:00:00. > :00:00.straight to a special programme now, the highest classroom on earth. Jane
:00:00. > :00:13.Hill reports on youngsters with behavioural problems who took on a
:00:14. > :00:15.life changing challenge last year. 11 British teenagers with serious
:00:16. > :00:25.behavioural problems this will be a gruelling, physical test. The
:00:26. > :00:29.youngsters, selected from special schools across England have
:00:30. > :00:35.completed the first part of their trip. They spent up to nine hours a
:00:36. > :00:44.day hiking and climbing and are now nearly 5000 metres up in the
:00:45. > :00:49.Himalayas. But they face the worst seasonal weather in the region for
:00:50. > :00:54.nearly 20 years and the whole expedition is now at risk. If the
:00:55. > :00:57.weather doesn't improve, it will be the end of the trip and it will be a
:00:58. > :01:08.safety decision I will make and we will go down. Morning. Their goal is
:01:09. > :01:14.to climb another 1000 metres. But with just three days left to do it,
:01:15. > :01:20.the timetable is very tight and the rate of ascent only just within the
:01:21. > :01:25.margins of safety. It is extremely tough. You cannot take your glasses
:01:26. > :01:30.off without it turning the back of your eyes. Will they succeed in the
:01:31. > :01:38.final push of this Himalayan challenge?
:01:39. > :01:49.Day seven. The group has spent the last two nights and a day in a
:01:50. > :01:55.house. Their whole track is delayed by heavy snow. And although it has
:01:56. > :02:02.now stopped snowing, the team leaders take the decision to spend a
:02:03. > :02:07.second day here. The mentors are doing their best to combat cabin
:02:08. > :02:15.fever with the youngsters trapped inside. I can look back at my career
:02:16. > :02:19.now and say I gave everything. As an individual and to my team`mates. It
:02:20. > :02:30.has been a challenging journey so far for the team. Richards, who has
:02:31. > :02:36.asked Burgess and ADHD is showing symptoms of altitude sickness. I
:02:37. > :02:48.have got a bit of a headache. I have got to keep drinking through it.
:02:49. > :02:55.George is coping well, despite his obsessive disorder and anxiety. It
:02:56. > :03:01.is crazy, basically. It is just so unsafe. Jack, who also has asked
:03:02. > :03:08.Burgess is missing home and is anxious about altitude sickness. ``
:03:09. > :03:14.Asperger's syndrome. But the oldest in the group who was excluded
:03:15. > :03:19.several times from mainstream schools is relishing the challenge.
:03:20. > :03:27.And the youngest in the team, Dominic, who has ADHD is discovering
:03:28. > :03:38.a new confidence. It is not too bad, quite easy to be honest. So
:03:39. > :03:46.far, they have climbed about 1700 metres. Now their final journey is
:03:47. > :03:59.to track another six miles, but going up about 1000 metres close to
:04:00. > :04:04.Everest base camp. Despite the deep snow, the pupils and their mentors
:04:05. > :04:11.manage to leave today for a short acclimatisation walk. Going up 100
:04:12. > :04:17.metres and back down again. This helps to raise team spirits and
:04:18. > :04:29.despite a ban on snowball fights, they cannot resist the temptation.
:04:30. > :04:35.Oh no! Day number eight and they finally on their way. They are
:04:36. > :04:42.hoping to break the 5000 metre barrier and it will be the hardest
:04:43. > :04:50.day of the expedition so far. Morning. They will be going up
:04:51. > :05:00.another 500 metres and are heading to a teahouse. I think we were all
:05:01. > :05:07.starting to get cabin fever. The jokes were becoming the same, but it
:05:08. > :05:14.is good to get walking again. Been told today we will have a five`hour
:05:15. > :05:19.trek. It will be snow and cold. But it will be one of the hardest days.
:05:20. > :05:37.They would not call it the easy classroom, would they?
:05:38. > :05:53.All starts well with a clear trail through the snow. But now they are
:05:54. > :05:59.facing another danger, avalanches. Go down from the peak. There have
:06:00. > :06:05.been local reports that three days earlier for people were killed in an
:06:06. > :06:08.avalanche in the Everest area. And the lack of oxygen in the air at
:06:09. > :06:13.this altitude is taking its toll on most experienced team members. It is
:06:14. > :06:19.becoming much more difficult to breathe. We haven't lost anybody
:06:20. > :06:24.yet. We have had two people listening to the avalanche. The
:06:25. > :06:32.other side of the mountain. The weather is really warm, 28 degrees
:06:33. > :06:37.at 4500 metres. We have heard a couple of small avalanches this
:06:38. > :06:41.morning and the group is doing very well. We have lost two people with
:06:42. > :06:46.altitude sickness over the last eight days. But we have followed
:06:47. > :06:50.protocol, looked after them, lowered them, fluid intake and the group is
:06:51. > :06:59.altogether. We are the highest classroom already. They stop for
:07:00. > :07:04.lunch and Dominic says it has been one of the hardest days so far. It
:07:05. > :07:10.has been tough, but everybody has pulled through as a team, so it has
:07:11. > :07:13.not been bad. I have learned a lot of experience of looking after
:07:14. > :07:20.myself. I have learned about different cultures with the Sherpas
:07:21. > :07:31.and stuff. I have met loads of new people. It has changed me. I am
:07:32. > :07:36.doing great, thank you. This morning we have come up about 300 metres. We
:07:37. > :07:44.were told to be set for the snow and rain so we come out with waterproofs
:07:45. > :07:49.on. I am now in shorts. I feel ill because I am so hot. We are now at
:07:50. > :07:55.dirty six degrees. With temperatures soaring, new problems are starting
:07:56. > :08:01.to arise. It is extremely tough. You cannot take your glasses off without
:08:02. > :08:05.it turning the back of your eyes. Despite the three medics on the trip
:08:06. > :08:12.advising everyone to put on sun block, sunburn is becoming an issue.
:08:13. > :08:18.I have got factor 50 are now, three lots and I have still burnt my arms.
:08:19. > :08:23.There are also altitude problems as the team has gained about 500 metres
:08:24. > :08:30.in less than a day. They are now approaching 5000 metres. This was
:08:31. > :08:35.always the plan and the doctors will not objecting, but will it prove too
:08:36. > :08:48.much for the team? One medical kit with them, please. Cole is in
:08:49. > :08:52.trouble. One lad started to feel sick and is describing himself
:08:53. > :09:00.feeling weird. He will be going down shortly. I am just about to tell him
:09:01. > :09:05.that. With acute mountain sickness score of six, he will be descending
:09:06. > :09:14.down the mountain accompanied by an experienced Sherpa, his mentor and
:09:15. > :09:21.also a doctor. This scorecard looks up by different categories of
:09:22. > :09:26.headache, appetite, nausea, how your guts are, how you are sleeping and
:09:27. > :09:31.how fatigue you are. There is mild to moderate in each category and
:09:32. > :09:34.anyone with a score of three or more, the advice is to descend once
:09:35. > :09:40.appropriate treatment has been given. You can sense he is gutted.
:09:41. > :09:43.He wants to carry on but he knows deep down it is not the right
:09:44. > :09:54.choice. I think he feels this could be the end. It is bad luck the Cole,
:09:55. > :09:59.but it is estimated altitude sickness affects between ten and 25%
:10:00. > :10:06.of people when they go above 2500 metres. The best solution is to
:10:07. > :10:11.descend. But an hour back down the trail, Cole's condition approves. He
:10:12. > :10:19.is reassessed and given the go`ahead to continue. This is a day of
:10:20. > :10:27.ex`Greens. I am so cold. The sun is about to go in at any minute and it
:10:28. > :10:35.is going to be freezing. `` extremes.
:10:36. > :10:44.As the sunshine dips below the mountains, the temperature plummets
:10:45. > :10:49.40 degrees two minus ten in a matter of minutes.
:10:50. > :10:59.Even before they reach the teahouse, quite a few of them are struggling,
:11:00. > :11:10.including our cameraman. It means our producer has two take on the
:11:11. > :11:20.filming. After eight hours walking, it is a low point for the whole
:11:21. > :11:24.team. Jack arrives wrapped in a space blanket suffering from the
:11:25. > :11:32.cold. The medics and his mental are trying to calm him down. `` mentors.
:11:33. > :11:36.It is becoming clear and not everyone is able to go on. Richard
:11:37. > :11:43.is having serious doubts and records his thoughts in his video diary that
:11:44. > :12:21.night. We are not making it. None of us are up to it.
:12:22. > :12:28.Next morning, it is not just Richard who is struggling. The decision has
:12:29. > :12:35.to be taken about who can continue. I think everybody is suffering
:12:36. > :12:41.physically and mentally. Especially some of the young boys. They have
:12:42. > :12:46.pushed themselves hard to get here. Unfortunately, not all of them are
:12:47. > :12:50.going onwards. But this is Everest, this is the highest point, so
:12:51. > :12:55.congratulations to all of them. The doctors have decided some members of
:12:56. > :12:59.the team should not go any further, while others have taken that
:13:00. > :13:03.decision themselves. In fact, more than half of the youngsters, some of
:13:04. > :13:09.the mentors and even our cameraman are unable to continue. They will
:13:10. > :13:14.either rest all head down the mountain straightaway. One of them
:13:15. > :13:21.is Jack. After the long climb yesterday, Jack, we went from 37
:13:22. > :13:27.degrees in the sunshine and then minus ten in about six minutes. And
:13:28. > :13:34.we went to the tea room but Jack went down very quickly. He had cold
:13:35. > :13:39.hands and was in excruciating pain, which led him to collapse. Myself
:13:40. > :13:45.and the doc as did an incredible job. It took us about three hours to
:13:46. > :13:48.get him to calm down enough to get his temperature right and his
:13:49. > :13:53.breathing under control. He did an incredible job of there and it must
:13:54. > :13:58.have been such a scary environment to be unwell in. It has been an
:13:59. > :14:04.experienced, to be honest. It has been good, but uncomfortable as
:14:05. > :14:08.well. As you can probably tell by my face, sunburn and slightly
:14:09. > :14:17.blistered. But even though we have been putting suncream on, it has
:14:18. > :14:19.still been getting through. This experience is going to stay with me
:14:20. > :14:34.for the rest of my life. The express edition leader will reap
:14:35. > :14:40.those willing to continue. `` expedition leader. Even before this
:14:41. > :14:44.group, there has been a change of plan. The organisers have taken the
:14:45. > :14:50.decision to abandon their mission to reach the summit. Instead, they will
:14:51. > :15:01.send another 320 metres to the Everest viewpoint on the way to the
:15:02. > :15:08.summit. Our producer is now filming the final push. It is a long, slow,
:15:09. > :15:19.four hour slog to reach the Shepherd village. It is more than 5100 metres
:15:20. > :15:33.up at the base. That Rob has my name on it. `` that'll rock. Here, one of
:15:34. > :15:34.the boys, tired to go any further and stays there with his mentor to
:15:35. > :15:51.meet them on the way down. The other for youngsters, Dominic,
:15:52. > :15:52.George, Josh, and coal, continue with Callum Carter and the remaining
:15:53. > :16:20.team. We made it. At two o'clock, they get
:16:21. > :16:26.there, to the highest point of the expedition, 100 metres up the
:16:27. > :16:44.mountain. Their reward is an unforgettable view of Everest. Well
:16:45. > :16:53.done. Well done, buddy. Hello, old boy. At one point, I thought I can't
:16:54. > :17:02.do this. But I pushed through. This will stay with me for ever.
:17:03. > :17:12.Don't give up on things, because if you just take your time and put the
:17:13. > :17:24.effort in, you can do it, and this is a prime example of that. My
:17:25. > :17:29.teacher asked if I wanted to do the Highest Classroom. I wanted to give
:17:30. > :17:38.it a go. I never thought I would have been here today. It has not
:17:39. > :17:43.been easy at all. We would convincing local authorities that we
:17:44. > :17:48.could take people to the Himalayas, so we have had a challenge since day
:17:49. > :17:56.one. I have been really pleased and very proud about the way the
:17:57. > :18:01.children have adapted to the change. The whole group did not make it to
:18:02. > :18:04.the top. Each of those that have stopped at a point below her, they
:18:05. > :18:19.found their own Highest Classroom. We will sit down and have a quiet
:18:20. > :18:23.moment and realise we have got to 5200 metres in the Himalayas in the
:18:24. > :18:26.snow. That is what I want to take away. If they can achieve this, they
:18:27. > :18:38.can achieve anything they want to do in their lives.
:18:39. > :18:41.Once reunited, it takes three days for the team to go back down the
:18:42. > :18:54.trail. The team will wait for the flight
:18:55. > :19:15.back from the tiny Himalayan airport to Kathmandu. SINGS BADLY. There is
:19:16. > :19:22.time to relax and reflect. I have never really been proud of myself,
:19:23. > :19:29.but making it as a group, is a big team, made me feel proud of myself.
:19:30. > :19:33.It has made a big difference. It has made me think anything is possible,
:19:34. > :19:38.anything can be achieved if you try. I want to be in the Marines, and
:19:39. > :19:49.that makes me think I can do it. As long as I try. Good man. Big bear
:19:50. > :19:53.hug. The THE journey has been hard, but the company has been amazing,
:19:54. > :19:58.and I think it has been a great journey of self`discovery. Then
:19:59. > :20:06.there is a final game of touch rugby, led by the sports mentors.
:20:07. > :20:15.Great work! Time to say farewell to the Himalayas and the Highest
:20:16. > :20:32.Classroom team. What is it called when the egg it's
:20:33. > :20:36.been a get spinner? The youngsters who went to the Himalayas have been
:20:37. > :20:42.home for a month now. He has been elected head boy. What lessons have
:20:43. > :20:51.they learned from The Highest Classroom On Earth? George nearly
:20:52. > :20:55.didn't come on the trip because of concerns with his OCD and anxiety
:20:56. > :21:05.levels. As he conquered his fears? Yes I have. I still have anxieties,
:21:06. > :21:10.but from being out there and experiencing the culture, everything
:21:11. > :21:19.about the trip, it has bought my insight is down. `` my anxieties. I
:21:20. > :21:26.still have OCD, but it does not feel like I have it. Using the techniques
:21:27. > :21:34.out there, which was I can do this, it will not hurt me, it dissipated.
:21:35. > :21:39.Richard believes the track has helped him get his problems into
:21:40. > :21:43.perspective. I think the lesson I have learnt is self perseverance,
:21:44. > :21:49.way through the toughest situations, I can get through it by putting
:21:50. > :21:55.myself in a different place. I think I am a better person now than I was
:21:56. > :21:59.when I first came. Things are more in perspective. I have led to accept
:22:00. > :22:07.those around me. I think it is giving me a brighter view on life.
:22:08. > :22:10.Back at his special school, Dominic was a presentation about how the
:22:11. > :22:17.Highest Classroom experience has changed him. It was a big challenge
:22:18. > :22:23.for me. He wants to pass on the lessons he has learned to his fellow
:22:24. > :22:28.pupils. Weigh since I came back, I have learned that you have to take
:22:29. > :22:32.it on the chin. You have to work with the teachers, because they are
:22:33. > :22:36.trying their best for you. I've never been proud of myself, and
:22:37. > :22:42.doing this made me realise I can do something amazing, so that is what
:22:43. > :22:45.made me feel proud. It is not just the help and support I got, it is my
:22:46. > :22:55.own two feet that have got me there. Are you happy to get her?
:22:56. > :22:59.Yes! When I was young, I found it hard to cope. If someone push my
:23:00. > :23:08.button, that was it. It didn't take much. I'm a lot more confident. I
:23:09. > :23:14.have led to control my temper. I always come back and say, I'm sorry.
:23:15. > :23:22.I have always been saying since I was young that I will be in the
:23:23. > :23:28.Marines. Meeting people has drive `` driven me even further. I'm going to
:23:29. > :23:35.sign up for it. Because I've done this, I know I can do anything and
:23:36. > :23:46.go anywhere. In Gloucestershire, Jack talks over the expedition with
:23:47. > :23:50.his parents and school mentor. As a young child, he was routinely
:23:51. > :23:55.excluded from school because of his extreme behaviour. Has he changed?
:23:56. > :23:58.Definitely. Fragile Empire: How Russia Fell In And Out Of Love With
:23:59. > :24:02.Vladimir Putin the independence, I think. I
:24:03. > :24:15.he has come back in a different light. It solved a view of the
:24:16. > :24:25.social problems. I really didn't think I could do this before. I
:24:26. > :24:39.persevered and I got there, and I was amazed by it. How was that,
:24:40. > :24:44.please? Scary. I never expected to go 5000 metres. I never would have
:24:45. > :24:57.thought of doing that in my life. The achievement of doing this, it is
:24:58. > :25:02.going to stay with me for ever. ALL SING 500 MILES. The reason we work
:25:03. > :25:07.with these people is because no one else think they can do it. We love
:25:08. > :25:14.the challenge, and we know the kids can, and look at what can be
:25:15. > :25:18.achieved. We got the extreme cold, the extreme heat, the extreme nature
:25:19. > :25:22.of the Himalayas. This was the toughest one I have been on, and I
:25:23. > :25:30.have a lot of experience and struggled on this one. Having these
:25:31. > :25:36.children put their backpacks on and take on the challenge was fantastic
:25:37. > :25:41.to see. # I would walk 500 miles, and I
:25:42. > :25:45.would walk 500 more #. To be that man who walks 1000 miles
:25:46. > :26:09.to fall down at your door #. # I would walk 500 miles, and why
:26:10. > :26:12.would walk 500 more #. Just to be that men who walked 1000
:26:13. > :26:16.miles to fall down at your door #. What amazing pictures. We have