kids up differently
0:14:56 > 0:14:58to how I was brought up, you with me?
0:14:59 > 0:15:01SCHOOL BELL RINGS
0:15:05 > 0:15:08Did you put your name down for the Rome trip?
0:15:08 > 0:15:10I was going to, but Mum said she ain't got enough money
0:15:10 > 0:15:13to pay for it, cos of what's going on with Leo and that.
0:15:13 > 0:15:16- So, if your mum's not got enough... - And I ain't got a passport, so...
0:15:16 > 0:15:19- So, why don't you come and see us about those things?- Don't know.
0:15:19 > 0:15:21Cos that is part of my job,
0:15:21 > 0:15:25is to make sure that anybody that's in a difficult situation,
0:15:25 > 0:15:28there's money available to support.
0:15:28 > 0:15:30Assistant head teacher Mr Spears
0:15:30 > 0:15:32is in charge of monitoring the achievement of students
0:15:32 > 0:15:34from disadvantaged backgrounds.
0:15:34 > 0:15:36Did your mum come to Options Evening?
0:15:36 > 0:15:38No. She was at the hospital with Leo.
0:15:38 > 0:15:40OK. So this is going to be a big step.
0:15:40 > 0:15:42We're going to enter year ten,
0:15:42 > 0:15:44and you're going to be doing those subjects
0:15:44 > 0:15:47that hopefully will set you up on whatever career path that is.
0:15:47 > 0:15:50Shakira needs to choose which subjects to take for GCSE,
0:15:50 > 0:15:54and Mr Spears wants to make sure they play to her strengths.
0:15:54 > 0:15:58So let's try and pinpoint - definitely music...
0:15:58 > 0:16:01- Mmm-hmm.- ..definitely, 100%, art.
0:16:02 > 0:16:03What A-levels do you think I did?
0:16:03 > 0:16:05Obviously English.
0:16:05 > 0:16:07Obviously English. Anything else?
0:16:10 > 0:16:12I didn't do English.
0:16:12 > 0:16:15- Didn't you? - I did drama, art, and photography.
0:16:15 > 0:16:17And although I've ended up teaching English,
0:16:17 > 0:16:20it was the art and the drama that gave me the confidence
0:16:20 > 0:16:23to think I could go on and be a teacher.
0:16:23 > 0:16:24I know what job I want to do.
0:16:24 > 0:16:26- What's that?- A tattoo designer.
0:16:26 > 0:16:27A tattoo designer?
0:16:27 > 0:16:30But what I want you to do is to sort of broaden your horizons,
0:16:30 > 0:16:33and think about what other careers use art.
0:16:33 > 0:16:36What we could do is look at another arts-based subject
0:16:36 > 0:16:41that's going to give you a stronger sort of variety within the arts.
0:16:41 > 0:16:43We could go drama in that block.
0:16:44 > 0:16:46I like drama, it's just...
0:16:46 > 0:16:49Just...? Go on, be honest.
0:16:49 > 0:16:52It's just performing in front of people.
0:16:52 > 0:16:54I don't like to perform.
0:16:54 > 0:16:57The big barrier that she has is confidence.
0:16:58 > 0:17:02But you find that one thing that's the talent, the skill, the interest,
0:17:02 > 0:17:04and it suddenly opens the doors.
0:17:04 > 0:17:07You should be confident, you know? You enjoy singing.
0:17:07 > 0:17:11It enables them to realise that they're good at something,
0:17:11 > 0:17:13realise that they can belong to something,
0:17:13 > 0:17:16and then that enables you to sort of broaden that horizon.
0:17:16 > 0:17:19She doesn't have to just be Shakira from Belgrave
0:17:19 > 0:17:23who lives in Tamworth and dies in Tamworth.
0:17:39 > 0:17:44I'm always thinking about what else I need to do to get that top grade.
0:17:44 > 0:17:50For me, if you get 12 out of 16, why didn't you get 16 out of 16?
0:17:51 > 0:17:55People go, "Oh, you are such a nerd." I'm like, "I'm not a nerd."
0:17:55 > 0:17:57I just call myself an intelligent young lady.
0:18:00 > 0:18:04After her parents separated five years ago, 14-year-old Jada,
0:18:04 > 0:18:07her two siblings and her mum became homeless.
0:18:07 > 0:18:10Ever since, they've been staying with Jada's nan.
0:18:14 > 0:18:18You have to be able to make the best of what you've got.
0:18:18 > 0:18:21Rather than looking at what they've got and moaning...
0:18:21 > 0:18:22OK, what have I got that I can use?
0:18:24 > 0:18:26Take care, Jada. Bye.
0:18:26 > 0:18:31You may not have silver and gold, but some things are not material.
0:18:31 > 0:18:32So I try to encourage them,
0:18:32 > 0:18:36work with what you've got and make it work for you.
0:18:39 > 0:18:43My goals are to get good GCSEs,
0:18:43 > 0:18:47to get into the best university, and...
0:18:47 > 0:18:52to become a paediatrician, and that's my dream.
0:18:55 > 0:18:56To realise her ambitions,
0:18:56 > 0:19:00Jada knows that her next step in education will be crucial.
0:19:02 > 0:19:06Going to grammar school would make me feel more intelligent, I guess,
0:19:06 > 0:19:09because most people that go there are intelligent
0:19:09 > 0:19:11and have earned their spot,
0:19:11 > 0:19:13and it feels like I've actually earned something.
0:19:16 > 0:19:20I recently saw one of my friends that went to the grammar school.
0:19:20 > 0:19:22I was like, "Wow, she's changed so much."
0:19:22 > 0:19:26She sounds more proper than the normal kids from here,
0:19:26 > 0:19:29cos she used to sound like me and people from round here.
0:19:29 > 0:19:34Now she just sounds, "Oh!" Like, posh, from the Queen, and...
0:19:35 > 0:19:37So...yeah.
0:19:44 > 0:19:47We're going to look at squatter settlements, OK?
0:19:47 > 0:19:51So, they migrate from rural areas into the urban areas.
0:19:51 > 0:19:53Why? Jada?
0:19:53 > 0:19:55Better education?
0:19:55 > 0:19:57For a better education, that's one reason.
0:19:57 > 0:20:00- Let's keep going with that. Sukhvir? - Better jobs.- Better jobs.
0:20:00 > 0:20:03Rakshma? Yeah, better standard of living, good.
0:20:03 > 0:20:06Now, let's think about the living conditions. Jada?
0:20:06 > 0:20:09There's no sewage system, so there's all, like, diseases.
0:20:09 > 0:20:11Good. Really good.
0:20:11 > 0:20:14I imagine she's going to be a roaring success
0:20:14 > 0:20:16in whatever she does, to be quite honest with you.
0:20:16 > 0:20:18I'd like to think straight As.
0:20:20 > 0:20:21Some of my...
0:20:22 > 0:20:25Some of my concerns have been,
0:20:25 > 0:20:27and this is not to use this word in a derogatory sense,
0:20:27 > 0:20:29but a naivete.
0:20:30 > 0:20:35I think you need to be aware that purely your desire
0:20:35 > 0:20:37to want to go to grammar, sixth form,
0:20:37 > 0:20:40to want a go to university to study medicine,
0:20:40 > 0:20:44maybe that alone isn't going to get you there.
0:20:47 > 0:20:50I know it's going to be hard, but anybody, like,
0:20:50 > 0:20:52if their mind's set to it, can go to grammar school.
0:20:54 > 0:20:56- And if you've got that mind-set... - Mmm.
0:20:56 > 0:20:58..and you carry on the mind-set in your years,
0:20:58 > 0:21:01- you can get there.- Yeah, OK.
0:21:01 > 0:21:02So, I went to grammar school.
0:21:02 > 0:21:05I'm from Erdington, Birmingham, OK?
0:21:05 > 0:21:10I'm mixed race, Irish and Mauritian immigrant.
0:21:10 > 0:21:11When I got there...
0:21:12 > 0:21:15..I personally found that the barriers
0:21:15 > 0:21:18to me being able to do other things was that I wasn't actually perceived
0:21:18 > 0:21:19exactly the same as the other kids.
0:21:19 > 0:21:23I came on three buses, and I came from Erdington.
0:21:23 > 0:21:24I didn't just come from down the road,
0:21:24 > 0:21:27dropped off by my parents in their Range Rover.
0:21:27 > 0:21:31Potentially, say you went to school in a posh part of Edgbaston,
0:21:31 > 0:21:33for example,
0:21:33 > 0:21:36you might be perceived as the girl from Handsworth.
0:21:36 > 0:21:39That wouldn't really stop me, cos I'd say if you were in Handsworth,
0:21:39 > 0:21:41I think you wouldn't be able to cope,
0:21:41 > 0:21:43because you would want your fancy house, your car,
0:21:43 > 0:21:44your this, your that.
0:21:44 > 0:21:47You wouldn't be on a bus, walking to school, or anything like that.
0:21:48 > 0:21:50So I'd, like...show them...
0:21:50 > 0:21:53like, you don't have to always come from, like...
0:21:53 > 0:21:58the top end to always go to, like, the best...
0:22:00 > 0:22:01On social mobility...
0:22:01 > 0:22:03SCHOOL BELL RINGS
0:22:03 > 0:22:06..there's a lot of people who've come from really poor backgrounds,
0:22:06 > 0:22:08and have come out.
0:22:08 > 0:22:10Like Walt Disney - he...
0:22:11 > 0:22:14He used to just live on dog food,
0:22:14 > 0:22:17because he got fired from his newspaper company
0:22:17 > 0:22:20from lack of creativity, and...
0:22:20 > 0:22:22he's...
0:22:22 > 0:22:25a household name now - everybody knows about him.
0:22:26 > 0:22:28It doesn't matter what class you come from,
0:22:28 > 0:22:31because there's a ladder, and you can climb it.
0:22:39 > 0:22:43Today, Anne-Marie and a number of other high ability students
0:22:43 > 0:22:45in year nine have been invited to an open day
0:22:45 > 0:22:48at nearby Cardiff University.
0:22:48 > 0:22:51You what? I want to live in, like, one of those student houses.
0:22:51 > 0:22:54But then you'd have to make all new friends and everything.
0:22:54 > 0:22:57Yeah, I'm not about that, so I'd just sit in my room all the time!
0:22:57 > 0:22:59Can you get single rooms?
0:22:59 > 0:23:00Nice.
0:23:00 > 0:23:02Yeah, single room, please!
0:23:02 > 0:23:04With year nine progressing,
0:23:04 > 0:23:06the school wants to introduce students
0:23:06 > 0:23:09to the idea of life after GCSEs.
0:23:09 > 0:23:11Port Talbot has one of the lowest levels in Wales
0:23:11 > 0:23:15of school leavers going on to higher education.
0:23:15 > 0:23:16How do you pay for universities?
0:23:16 > 0:23:18Like, how do you pay for them?
0:23:18 > 0:23:19I know you get student loans,
0:23:19 > 0:23:22but don't you have to pay them off for, like, years and years?
0:23:22 > 0:23:24And if you don't get a job out of it...
0:23:24 > 0:23:25I know, imagine that.
0:23:25 > 0:23:27You just go, you pay, like,
0:23:27 > 0:23:30thousands and thousands of pounds and you, like, you fail everything!
0:23:30 > 0:23:33- It's like, my mum would kill me. - Yeah.
0:23:33 > 0:23:35- I wouldn't be able to go home.- No.
0:23:35 > 0:23:37I'd have to, like, live on the streets.
0:23:37 > 0:23:39Buy a cardboard box.
0:23:39 > 0:23:40THEY LAUGH
0:23:48 > 0:23:50This is Hogwarts!
0:23:50 > 0:23:53If I want to go to university, then I'm going to have to do it myself,
0:23:53 > 0:23:54I'm going to have to work hard in school,
0:23:54 > 0:23:56I'm going to have to save up,
0:23:56 > 0:23:58I'm going to have to do all these things, you know?
0:23:58 > 0:24:00Because I'm not going to get it handed to me.
0:24:00 > 0:24:03My mum's not going to give me an envelope full of money and say,
0:24:03 > 0:24:06"Oh, here you go, spend this, you know, on what you want."
0:24:06 > 0:24:09- Hello.- Hello!- You all right?- Yeah!
0:24:09 > 0:24:10Erm...
0:24:10 > 0:24:13- I want to ask about criminology. - OK.
0:24:13 > 0:24:17Cos that's something I'm interested in doing after I leave school,
0:24:17 > 0:24:19so I wanted to know a bit more about it.
0:24:19 > 0:24:21OK, well, what do you want to know?
0:24:21 > 0:24:24- Just everything!- Everything about criminology, in five minutes, yeah?
0:24:24 > 0:24:26- Yeah!- Well...
0:24:26 > 0:24:27In your first year,
0:24:27 > 0:24:31you look at all different kinds of aspects of crime.
0:24:31 > 0:24:33You look at criminal justice systems,
0:24:33 > 0:24:36so the different agencies that work with criminals.
0:24:36 > 0:24:38If you get in touch with the criminology department,
0:24:38 > 0:24:41you'd be able to come and visit us and see whether it's what you want.
0:24:41 > 0:24:43Yeah.
0:24:50 > 0:24:51I was, erm...
0:24:51 > 0:24:58I really do want to go to university and do the whole living there thing.
0:24:58 > 0:25:01- Oh, yeah?- And, erm... it was really nice.- Cool.
0:25:01 > 0:25:04Erm... You're going to have to research it,
0:25:04 > 0:25:07and I'm going to have to research it as well, on the costs.
0:25:07 > 0:25:10I've looked...roughly...
0:25:12 > 0:25:19..I don't know, 500, it could be anything over £500 for costing,
0:25:19 > 0:25:22could be £800, it could be more.
0:25:22 > 0:25:24I really don't know. I...
0:25:24 > 0:25:27You think it's going to be £500 for university?
0:25:27 > 0:25:31- No, I said it's over £500! - It's going to be over, like, £1,000.
0:25:31 > 0:25:32Yeah, probably.
0:25:33 > 0:25:38- OK.- So, the fees are up to £9,250... - There you go.- ..per academic year.
0:25:41 > 0:25:42- Per year?!- Jesus!
0:25:42 > 0:25:44What?!
0:25:44 > 0:25:48So, If I'm... Cos I want to do... what I want to do,
0:25:48 > 0:25:50that's, like, five years.
0:25:51 > 0:25:52Yeah.
0:25:53 > 0:25:55- That's a lot of money.- It is.
0:25:55 > 0:25:57I'd be paying that off for the rest of my life.
0:25:57 > 0:26:01Yes, you would. You'd have to get a job to pay it back.
0:26:01 > 0:26:05- You can't rely on me...- Yeah. - ..all the time.- Mum, I know!
0:26:05 > 0:26:07I know you know, but I'm just saying,
0:26:07 > 0:26:10you just can't rely on...like, me to help you out.
0:26:10 > 0:26:14I mean, I can try and help you out as much as I can do, but...
0:26:14 > 0:26:17I don't want to have help to pay it off, like.
0:26:17 > 0:26:20Cos know that it's my responsibility.
0:26:20 > 0:26:23Your fees would be £9,000.
0:26:23 > 0:26:26That's how much it is for you to pay.
0:26:26 > 0:26:27OK.
0:26:36 > 0:26:38Do you ever feel, like, jealous of people, maybe,
0:26:38 > 0:26:41that have got more money behind them?
0:26:43 > 0:26:44Erm...
0:26:45 > 0:26:47I don't think I feel jealous...
0:26:48 > 0:26:52..because I'm working for it, and I know I've worked for it then.
0:26:55 > 0:26:57- Smart cookie.- I'm not, though.
0:26:57 > 0:26:59You are, though. Don't keep putting yourself down.
0:27:01 > 0:27:05If you want to become somebody big or great, like a Prime Minister,
0:27:05 > 0:27:08you've got to work for it, cos it's not just... Well...
0:27:08 > 0:27:10SHE CHUCKLES
0:27:10 > 0:27:11I don't know how they work,
0:27:11 > 0:27:14so I wouldn't know whether it's just handed to them.
0:27:14 > 0:27:17But from what I have gone through personally,
0:27:17 > 0:27:19you've just going to have to work for it whatever you do.
0:27:19 > 0:27:21You can't just go into school...
0:27:22 > 0:27:25..and be told that you're going to become a Prime Minister one day,
0:27:25 > 0:27:26"Get ready," you know?
0:27:26 > 0:27:28I...
0:27:28 > 0:27:29If it's like that, then...
0:27:29 > 0:27:31I think somebody needs to do something
0:27:31 > 0:27:33about the education system.
0:27:40 > 0:27:42OK, so, this is the gallery that we set up,
0:27:42 > 0:27:44and this is all GCSE work.
0:27:44 > 0:27:45If you're taking it for GCSE,
0:27:45 > 0:27:48this is the type of thing that we want you to try and achieve.
0:27:51 > 0:27:53Does anyone know what this one is about?
0:27:55 > 0:27:57- I do.- OK.
0:27:57 > 0:28:00Margaret Thatcher, and she's stopped, like, all the milk,
0:28:00 > 0:28:03and underneath here is milk bottle things.
0:28:03 > 0:28:05Yeah, impressive.
0:28:05 > 0:28:08Basically, she took away the milk from children,
0:28:08 > 0:28:10so they called her Margaret Thatcher, the milk snatcher.
0:28:10 > 0:28:14This is all painted on milk cartons to just add something to it,
0:28:14 > 0:28:15and it's much more impressive.
0:28:16 > 0:28:19I want to see her with a good career.
0:28:22 > 0:28:24A career that she's happy in.
0:28:25 > 0:28:26Do you know what I mean?
0:28:26 > 0:28:28Setting a good example for her younger brothers and sisters.
0:28:28 > 0:28:30Her siblings, yeah.
0:28:30 > 0:28:32Well, she's told me already that she's got her heart set
0:28:32 > 0:28:36on wanting to be a tattoo designer, or tattoo artist.
0:28:36 > 0:28:39And to be honest with you, with her drawings that I've seen already,
0:28:39 > 0:28:41she has got a lot of potential.
0:28:41 > 0:28:46So, there's no reason as to why she couldn't do that, no reason at all.
0:28:46 > 0:28:49- INTERVIEWER:- Do you think she should go to art college,
0:28:49 > 0:28:51- or something like that? - Yeah. Yeah, she should.
0:28:51 > 0:28:54But there is loads and loads and loads
0:28:54 > 0:28:59of real good artists out there that are just doing nothing, really.
0:28:59 > 0:29:04Because there's...not many jobs, is there, really, for an artist,
0:29:04 > 0:29:05except for tattoos.
0:29:05 > 0:29:07LAUGHTER
0:29:07 > 0:29:09One of them's going to poo on my head!
0:29:09 > 0:29:11And I've only just washed my hair.
0:29:11 > 0:29:14THEY LAUGH
0:29:14 > 0:29:16Do you know, like, lots of people that live on the estate?
0:29:16 > 0:29:19Yeah. Tina, my mum, Tommy.
0:29:19 > 0:29:22- Me.- You.- Rich.
0:29:22 > 0:29:24Bryden, Keeley, Ellie.
0:29:24 > 0:29:27Tyler, Colette, Colin.
0:29:27 > 0:29:30- We know nearly everyone.- Everyone.
0:29:30 > 0:29:32Do you know anyone that's gone to, like, university or college?
0:29:34 > 0:29:35No.
0:29:39 > 0:29:41Do you see yourself leaving here when you get to 18?
0:29:43 > 0:29:45- SHE CHUCKLES - No.
0:29:45 > 0:29:46Not really.
0:29:46 > 0:29:48Cos I just don't.
0:29:48 > 0:29:49Got better things to do.
0:29:50 > 0:29:54I think about my brother and all his hospital appointments.
0:29:55 > 0:29:56He's more important.
0:29:58 > 0:30:03He could just, like, go at any minute, like, you know what I mean?
0:30:06 > 0:30:12Like, he could die cos of all his problems,
0:30:12 > 0:30:16so I just think about him all the time.
0:30:38 > 0:30:41Here is my room.
0:30:42 > 0:30:44Mine and my sister's room, more like.
0:30:44 > 0:30:47Here is my clothes.
0:30:47 > 0:30:50Well, kind of everybody's clothes.
0:30:50 > 0:30:54Here's the bed, which takes up half of the room.
0:30:54 > 0:30:56Destiny sleeps there and I sleep over here.
0:30:58 > 0:31:01My sister puts her foot in my face, and it's really annoying,
0:31:01 > 0:31:04so I said to my mum, "I can't, no more, I need my own space."
0:31:06 > 0:31:10Children grow, children take up space...
0:31:10 > 0:31:13and all of a sudden, the space gets smaller!
0:31:13 > 0:31:15SHE LAUGHS
0:31:16 > 0:31:19It's not an easy thing to talk about.
0:31:19 > 0:31:23When it is brought up, it creates a little bit of a...
0:31:23 > 0:31:26a debate. Can I say debate?
0:31:26 > 0:31:28- SHE CHUCKLES - That's putting it mildly, OK?
0:31:28 > 0:31:31This is a housing application form.
0:31:31 > 0:31:33Birmingham City Council.
0:31:33 > 0:31:37Birmingham.gov.uk/findingahome
0:31:37 > 0:31:39Although Jada's mum works,
0:31:39 > 0:31:41the rising cost of renting privately in Birmingham
0:31:41 > 0:31:44means that her only chance of getting a bigger house
0:31:44 > 0:31:47is through the council's housing office.
0:31:47 > 0:31:48I would like to know if we CAN move.
0:31:48 > 0:31:50That's all, really.
0:31:52 > 0:31:53I want my own room.
0:31:53 > 0:31:55I don't want to share with my sister no more.
0:31:55 > 0:31:57- SHE SIGHS - Hmm...
0:31:57 > 0:32:00So it's really, like, important.
0:32:04 > 0:32:05OK.
0:32:05 > 0:32:08With Destiny in there, it's more cramped.
0:32:08 > 0:32:11When I'm revising, I put all my revision stuff on the floor.
0:32:11 > 0:32:15When it's time for my GCSEs, I can't have Destiny, like, in there,
0:32:15 > 0:32:19cos she's going to be in year eight, and she won't really understand,
0:32:19 > 0:32:20like...
0:32:20 > 0:32:22me, as I need all this space.
0:32:24 > 0:32:29I'm aware that there is a waiting list, of course.
0:32:30 > 0:32:31Mmm.
0:32:31 > 0:32:34Sometimes people can be on the housing list for years.
0:32:35 > 0:32:37The reason why...
0:32:37 > 0:32:39I realise we stayed here this long was,
0:32:39 > 0:32:43I wasn't too keen to be relocated
0:32:43 > 0:32:45in certain places that I didn't want to be.
0:32:45 > 0:32:47Mmm-hmm.
0:32:51 > 0:32:52Yes.
0:32:53 > 0:32:57- CHILDREN:- # Don't you know that if you cross your fingers... #
0:32:57 > 0:32:58Now, keep it short.
0:32:58 > 0:33:01Don't sing. # And if you count from one to ten. #
0:33:01 > 0:33:03We cross our fingers and we bounce.
0:33:03 > 0:33:06- ALL:- # Don't you know that if you cross your fingers... #
0:33:06 > 0:33:10- We're going to do it...- # And if you count from one to ten... #
0:33:10 > 0:33:14- We get down!- # You can get up off the ground again... #
0:33:14 > 0:33:17SINGING CONTINUES
0:33:18 > 0:33:23Shakira has been encouraged to take drama as one of her GCSEs next year.
0:33:23 > 0:33:27This definitely is acting in tune, yeah?
0:33:27 > 0:33:29So teachers want her to audition
0:33:29 > 0:33:31for the after-school performing arts club.
0:33:31 > 0:33:32..then you'd face me.
0:33:32 > 0:33:35# Don't you know that if you cross your fingers
0:33:35 > 0:33:38# And if you count from one to ten... #
0:33:38 > 0:33:41Today, they're rehearsing for their end-of-year show.
0:33:43 > 0:33:46# It doesn't matter, the whole thing's just a game. #
0:33:49 > 0:33:50What are you doing, Shakira?
0:33:53 > 0:33:54I don't even know.
0:33:56 > 0:33:59Come in, Shakira. You having a moment?
0:34:00 > 0:34:03Are you joining?
0:34:03 > 0:34:06Well, that's a surprise!
0:34:06 > 0:34:08- What's the matter?- I don't know.
0:34:08 > 0:34:11Are you coming in to join performing arts with us today?
0:34:11 > 0:34:13- I don't want to do it. - Why don't you want to do it?
0:34:13 > 0:34:15I just don't.
0:34:15 > 0:34:17So, we think you're incredibly talented,
0:34:17 > 0:34:18you've got a lot to offer,
0:34:18 > 0:34:20and there's a lot that you could do with us in performing arts,
0:34:20 > 0:34:22and that's why we've invited you.
0:34:22 > 0:34:23We're not going to force you to come.
0:34:23 > 0:34:27If you don't want to, so be it, but I find it quite disappointing.
0:34:29 > 0:34:32Cos how do you know that you don't like it until you've done a session?
0:34:33 > 0:34:35Don't know.
0:34:39 > 0:34:41What are you going to do? Your choice.
0:34:41 > 0:34:43I really don't know.
0:34:45 > 0:34:47Really don't know. I know what I'd like you to do.
0:34:47 > 0:34:50I'd like you to come in the room and try. Half an hour.
0:34:53 > 0:34:55That's what I'd like you to do.
0:34:59 > 0:35:01- OK.- OK?
0:35:01 > 0:35:03You're going to do it?
0:35:03 > 0:35:06- Shall we go into the theatre?- Yeah.
0:35:06 > 0:35:09I don't really have the confidence to perform in front of people.
0:35:12 > 0:35:15I think it's better not to do it,
0:35:15 > 0:35:17just in case someone don't like it,
0:35:17 > 0:35:20and then they start saying bad stuff to you, and you get, like,
0:35:20 > 0:35:23all hate comments, and stuff like that.
0:35:23 > 0:35:25You just don't want to get put through it, really.
0:35:25 > 0:35:27If you were going to sing today,
0:35:27 > 0:35:29what song would you sing, and to which karaoke?
0:35:29 > 0:35:31- Do you want to type it in? - I don't know.
0:35:31 > 0:35:34There's no pressure to do so, but if you felt like doing it,
0:35:34 > 0:35:36I'd like to have it loaded ready to go.
0:35:36 > 0:35:38- I'm Not The Only One.- Sam Smith?
0:35:38 > 0:35:40I might do that one.
0:35:40 > 0:35:41I wonder if in just a moment
0:35:41 > 0:35:44you'll do it in front of all these people here? Let's go.
0:35:44 > 0:35:46- What if I forget it? - What's going to happen?
0:35:46 > 0:35:48Will the world stop turning?
0:35:48 > 0:35:50Will the floor open up and swallow you whole?
0:35:51 > 0:35:53What's going to happen?
0:35:53 > 0:35:55What's going to happen if you sing a wrong note?
0:35:57 > 0:36:00Do you know, when we learn the most is when something goes wrong.
0:36:00 > 0:36:02We're not even saying we're working towards a performance.
0:36:02 > 0:36:05We're working towards feeling good about the instrument you've got.
0:36:05 > 0:36:07That's it. OK?
0:36:07 > 0:36:09You'll walk out of here feeling so proud of yourself.
0:36:16 > 0:36:18Right, performing arts, sit yourselves down.
0:36:18 > 0:36:20A couple of people are going to sing for us today.
0:36:20 > 0:36:23We know, we all know, in our own way, how scary it is
0:36:23 > 0:36:26for the individual who's standing up and singing today,
0:36:26 > 0:36:28so we're going to be respectful, yes?
0:36:28 > 0:36:30Lovely. Shakira, shall we go?
0:36:32 > 0:36:35Come on, Shakira! Come on.
0:36:35 > 0:36:39Raise your hands if you've ever felt how Shakira is currently feeling.
0:36:41 > 0:36:43Do you know what, Shakira, look at me.
0:36:46 > 0:36:48Yeah. So, is today going to be the day
0:36:48 > 0:36:51when Shakira's brave enough to show us a verse and chorus?
0:36:51 > 0:36:52- Yes.- Yes.- I think she should.
0:36:53 > 0:36:56- Please. For me. - We're are all behind you.
0:36:56 > 0:36:58Good girl. Right, I'm going to go and press play.
0:36:58 > 0:36:59Give her a round of applause.
0:36:59 > 0:37:00Love you, Kira!
0:37:00 > 0:37:02Blow 'em dead.
0:37:04 > 0:37:07MUSIC: I'm not the only one by Sam Smith
0:37:23 > 0:37:26# You and me we made a vow
0:37:28 > 0:37:31# For better or for worse
0:37:34 > 0:37:38# I can't believe you let me down
0:37:38 > 0:37:43# But the proof is in the way it hurts
0:37:44 > 0:37:50# You say I'm crazy
0:37:50 > 0:37:55# Cos you don't think I know what you've done
0:37:55 > 0:38:02# But when you call me baby
0:38:02 > 0:38:06# I know I'm not the only one. #
0:38:11 > 0:38:13Give her a round of applause.
0:38:14 > 0:38:17Right. Stay where you are, Shakira.
0:38:17 > 0:38:18Stay where you are, all right?
0:38:18 > 0:38:21I'll need five things she's absolutely fantastic at
0:38:21 > 0:38:23before she leaves us.
0:38:24 > 0:38:27- Go, Gabby.- The projection in the chorus was really good.
0:38:27 > 0:38:30The tone of it, the quality of the voice.
0:38:30 > 0:38:32- What else? - She looked like she belonged there.
0:38:32 > 0:38:34Did the world open up and swallow you?
0:38:34 > 0:38:37- Nearly.- Was that the worst thing you've ever done?
0:38:37 > 0:38:39Right. Well done, performing arts.
0:38:39 > 0:38:42Shakira, would you come back next week and have another go?
0:38:42 > 0:38:44Yes?
0:38:45 > 0:38:47Told you you could do it!
0:38:47 > 0:38:50Come on. You got me crying!
0:38:52 > 0:38:56I personally believe that if a student realises something
0:38:56 > 0:39:00about themselves, that moment of feeling so good about themselves,
0:39:00 > 0:39:03that feel-good feeling that I can do
0:39:03 > 0:39:08is the most powerful emotion to take with you into adult life.
0:39:08 > 0:39:09THEY LAUGH
0:39:11 > 0:39:13INTERVIEWER: How was that, Shakira?
0:39:13 > 0:39:14Fine.
0:39:14 > 0:39:16I am literally shaking.
0:39:16 > 0:39:17You had me crying!
0:39:17 > 0:39:19What are you doing with your life?
0:39:19 > 0:39:22Singing.
0:39:22 > 0:39:23I think the talent's there,
0:39:23 > 0:39:26and I think if we got her singing in the summer show long-term,
0:39:26 > 0:39:28it could just do amazing things for her as a person,
0:39:28 > 0:39:30across the whole of the curriculum,
0:39:30 > 0:39:32outside of school and in her music and art classes.
0:39:37 > 0:39:40It's about making choices.
0:39:40 > 0:39:43When you leave this school,
0:39:43 > 0:39:48you should be able to make choices to do whatever you want to do.
0:39:48 > 0:39:53The only way you're going to be able to make those choices
0:39:53 > 0:39:57is by getting grades that reflect your ability.
0:39:57 > 0:40:00With only two months remaining of year nine,
0:40:00 > 0:40:03the focus is shifting to the end of year exams.
0:40:03 > 0:40:10You must now achieve your target grade for the end of year nine
0:40:10 > 0:40:13if you are to make the sustained progress
0:40:13 > 0:40:18that you should be making - and it starts now.
0:40:29 > 0:40:31You know, I'm not very good with tests,
0:40:31 > 0:40:34so, you know, I'm going to panic a little bit,
0:40:34 > 0:40:35but it should be OK.
0:40:36 > 0:40:39INTERVIEWER: What do you mean you're not very good at tests?
0:40:39 > 0:40:40Um...
0:40:40 > 0:40:43I, like, panic quite a lot
0:40:43 > 0:40:49and then I upset myself about it, and then I can't read.
0:40:49 > 0:40:52You know, where stress comes out in a certain way,
0:40:52 > 0:40:55so you might, like, get angry or something like that.
0:40:55 > 0:40:59Mine comes out, like... with my sight, so I can't see,
0:40:59 > 0:41:03and it stresses me out like that. So, yeah...
0:41:04 > 0:41:06I won't... I try not to make a fuss about it,
0:41:06 > 0:41:10but then I'll ask if I can go out the room,
0:41:10 > 0:41:13and then, yeah, I just cry for a while.
0:41:15 > 0:41:19You know, like, sometimes I won't even pick up the pen -
0:41:19 > 0:41:21I'll just sit there because I don't know what to do.
0:41:22 > 0:41:25- But aren't you really smart, Anne-Marie?- Yes!- No.
0:41:25 > 0:41:27- Yes.- No.- Yes.- No.
0:41:45 > 0:41:49Finally, Serbia had grown in 1912 and 1913...
0:41:50 > 0:41:52Could I borrow Anne-Marie, please?
0:41:52 > 0:41:54The year nine exams are vital
0:41:54 > 0:42:00in determining what level of GCSE pupils go on to study next year.
0:42:00 > 0:42:02We're just going to have a quick chat
0:42:02 > 0:42:04about the arrangements for the exams.
0:42:04 > 0:42:07So, pastoral support, Miss Mason,
0:42:07 > 0:42:12has come up with a possible solution for Anne-Marie's exam panic attacks.
0:42:12 > 0:42:16- I've spoken to various people. - Right.
0:42:16 > 0:42:19I think what we have decided is, as long as it's all right with you,
0:42:19 > 0:42:23- we're going to keep a space for you in the quiet room...- Mm-hm.
0:42:23 > 0:42:27..but try you in the gym with everyone else at first.
0:42:27 > 0:42:31If you feel that's not working, or it's a bit too much for you,
0:42:31 > 0:42:34- then we can put you back in the quiet room.- OK.
0:42:34 > 0:42:36- Is that all right?- Yeah. - That's good.
0:42:36 > 0:42:38It's giving you the option, then.
0:42:38 > 0:42:40- She didn't mind being in the gym... - Yes.
0:42:40 > 0:42:43- ..as long as it's at the back, where she's not noticed...- Yeah.
0:42:43 > 0:42:46..and she doesn't feel like everyone's staring at her.
0:42:46 > 0:42:49- Yes, sure.- That way, if she feels panicky, she can just...- Yeah.
0:42:49 > 0:42:51- ..indicate that she's panicky. - I will be there.
0:42:51 > 0:42:52It is going to be a stressful few days,
0:42:52 > 0:42:54because it is quite full-on, isn't it?
0:42:54 > 0:42:56You've got three exams or more a day,
0:42:56 > 0:42:59three full days of exams - it's going to be stressful.
0:42:59 > 0:43:00I'll be honest with you,
0:43:00 > 0:43:05- I just want to push you out of your comfort zone a little bit...- Mm.
0:43:05 > 0:43:09..to see how you cope with the rest of the group in the gym.
0:43:09 > 0:43:11I don't want us to go in there with the assumption
0:43:11 > 0:43:13- you're going to need all these things, you may not.- Yeah.
0:43:13 > 0:43:17- I'd rather us work on the basis of whether if you do need them...- Yeah.
0:43:17 > 0:43:19- ..not necessarily that you absolutely will.- Mm.
0:43:19 > 0:43:21Cos I think you're coping better than you think you are.
0:43:31 > 0:43:36Now, kids are pressurised to do really well...
0:43:37 > 0:43:41..with all these exams, being in the top sets.
0:43:41 > 0:43:44But do you put pressure on yourself to do well?
0:43:44 > 0:43:47- Me?- Yes.- Yeah.
0:43:47 > 0:43:48Why?
0:43:48 > 0:43:52Because I don't want to fail, and disappoint people.
0:43:53 > 0:43:55Because I feel like...
0:43:57 > 0:44:00..I have a responsibility to do well,
0:44:00 > 0:44:04and then, like, help my family and stuff like that.
0:44:12 > 0:44:14My family don't have a lot of money,
0:44:14 > 0:44:17and, like, we're not going to win the Lottery any time soon,
0:44:17 > 0:44:20so, you know...but if I can, like...
0:44:21 > 0:44:24..do something good and go to university
0:44:24 > 0:44:26and get a job and do all this stuff,
0:44:26 > 0:44:29and earn that amount of money, then I can help my family.
0:44:29 > 0:44:32I feel I have to do that because I am the eldest,
0:44:32 > 0:44:35so I have responsibility to look after my brothers and sisters,
0:44:35 > 0:44:38and I'd rather them be, like, comfortable and stuff like that
0:44:38 > 0:44:44than of having to just live in a really small house, so... You know.
0:44:50 > 0:44:52With no movement on the housing front,
0:44:52 > 0:44:55Jada's mum has found a temporary solution
0:44:55 > 0:44:58to give Jada more space for revision.
0:44:58 > 0:45:01I've got a bunk bed in here.
0:45:06 > 0:45:09I know I've got Disney Princess at the moment.
0:45:09 > 0:45:10INTERVIEWER: Are you pleased?
0:45:11 > 0:45:13Yeah, it's fine now.
0:45:15 > 0:45:18I want to give the children the best opportunity they can get.
0:45:22 > 0:45:26- VOICEOVER:- I grew up in Handsworth. I went to the local school.
0:45:27 > 0:45:28I wanted to be a ballerina.
0:45:29 > 0:45:31Wow...
0:45:31 > 0:45:35That's Destiny... Jada, Jada... These would be on the wall in the house.
0:45:35 > 0:45:37This was something that was done years ago.
0:45:37 > 0:45:39- That's me! - SHE LAUGHS
0:45:39 > 0:45:42Yeah, that was me.
0:45:42 > 0:45:45Erm... I was so young then! I think I was 11 or 12?
0:45:46 > 0:45:51And I had a brilliant dance teacher, Sheila Marie.
0:45:51 > 0:45:55She suggested London Contemporary Dance School.
0:45:55 > 0:45:59I used to be told you can't make a living off that,
0:45:59 > 0:46:03and so you take it on board and you think, "Hmm..."
0:46:03 > 0:46:05But I didn't really fit in anywhere else.
0:46:12 > 0:46:14I...
0:46:14 > 0:46:16Erm...
0:46:17 > 0:46:22Erm... I want to give the children the best opportunity they can get.
0:46:23 > 0:46:27And I think, in reflection,
0:46:27 > 0:46:30I've had a lot of opportunities which I didn't take.
0:46:30 > 0:46:34Based on either
0:46:34 > 0:46:37lack of confidence, and, erm...
0:46:39 > 0:46:42..erm...sometimes you just made bad choices,
0:46:42 > 0:46:45and the consequences, you see afterwards.
0:46:48 > 0:46:52My mum pushes me.
0:46:52 > 0:46:56She makes sure that I go for the best.
0:46:58 > 0:47:01If I get this grade, she says, "You can do better than that."
0:47:02 > 0:47:06Nothing less than gold, no silver, no bronze, no, that shouldn't...
0:47:06 > 0:47:09Because she expects the best of me.
0:47:25 > 0:47:27I don't want to go to school.
0:47:27 > 0:47:29Why's that?
0:47:29 > 0:47:32Cos I have my exams.
0:47:32 > 0:47:34And I'm not particularly looking forward to them.
0:47:34 > 0:47:36Surprisingly.
0:47:38 > 0:47:41I was struggling last night with my revision.
0:47:41 > 0:47:44I got myself really worked up
0:47:44 > 0:47:48and I couldn't really read what I was doing so, yeah,
0:47:48 > 0:47:51I started to cry.
0:47:52 > 0:47:55I was trying to revise and, like...
0:47:57 > 0:48:01..it just didn't work out for me and I got really upset about it.
0:48:04 > 0:48:06Couldn't sleep.
0:48:06 > 0:48:08I just couldn't sleep.
0:48:28 > 0:48:31This is where we're going to be sitting for the next six hours.
0:48:32 > 0:48:34That's a lot of tables!
0:48:34 > 0:48:37INDISTINCT CHATTER
0:48:40 > 0:48:43If you want to talk about it, go and talk out there!
0:48:43 > 0:48:45The year group begin to line up
0:48:45 > 0:48:49in preparation for the start of their first exam.
0:48:50 > 0:48:54It is the first time Anne-Marie will be sitting an exam in the conditions
0:48:54 > 0:48:58in which her GCSEs will be held in two years' time.
0:48:58 > 0:49:00You there and you there...
0:49:04 > 0:49:06Honestly, you are going to be fine.
0:49:06 > 0:49:08I just don't want to do it.
0:49:08 > 0:49:10I know you don't want to do it, but you have to do it.
0:49:12 > 0:49:14We are all scared.
0:49:15 > 0:49:17Anne-Marie, you're really smart.
0:49:17 > 0:49:19Like, I've seen you in class.
0:49:56 > 0:49:59INDISTINCT CHATTER
0:50:10 > 0:50:13No talking, please, when you get in here.
0:50:13 > 0:50:15Everyone has to be facing the front.
0:50:16 > 0:50:19Keep quiet and face the front, please.
0:50:22 > 0:50:26Fabulous. If we can keep it like this for the next 45 minutes.
0:50:27 > 0:50:30OK, you can start.
0:51:02 > 0:51:05THEY WHISPER
0:51:19 > 0:51:21CLOCK TICKS
0:52:06 > 0:52:09BUZZ OF CHATTER
0:52:10 > 0:52:13I couldn't read for the first, like, ten minutes,
0:52:13 > 0:52:16- because my eyes were just full of water.- Same!
0:52:16 > 0:52:20My tears would just fall onto the writing, so I just couldn't read them.
0:52:29 > 0:52:35In Tamworth, the school's 210-seat theatre has sold out
0:52:35 > 0:52:38for tonight's end of year performing arts show.
0:52:40 > 0:52:43Shakira has been persuaded to perform a solo.
0:52:43 > 0:52:45INTERVIEWER: How are you feeling about tonight?
0:52:47 > 0:52:49Scared.
0:52:49 > 0:52:51Nervous.
0:52:54 > 0:52:57Cos I could mess up at any time.
0:52:58 > 0:53:01This really, really, really matters to me.
0:53:01 > 0:53:04More than life itself right now.
0:53:04 > 0:53:06Yes, it is just a school show, OK.
0:53:06 > 0:53:09I woke up this morning and I was so excited,
0:53:09 > 0:53:11because I'm excited to see you
0:53:11 > 0:53:14all feel wonderful at nine o'clock, right?
0:53:14 > 0:53:17So, now is the time, you take this thing off my hands.
0:53:29 > 0:53:32INTERVIEWER: Give me a sense of, like, what's going through
0:53:32 > 0:53:33your mind at the moment?
0:53:33 > 0:53:36Erm... Where's my mum?!
0:53:36 > 0:53:37That's what I'm thinking.
0:53:41 > 0:53:44Have you got my mum's number?
0:53:44 > 0:53:47- Yeah.- Could I ring her? - If you want to.
0:53:50 > 0:53:53PHONE RINGS
0:54:04 > 0:54:07- Is it really important that she sees you do well tonight?- Mm-hm.
0:54:07 > 0:54:12- Why is that?- Because I want to make her proud. Yep.
0:54:21 > 0:54:25- STUDENTS:- # You know that if you cross your fingers
0:54:25 > 0:54:29# And if you count from one to ten
0:54:29 > 0:54:32# You can get up off the ground again
0:54:32 > 0:54:37# It doesn't matter, the whole thing's just a game
0:54:37 > 0:54:42# The whole thing's just a game! #
0:54:42 > 0:54:45CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:55:05 > 0:55:08- BABY CALLS OUT - Shhh!
0:55:10 > 0:55:13PIANO INTRO, MIC FEEDBACK
0:55:19 > 0:55:23# She's just a girl and she's on fire
0:55:23 > 0:55:29# Hotter than a fantasy, lonely like a highway
0:55:29 > 0:55:35# Oh, oh, oh, oh We've got both feet on the ground
0:55:35 > 0:55:38# And we're burning it down
0:55:38 > 0:55:42# Oh, oh, oh, oh
0:55:42 > 0:55:48# We've got our head in the clouds And we're not coming down
0:55:51 > 0:55:55# This girl is on fire
0:55:55 > 0:55:59# This girl is on fire
0:56:02 > 0:56:07# She's just a girl and she's on fire. #
0:56:10 > 0:56:13CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:56:30 > 0:56:33Well done. Give me a cuddle!
0:56:33 > 0:56:36Did you enjoy that?
0:56:36 > 0:56:39- You were brilliant. Absolutely brilliant.- Loved it.
0:56:39 > 0:56:41Was your mum here? Is she going to be waiting for you?
0:56:41 > 0:56:44- Yeah.- Go and see your mum.
0:56:44 > 0:56:47I was quite shocked that I done it, to be honest.
0:56:47 > 0:56:49Because I didn't really have any confidence,
0:56:49 > 0:56:52and then I was really proud of myself afterwards.
0:56:52 > 0:56:55INTERVIEWER: Have you had that feeling before?
0:56:55 > 0:56:58- No.- Is that the first time you felt like that?- Yeah.
0:57:03 > 0:57:07Here she is. Here she is! Girl of the night!
0:57:07 > 0:57:09Brilliant. I had goose bumps on my arm.
0:57:09 > 0:57:13I could be biased, I know, but I thought she was the best.
0:57:13 > 0:57:18The more you do it, the more successful you will get.
0:57:19 > 0:57:22- You all right?- Hi.- Well done, Shakira. Smashed it!
0:57:22 > 0:57:24Are you proud of her?
0:57:24 > 0:57:26Very, very proud.
0:57:26 > 0:57:28- Love it.- See you later.
0:57:30 > 0:57:34- How did your mum react to you being on stage?- She cried.
0:57:34 > 0:57:37How did that make you feel?
0:57:37 > 0:57:39I don't know. I was just thinking to myself,
0:57:39 > 0:57:42"What the bloody hell are you crying for?!"
0:57:47 > 0:57:50At Jada's school, the end of year exams have been marked,
0:57:50 > 0:57:54and her mum has been invited in to go through the results.
0:57:54 > 0:57:57So, two grades above English, two grades above maths.
0:57:57 > 0:57:59- Yeah.- Two grades above Spanish.- Mm.
0:57:59 > 0:58:03On target, science. One grade below in geography.
0:58:03 > 0:58:05Proportionally speaking and looking at the rest of the year,
0:58:05 > 0:58:08- this is a very impressive report. - Right, thank you for that.
0:58:08 > 0:58:11So, maths and English, she'd need to go up one better
0:58:11 > 0:58:13than she's already at to get A's in maths
0:58:13 > 0:58:17and English. I imagine Jada will want to do better with that science.
0:58:23 > 0:58:26- JADA:- English, I got a five minus, wow!
0:58:26 > 0:58:28Maths, I got a five plus!
0:58:28 > 0:58:30Mm-hm.
0:58:30 > 0:58:32CHARMAINE LAUGHS
0:58:32 > 0:58:34Erm, just a note I want to share with you,
0:58:34 > 0:58:37I spoke to Mr Panjanaden, and he did point out that
0:58:37 > 0:58:41for some grammar schools, you're looking at A's in all subjects.
0:58:41 > 0:58:44- Mm-hm.- Now, you've got two years.
0:58:45 > 0:58:49What do you feel would be a booster for you?
0:58:49 > 0:58:53In the holidays, I want to do tuition, because it will help me.
0:58:53 > 0:58:57The only concern I have would be finances.
0:58:57 > 0:59:00Mm...
0:59:00 > 0:59:03Well, I'm not meant to be worrying about it, because I'm a child.
0:59:03 > 0:59:07- Yeah, that's not my responsibility. - That's not my responsibility.
0:59:07 > 0:59:08It's not always about the money.
0:59:08 > 0:59:11Money's there for those who can push them through the door.
0:59:11 > 0:59:13All the more power to you, fine.
0:59:13 > 0:59:14But we're not in that category,
0:59:14 > 0:59:17so I'm going to work with the category that we're in,
0:59:17 > 0:59:18which is determination.
0:59:20 > 0:59:23- VOICEOVER:- No, I'm not scared of my disadvantage.
0:59:23 > 0:59:27Nothing will get in my way in getting to my goal.
0:59:27 > 0:59:29But there will be setbacks.
0:59:29 > 0:59:31You know.
0:59:31 > 0:59:35But you've just got to get up and dust yourself off and keep on going.
0:59:37 > 0:59:41OK, so, it's promising that you've made that much progress.
0:59:41 > 0:59:45You know, you sat in the exam halls with everyone else, with the nerves,
0:59:45 > 0:59:47and you got it over and done with.
0:59:47 > 0:59:50You know, you've done that, it's a massive achievement.
0:59:50 > 0:59:55So, obviously you're doing something right, being sat in the exam hall,
0:59:55 > 0:59:58because you've managed to pull these results out of the bag.
1:00:02 > 1:00:03Which is incredible.
1:00:05 > 1:00:10Given the circumstances, to still be coming out with 92%, 80%, 73%,
1:00:10 > 1:00:13is crazy. It's amazing. You should be really, really proud of yourself.
1:00:13 > 1:00:18If you can replicate that at GCSE, I think we'll all be very, very happy.
1:00:18 > 1:00:21- Yeah.- Yeah? So, it's all very, very promising.
1:00:23 > 1:00:25- VOICEOVER:- I know my own strengths.
1:00:25 > 1:00:27Maybe not all the time, I don't recognise them,
1:00:27 > 1:00:30like, not all the time. But I know that they're there.
1:00:31 > 1:00:33There you go. All right?
1:00:34 > 1:00:36And I'm not going to waste them.
1:00:36 > 1:00:39And I'm going to use them and I'm going to, like,
1:00:39 > 1:00:41show them off to people.
1:00:48 > 1:00:52We are all, like, these little story characters and we are writing our
1:00:52 > 1:00:56own stories every day. So, my story's still going.
1:00:56 > 1:00:59We just have to find out where it goes.