:00:00. > :00:00.day privately at Windsor Castle. Now on BBC News, it's time for part
:00:00. > :00:00.one of 'The Highest Classroom in the World' ` looking at the challenges
:00:00. > :00:09.faced by one group of teenagers. And you can see the second part of the
:00:10. > :00:12.programme at 4.30pm this afternoon. It is the challenge of a lifetime, a
:00:13. > :00:14.trek towards the world's highest Mountain ` Everest.
:00:15. > :00:16.I am sweating. For 11 British teenagers with
:00:17. > :00:21.serious behavioural problems, this will be a gruelling physical test.
:00:22. > :00:27.This has probably been the most tired I have been in my life.
:00:28. > :00:30.They will have long days hiking and climbing and uncomfortable nights
:00:31. > :00:38.high up in the mountains in extreme weather conditions.
:00:39. > :00:44.I am absolutely freezing, I cannot take any more.
:00:45. > :00:48.We have arrived at camp and are so cramped.
:00:49. > :00:52.They will face the worst seasonal weather in the region for nearly 20
:00:53. > :00:56.years. Some of them will have to deal with the added challenge of
:00:57. > :01:02.altitude sickness. The weather has changed, altitude
:01:03. > :01:05.has changed. Are these youngsters going to last
:01:06. > :01:08.the course and will it help with their personal challenges back home?
:01:09. > :01:16.These are children who find it difficult to cope with normal
:01:17. > :01:18.classrooms. What lessons will they learn from the highest classroom on
:01:19. > :01:32.earth? March 2013 and 32 pupils short
:01:33. > :01:48.listed from 200 special schools in England and Wales are competing for
:01:49. > :01:51.the chance to go to the Himalayas. The teenagers are about to take on
:01:52. > :01:58.their first trial, to climb the highest mountain in Wales ` Snowdon.
:01:59. > :02:00.They have all got challenges in their personal lives, with
:02:01. > :02:06.behavioural and emotional difficulties.
:02:07. > :02:10.I am a bit tired. The youngsters now have to show that
:02:11. > :02:13.they will be able to cope with the extreme conditions they will face if
:02:14. > :02:25.they make it to the 12 day trek in the Himalayas.
:02:26. > :02:32.They will be walking up to nine hours a day amid difficult weather
:02:33. > :02:35.conditions and at altitude. Eventually going up to more than
:02:36. > :02:46.5,000 metres, that is five times higher than Snowdon.
:02:47. > :02:53.I am glad I got up and everyone else did as well. Everyone put 100% in.
:02:54. > :03:00.You are right. It is incredible.
:03:01. > :03:04.The main purpose was not just to see the fitness levels of the
:03:05. > :03:07.candidates. For me it was about their attitude and behaviour taking
:03:08. > :03:10.on the challenge. At the beginning, there were a couple who straightaway
:03:11. > :03:15.thought that they could not do this and had to dig deep. For me, this is
:03:16. > :03:18.finding children with resilience. If they can take this on, they can
:03:19. > :03:23.build up more resilience on the way to Everest base camp.
:03:24. > :03:32.Three months later, the challenge is now to conquer three Welsh peaks in
:03:33. > :03:35.24 hours. For those youngsters who get through, it is hoped the highest
:03:36. > :03:40.classroom trek will be life`changing.
:03:41. > :03:43.I think the greatest challenge will be the mental challenge,
:03:44. > :03:48.particularly for young people who have experienced quite a lot of
:03:49. > :03:52.difficulty and failure. We have got to show them that they can succeed
:03:53. > :04:00.in something which is going to be very difficult. The trip is all
:04:01. > :04:03.about building life skills. It will help them in all sorts of
:04:04. > :04:06.situations. We will set it up, staff will monitor it, they have got to do
:04:07. > :04:10.it. Finally, the youngsters have to show
:04:11. > :04:18.they can match a head for heights with technical mountaineering skills
:04:19. > :04:27.and work as part of a team. CHEERING.
:04:28. > :04:34.That was fun! Are you OK, sir?
:04:35. > :04:38.No problem. Each pupil will be accompanied by a
:04:39. > :04:44.mentor and they also have to prove they can take on the challenge.
:04:45. > :04:57.What are we doing next? That one.
:04:58. > :05:01.Mentor, pupil! July and it is sports day at this
:05:02. > :05:09.academy in Wiltshire, the school organising the challenge.
:05:10. > :05:10.Time to find out which 11 pupils out of the 100 who originally applied
:05:11. > :05:23.are going to the Himalayas. Among the winners is Dominic
:05:24. > :05:27.Price`Santos, 13. They said that I have ADHD and that
:05:28. > :05:34.I have anger problems and stuff like that. I have moved through eight
:05:35. > :05:41.different primary schools because I could not cope in the classrooms and
:05:42. > :05:45.used to get very angry and kick off. But it used to be the teachers who
:05:46. > :05:51.always got in my face and would not leave me alone. It used to wind me
:05:52. > :05:54.up even more. Jack, 15, was routinely excluded
:05:55. > :06:02.from school from the age of six because of his extreme behaviour.
:06:03. > :06:08.They have diagnosed me with Asperger's. My mum divorced my dad
:06:09. > :06:17.when I was at an early age, five or six. That kind of disrupted me. I
:06:18. > :06:23.guess that is sort of what brought it on as well.
:06:24. > :06:26.I am feeling a little bit worried at the many miles that we are going to
:06:27. > :06:34.be walking because that will take its toll on me, definitely. I am not
:06:35. > :06:39.really Mr PE! It is all going to be a massive
:06:40. > :06:44.challenge for me. Richard, 14, could not handle
:06:45. > :06:52.mainstream school. He found staying in a classroom difficult and would
:06:53. > :06:55.walk out of lessons. I think it was when I was about five
:06:56. > :07:02.I was first diagnosed with Asperger's and ADHD.
:07:03. > :07:05.I got angry in classrooms easily. I could not focus on many things and
:07:06. > :07:09.for quite a while I was put on certain medications and all of these
:07:10. > :07:12.cocktails of drugs. I just had moments where I thought the world
:07:13. > :07:29.would be a better place and things would be happier without me in it.
:07:30. > :07:33.Also in the team is George, 15. He spent time in the secure unit of a
:07:34. > :07:34.psychiatric hospital at the age of 11 after a number of suicide
:07:35. > :07:44.attempts. It is a mental health hospital and I
:07:45. > :07:51.was on one of the younger units. Self harming, that was one of the
:07:52. > :07:54.things. I was very depressed. He joined this academy four years
:07:55. > :07:59.ago and has progressed to being head pupil. He still suffers from
:08:00. > :08:07.obsessive`compulsive disorder and extremely high anxiety levels.
:08:08. > :08:11.I think going to Nepal and going to Everest, I think that will help me
:08:12. > :08:14.with my OCD because I will be focused on doing the walking, doing
:08:15. > :08:28.this, and it might distract me from worrying as much as I would at home.
:08:29. > :08:31.The highest classroom challenge follows on from the coldest
:08:32. > :08:37.classroom in the Arctic and the hottest classroom in Tanzania.
:08:38. > :08:40.16`year`old Calum Carter, who went on both of those expeditions, will
:08:41. > :08:48.be joining the team in the Himalayas as a mentor.
:08:49. > :08:55.The other programmes gave me a lot of self belief.
:08:56. > :08:59.With ADHD you are very calm and then angry, so because I have been there
:09:00. > :09:00.and done it, I will have an idea and incentive as to what the pupils are
:09:01. > :09:21.going through. At last, day one of the highest
:09:22. > :09:28.classroom on Earth. It is the 9th of October.
:09:29. > :09:31.The team have flown from London and are now embarking on the final half
:09:32. > :09:32.hour flight into a tiny airport nearly 2,900 metres up in the
:09:33. > :09:45.Himalayas. It is a very short and steep landing
:09:46. > :09:56.strip. The weather here can be hazardous. It has been called the
:09:57. > :10:06.most dangerous airport in the world. APPLAUSE.
:10:07. > :10:14.The flight got me especially nervous. I was seriously worrying
:10:15. > :10:17.about this because I had heard a few bad things. But we got through it
:10:18. > :10:29.alive. Luckily!
:10:30. > :10:34.35 Sherpas are there to act as guides, cooks and porters for the
:10:35. > :10:36.group on their trek. The highest classroom team also
:10:37. > :10:49.includes sports and business mentors, who are there to inspire
:10:50. > :10:56.the youngsters. They all set off for the four hour journey to camp,
:10:57. > :11:02.contouring along the river. Today, they are treking to their camp.
:11:03. > :11:18.The overall mission is to climb more than 2,600 metres.
:11:19. > :11:25.There is a problem on the trail with a yak.
:11:26. > :11:29.What happened is it went up here and started kicking like that. Right
:11:30. > :11:33.now! Stop!
:11:34. > :11:35.The yak has delayed the group and they arrived late into camp but it
:11:36. > :11:59.is up early the next morning. How are you getting on?
:12:00. > :12:01.The expedition leader is a former Royal Marines Commando who
:12:02. > :12:09.successfully led the first British unassisted expedition to the North
:12:10. > :12:16.Pole from Canada in 2000. He outlines the day ahead.
:12:17. > :12:20.A really tough day, today. Eight hour day. But there is no reason why
:12:21. > :12:23.we all cannot make this, all of us. We take it nice and easy. Respect
:12:24. > :12:27.yourself, respect your team, respect where we are, the people, the
:12:28. > :12:34.culture and country we are in, and together we can do this.
:12:35. > :12:37.The trail is going to rise steeply, by about 700 metres, on the long,
:12:38. > :12:50.hard nine`hour climb today to the regional Sherpa capital.
:12:51. > :12:57.It is crazy, basically! I have seen bridges like this, like, in films
:12:58. > :13:11.and TV. But I never expected to go on one myself. It is just so unsafe.
:13:12. > :13:17.The going is tough for some but not for Dominic.
:13:18. > :13:21.I find it really easy. I reckon the further we go on, it is going to get
:13:22. > :13:30.a lot more challenging. I am enjoying it and meeting other people
:13:31. > :13:33.and speaking to everyone. This has probably been the most
:13:34. > :13:40.tired I have been in my life, really.
:13:41. > :13:51.But I have got so far and... It can only get better from here. The only
:13:52. > :13:55.way to cross the river is by a series of suspension bridges laden
:13:56. > :13:59.with flags, each higher than the last, up to 100 metres above the
:14:00. > :14:11.roaring waters below. I have never been so scared in my
:14:12. > :14:16.life. I got halfway and I looked down and I started panicking. I
:14:17. > :14:21.thought, that bridge is going to snap on me. I was convinced I was
:14:22. > :14:25.going to fall off. 700 metres in one day is a big
:14:26. > :14:32.altitude gain and the three doctors with the team are checking everyone
:14:33. > :14:37.to make sure they are all right. It is about 85, that is good.
:14:38. > :14:43.They are checking for altitude sickness, it is common and it can
:14:44. > :14:48.affect anybody above 2500 metres particularly if you climb to
:14:49. > :14:55.quickly. It is estimated between ten and Trinity 5% of people will be
:14:56. > :15:00.affected but it is impossible to predict who `` 25%. It causes
:15:01. > :15:05.headache and nausea and can be very serious or even fatal.
:15:06. > :15:14.When we were coming into the village, I was finding it harder to
:15:15. > :15:19.breathe. You could start feeling it. People have noticed they are
:15:20. > :15:22.changing, they have got a headache, their legs of feeling heavy. They
:15:23. > :15:40.have got to look after each other. It is day three, one of the sports
:15:41. > :15:46.mentors, a former Thai boxing champion Rachel McKenzie, gives
:15:47. > :15:54.everybody a morning work`out. I cannot do this! Today is going to be
:15:55. > :15:59.an acclimatisation day with a short trek to get their first sight of
:16:00. > :16:05.Everest. It is about 250 metres and it will take a good couple of hours
:16:06. > :16:10.Chris of how steep it is. `` because of. And we have to come down to
:16:11. > :16:15.acclimatise to people struggling with altitude sickness. But
:16:16. > :16:20.14`year`old Baddeley Walter is in trouble. He is suffering from the
:16:21. > :16:28.early signs of altitude sickness `` Radley. There is no option, he has
:16:29. > :16:34.to go down. We have gained 100 metres since last night and his
:16:35. > :16:42.breathing is not good, so as a sign of caution, we will rehydrate him.
:16:43. > :16:47.The rest of the team continue, led by George, and they are rewarded
:16:48. > :16:54.with spectacular views of Everest. You cannot see the peak of Everest.
:16:55. > :17:01.It is covered by cloud. It is hard to describe. If you look down there,
:17:02. > :17:09.from where we have come, we have walked that distance. It is amazing
:17:10. > :17:14.everybody has made it. The fact that Everest is cloaked in cloud, could
:17:15. > :17:24.this be a warning of what is to come?
:17:25. > :17:29.Des four in the Himalayas and a former England rugby captain, Lewis
:17:30. > :17:43.Moody, reads the warm up `` gamer `` des four. `` day.
:17:44. > :17:50.Ahead is a tough five hour walk. Gaining about 600 metres in
:17:51. > :17:51.altitude. The last three hours like walking up a never`ending set of
:17:52. > :18:02.stairs. But when they get to the top, there
:18:03. > :18:13.is a visit to a Buddhist monastery and time to play volleyball with the
:18:14. > :18:19.monks and the locals. For Dominic, there has been a change in his
:18:20. > :18:24.approach. Every day so far, I have been at the front and it is not
:18:25. > :18:28.really a sprint, so I thought it would be a good day to walk with the
:18:29. > :18:39.others and see how everyone is getting on generally and see if I
:18:40. > :18:44.can help them. Whatever it you want to do with these children, you want
:18:45. > :18:48.them to leave with the skills they can go on and succeed `` whatever
:18:49. > :18:54.you want. Taking them to this sort of environment and getting them to
:18:55. > :19:01.perform like they have is unbelievable. If they feel they
:19:02. > :19:07.cannot cope, then normal strategy is to misbehave dashed the normal
:19:08. > :19:14.strategy. Or to take themselves off and go into solitude, and we have
:19:15. > :19:19.had none of that. At camp, there is an almost holiday atmosphere about
:19:20. > :19:28.the team but this is about to change.
:19:29. > :19:44.For the first time, the day starts cloudy. Jack is having problems. His
:19:45. > :19:47.mental has work to do. `` mentor. He is feeling homesick, he has never
:19:48. > :19:53.been away from his family this long, and he is anxious about the
:19:54. > :19:57.altitude. We have to reassure him and encourage him, he is very strong
:19:58. > :20:01.but he lacks the confidence to keep going.
:20:02. > :20:08.As Jack joins the group, Richard says he is finding a new inner
:20:09. > :20:14.strength. I think I have discovered many things about myself. About my
:20:15. > :20:20.physical strength, my mental power, I have discovered I have got strong
:20:21. > :20:28.willpower. But I do not like to boast!
:20:29. > :20:33.It is good to see the students supporting each other. Callum has
:20:34. > :20:37.been supporting me and I have been supporting the others. We know each
:20:38. > :20:47.other now so we know if somebody is finding it difficult and say, you
:20:48. > :20:51.are doing all right. October is considered the best time
:20:52. > :20:55.for tracking on the Everest Trail. You might expect showers and snow,
:20:56. > :21:21.but nothing like what was to come. One of the leaders is in trouble. He
:21:22. > :21:27.appears to have a headache. He is not looking too good, whatever it
:21:28. > :21:35.is. I have got a bit of a headache. Just have to keep drinking fluids.
:21:36. > :21:42.Things have changed now, we have gone from sunny, rainy, to sleet and
:21:43. > :21:48.snow. So the weather has changed, the altitude has changed, this is
:21:49. > :21:59.very extreme. Eventually, everyone makes it. But arriving at camp,
:22:00. > :22:05.there is a big problem. Snow is starting to settle and worse still,
:22:06. > :22:13.the gear carried by the yaks, including the sleeping bags, is
:22:14. > :22:23.absolutely soaking. No choice but to abandon attempts and find space in
:22:24. > :22:29.the house for the team to sleep. `` the tents. It is the start of what
:22:30. > :22:35.the shippers say is the worst storm in years and it does not bode well
:22:36. > :22:42.for the rest of the trip. `` Sherpas. The next morning and the
:22:43. > :22:50.team awakes to find everything under more than one foot of snow. No one
:22:51. > :22:58.is going anywhere. Listen, obviously, there is a lot of detail
:22:59. > :23:04.to take on board because of the weather. Things have changed. This
:23:05. > :23:11.was our rest day anyway so the worst option is if the weather gets bad,
:23:12. > :23:16.we go down, the worst`case scenario. Now the entire trip is at risk. They
:23:17. > :23:23.decide to sit tight but they are worried about cabin fever, with the
:23:24. > :23:31.youngsters being stuck inside. Time for the sports people to step in. We
:23:32. > :23:36.played a game to get them engaged. You have to interact with people you
:23:37. > :23:46.probably might not have interacted with before, to get their spirits
:23:47. > :23:49.up. We are looking at what the young people can take away from this
:23:50. > :23:56.experience. Not just the ability to physically walk up a mountain but
:23:57. > :24:01.what that teaches you. The types of children in the schools, many of
:24:02. > :24:05.them, until they come into the specialist schools, they probably
:24:06. > :24:10.have never been told, you are amazing and you can achieve
:24:11. > :24:15.anything. What we wanted to get was for them to recognise as a team that
:24:16. > :24:28.the people around them and see that they have positive characteristics.
:24:29. > :24:34.`` can see. George says the experience is already changing him.
:24:35. > :24:40.One of my problems is OCD and at home when we go shopping, I will not
:24:41. > :24:47.pick the stuff at the front, always the stuff at the back that is clean.
:24:48. > :24:52.Out here, it is, here is that, take it. And I have done that and nothing
:24:53. > :24:57.has happened. That is something I will take back. Things like that
:24:58. > :25:03.that goal on in my life at home that will change from being out here ``
:25:04. > :25:09.that go on. But the timetable for finishing is becoming tight and the
:25:10. > :25:13.rate of ascent is at the other end of what is considered safe. The
:25:14. > :25:18.forecast for the next couple of days is good but they may have left it
:25:19. > :25:23.too late to complete their Himalayan challenge. I still think we can do
:25:24. > :25:27.this and I believe we have the passion in the team and the drive to
:25:28. > :25:37.do this. I have spoken to most of the students and they want to push
:25:38. > :25:45.on. If the weather does not improve, Appleby and and that will be a
:25:46. > :25:51.decision I will make and we will go down `` that will be a decision.
:25:52. > :26:17.We find out next if they succeed in the push towards Everest.
:26:18. > :26:23.A bank holiday Monday and it is dry and warm for most. Cloud across
:26:24. > :26:27.Northern Ireland compared to yesterday, that will break with the
:26:28. > :26:28.risk of a