0:00:02 > 0:00:04The first day back at school is a stomach-churning experience.
0:00:04 > 0:00:06I used to hate it. There used to seem like
0:00:06 > 0:00:09this interminable stretch in front before the next holidays.
0:00:09 > 0:00:12Oh, it's just desperation and dread.
0:00:14 > 0:00:15We're the Hairy Bikers
0:00:15 > 0:00:18and we both had a tough time when we were at school.
0:00:19 > 0:00:23- And for kids today, it's just as tough.- Ba-ba-ba!
0:00:23 > 0:00:24There's disruption...
0:00:24 > 0:00:27- I punch stuff, I kick or I throw stuff.- ..bullying...
0:00:27 > 0:00:29They're all saying how much I should kill myself,
0:00:29 > 0:00:31I should jump off a bridge.
0:00:31 > 0:00:35Before you say stuff about someone, you should know more about them.
0:00:35 > 0:00:37..and failure.
0:00:37 > 0:00:40But this struggling school has embarked on a crazy
0:00:40 > 0:00:42and ambitious project
0:00:42 > 0:00:45to transform the lives of young and old alike.
0:00:47 > 0:00:49And we want to help.
0:00:49 > 0:00:53This is like Grange Hill crossed with Last Of The Summer Wine.
0:00:53 > 0:00:57Across town, there's lonely, undervalued and isolated old folk.
0:00:59 > 0:01:02I've lost the knack, if you like.
0:01:03 > 0:01:07What will happen when we bring the quiet and the noisy together?
0:01:08 > 0:01:10Come on, you can do it.
0:01:10 > 0:01:12There we are, darling, ten is up.
0:01:13 > 0:01:14Will they get on?
0:01:14 > 0:01:17They're just as likely to pull a knife out and kill you.
0:01:17 > 0:01:22- Obnoxious, rude.- White working-class kids are going down the drain.
0:01:22 > 0:01:26They just stay in with their little box TVs and their knitting.
0:01:26 > 0:01:28CHEERING
0:01:28 > 0:01:32- If young and old can win each other over...- I brought you some flowers.
0:01:32 > 0:01:35- Oh, lovely.- ..could they transform each other?
0:01:35 > 0:01:37With the old stronger...
0:01:37 > 0:01:40- He's a boss, he's a beast. - ..the young brighter...
0:01:40 > 0:01:42..and both happier.
0:01:42 > 0:01:45I've never had a selfie done. And it was lovely.
0:01:45 > 0:01:48Do you think the project is going to work?
0:01:48 > 0:01:50Um, I don't know.
0:01:53 > 0:01:55- ALL:- Old School!
0:02:05 > 0:02:08Oxford is famous as a city of dreaming spires.
0:02:10 > 0:02:13But a few miles away, in the 1960s, slums were pulled down
0:02:13 > 0:02:17and one of the biggest housing estates in Europe was built.
0:02:20 > 0:02:22We're on our way to Blackbird Leys,
0:02:22 > 0:02:25where nearly half now live under the poverty line.
0:02:28 > 0:02:30At its heart, a struggling school,
0:02:30 > 0:02:33where this bold new experiment pairing kids and pensioners
0:02:33 > 0:02:36from the same background is about to take place.
0:02:38 > 0:02:40I didn't expect it to look like this.
0:02:40 > 0:02:42I mean, it's really rather smart.
0:02:42 > 0:02:45- It's a beautiful building, isn't it?- Yeah.
0:02:45 > 0:02:49Tomorrow, a new term starts - and hopefully a new beginning.
0:02:49 > 0:02:52First off, we're meeting the headmaster.
0:02:52 > 0:02:54Neil, what's the community's perception of the school?
0:02:54 > 0:02:57The perception of the school, basically, is that
0:02:57 > 0:03:02it's an underperforming school, that behaviour is poor.
0:03:02 > 0:03:05- Do you have a full roll at the school?- Absolutely not,
0:03:05 > 0:03:08- we are about...approximately 600 undersubscribed.- Oh, gosh!
0:03:10 > 0:03:15In 2014, just 28% of pupils at the Oxford Academy
0:03:15 > 0:03:20achieved GCSE grades A to C, some of the lowest results in Britain.
0:03:21 > 0:03:24So there is a massive amount riding on this,
0:03:24 > 0:03:27- it's a huge gamble for you, Neil.- Yes, it is.
0:03:27 > 0:03:30I think it's a huge gamble in terms of the school's future,
0:03:30 > 0:03:32but I believe in the project.
0:03:32 > 0:03:36Like everything, you weigh things up, and I think it's worth the risk.
0:03:43 > 0:03:47I'm visiting Robbie, one of our keenest recruits.
0:03:47 > 0:03:50- Hello, mate, how are you doing? - How you doing?
0:03:50 > 0:03:51Yeah, good. How are you?
0:03:51 > 0:03:53- I'm doing all right.- Yeah?
0:03:53 > 0:03:56- Any chance of a cup of tea? - Oh, why not?- Go on.
0:03:56 > 0:03:59- How do you take your tea, Dave? - Oh, just a drop of milk,
0:03:59 > 0:04:01builder's. Thank you very much.
0:04:01 > 0:04:05'Robbie's school attendance isn't good, but he cares for his mum,
0:04:05 > 0:04:08'who has ME, and his three younger sisters.'
0:04:09 > 0:04:12When I'm not at school, mostly it's helping my mum around the house
0:04:12 > 0:04:15and whatever else she needs.
0:04:15 > 0:04:18She'll keep telling me, "Go in, go in, I'll be fine,"
0:04:18 > 0:04:22but I know she's not going to be fine. I can't just leave her.
0:04:22 > 0:04:25So I just start feeling guilty if I go to school, so the majority
0:04:25 > 0:04:28of time now, I will stay and try to help her the best I can.
0:04:28 > 0:04:31It's funny, because I had a similar situation myself.
0:04:31 > 0:04:34My mum was ill, then my dad got ill.
0:04:34 > 0:04:37It was hard going to college and then coming back
0:04:37 > 0:04:40and having to do the shopping and the looking-after, you know?
0:04:40 > 0:04:41With my sisters as well,
0:04:41 > 0:04:43they're quite the handful because there's three of them.
0:04:43 > 0:04:47- Crikey, so you really are the man of the house.- Yeah.- Yeah.
0:04:47 > 0:04:49'Rob is a child carer, the same as I was.
0:04:49 > 0:04:51'I kind of understand where he's coming from.
0:04:51 > 0:04:53'My mum and dad both became very ill,
0:04:53 > 0:04:55'and I tried to nurse them both.'
0:04:55 > 0:04:59So obviously, I couldn't go to school. So, was I a truant?
0:04:59 > 0:05:03Well, of course not - I couldn't go to school
0:05:03 > 0:05:06because I had a sense of moral obligation to my family.
0:05:07 > 0:05:11Robbie has five GCSEs, but his recent poor attendance
0:05:11 > 0:05:14means he is in danger of being expelled from sixth form.
0:05:16 > 0:05:20Would your first priority always be your sisters and your mum?
0:05:20 > 0:05:22Yeah, they always come first.
0:05:22 > 0:05:25- You have got a lot on your plate, haven't you?- Yeah.
0:05:25 > 0:05:28- I mean, that is the bottom line of it.- I manage.
0:05:28 > 0:05:33I know you manage, but we want more out of life than managing.
0:05:33 > 0:05:36I think you need a few treats yourself.
0:05:36 > 0:05:39Cheers, Robbie, thank you.
0:05:39 > 0:05:41Robbie cares more about other people than himself.
0:05:41 > 0:05:46And if anybody says the stereotypes about selfish teenagers,
0:05:46 > 0:05:48then...they are not all selfish,
0:05:48 > 0:05:50and there is a young man there who isn't.
0:05:50 > 0:05:53- Pleased to meet you.- And you. - How are you, you all right?
0:05:53 > 0:05:54I am OK, thank you.
0:05:54 > 0:05:56You've got a good 'un here, haven't you?
0:05:56 > 0:05:58Oh, he's amazing, absolutely amazing.
0:05:58 > 0:06:01- Thanks, Sonia, thank you. - You're welcome.
0:06:01 > 0:06:05Robbie wants some friendship, guidance and somebody to talk to.
0:06:10 > 0:06:14This project is not just for youngsters, but old people too.
0:06:15 > 0:06:18When we made a TV series about Meals on Wheels,
0:06:18 > 0:06:20we worried many had little to look forward to.
0:06:22 > 0:06:26Now, old and young will pair up to listen to each other's problems
0:06:26 > 0:06:29and hopefully transform their lives.
0:06:30 > 0:06:32Well, because we have got lazy parenting...
0:06:34 > 0:06:36..white working-class kids are going down the drain.
0:06:38 > 0:06:42There seems to be a break in the white working-class attitudes
0:06:42 > 0:06:45to the need to do something.
0:06:45 > 0:06:48We didn't have a choice when we were kids.
0:06:48 > 0:06:51The day after I was 15, you had to have a job.
0:06:53 > 0:06:56Dave worked for years in the local car factory
0:06:56 > 0:06:58and hopes to pass on some of his skills.
0:06:58 > 0:07:00I thought, "Ooh, yeah,
0:07:00 > 0:07:02"I wouldn't mind helping a couple of kids do something."
0:07:02 > 0:07:05They might tell me to bugger off, they might tell me,
0:07:05 > 0:07:07"You don't know nothing, you silly old fool,"
0:07:07 > 0:07:08or something, I don't know.
0:07:13 > 0:07:16Nearly half our pensioners live alone with no-one to turn to,
0:07:16 > 0:07:19many even afraid to go out.
0:07:20 > 0:07:23Rick used to be a supermarket manager.
0:07:24 > 0:07:28I don't go out to play snooker or any of these things any more.
0:07:28 > 0:07:31I've lost interest in, erm...
0:07:32 > 0:07:34..socialising.
0:07:35 > 0:07:38I need to find more interests.
0:07:39 > 0:07:42You can't find an interest in a flat, can you?
0:07:42 > 0:07:48I'm excited about this, it is a completely new experience for me.
0:07:48 > 0:07:50# All we need is somebody to lean on... #
0:07:55 > 0:07:57Morning, everybody.
0:07:57 > 0:07:59Start of the school year, brilliant.
0:07:59 > 0:08:02You've all been bored by the holidays, haven't you?
0:08:06 > 0:08:10Morning, everybody. Good morning, good morning. Jay, how are you?
0:08:10 > 0:08:13Good morning. Ties, please, fellas.
0:08:18 > 0:08:22Welcome back. I hope you had a really brilliant summer.
0:08:22 > 0:08:25Can we welcome Si and Dave?
0:08:25 > 0:08:27You're much better than Jamie Oliver, aren't you?
0:08:27 > 0:08:29- Oh, aye! - Much better than Jamie Oliver.
0:08:29 > 0:08:31Give them a round of applause
0:08:31 > 0:08:33and they'll come and explain things to you.
0:08:36 > 0:08:38- Thank you.- Morning, sir and sir.
0:08:41 > 0:08:43Morning. How are you all?
0:08:43 > 0:08:44MURMURED RESPONSES
0:08:44 > 0:08:46Good.
0:08:46 > 0:08:50Well, thank you very much for coming to the assembly.
0:08:50 > 0:08:52It is a very exciting day for us,
0:08:52 > 0:08:55where we kind of properly launch the project Old School.
0:08:55 > 0:08:58- It's never been done in England before.- No.
0:08:58 > 0:09:01And we believe that Oxford Academy is the perfect place to launch this.
0:09:01 > 0:09:03Because a lot of the elderly people,
0:09:03 > 0:09:07while they can give you a lot, they also want quite a lot from you,
0:09:07 > 0:09:09and we believe that you have got a lot to give them.
0:09:09 > 0:09:11And it's about bringing you both together
0:09:11 > 0:09:13and seeing what you can learn from each other.
0:09:13 > 0:09:16- And I cannot think of a better place to do it.- Thank you.
0:09:23 > 0:09:25Right, guys, in you come.
0:09:25 > 0:09:28Headmaster Niall has recruited a group of his students
0:09:28 > 0:09:30as guinea pigs for the experiment.
0:09:31 > 0:09:34These students have been selected to take part in the Old School project
0:09:34 > 0:09:38because all 12 of the students have experienced
0:09:38 > 0:09:40some form of difficulties.
0:09:40 > 0:09:42In we come. Last but not least.
0:09:42 > 0:09:45Now, that might be attendance issues, punctuality issues,
0:09:45 > 0:09:51problems outside of school or overall academic underachievement.
0:09:52 > 0:09:55First, the school give our students a self-esteem test.
0:09:57 > 0:10:00At the end of term, they will repeat it to see if they are happier
0:10:00 > 0:10:04and more confident and doing better academically.
0:10:04 > 0:10:07You need to make sure that you read every question
0:10:07 > 0:10:10and then you have got the option of yes or no.
0:10:10 > 0:10:13You need to be as honest as you possibly can with this.
0:10:15 > 0:10:20"Do you feel that you are as happy as others are?"
0:10:21 > 0:10:24"Do you feel as though your family trusts you?"
0:10:25 > 0:10:27Yes.
0:10:27 > 0:10:30I think sometimes we take for granted that our students
0:10:30 > 0:10:34are pretty happy at home and at school, and I think as teachers,
0:10:34 > 0:10:38we don't like to think that they wouldn't feel good about themselves.
0:10:38 > 0:10:40"Are you ever sad?"
0:10:40 > 0:10:44- (Yes.)- 'Self-esteem is a massive barrier to their learning.'
0:10:44 > 0:10:48"Do you have friends you can...confide in?"
0:10:50 > 0:10:53'Last year, 13-year-old Tawne had issues with bullying
0:10:53 > 0:10:55'and missed over a third of her lessons.'
0:10:56 > 0:11:00At one point, everyone in my year group was against me.
0:11:00 > 0:11:03No-one would speak to me, and I was just completely alone.
0:11:03 > 0:11:06My attendance now is at 70%, and it won't go back up,
0:11:06 > 0:11:09because I took a good three months off school.
0:11:11 > 0:11:15"Do you ever get angry?" Yes.
0:11:15 > 0:11:19'Jacub, also in Year 9, must take tablets for his ADHD every morning
0:11:19 > 0:11:21'before he is allowed to come to school.'
0:11:21 > 0:11:23You wouldn't really notice I have got ADHD
0:11:23 > 0:11:27when I take my medication, but you would notice that
0:11:27 > 0:11:30I have got anger issues, because I get really, really angry easily.
0:11:31 > 0:11:33I can be funny sometimes,
0:11:33 > 0:11:36but I end up crossing the line most of the time.
0:11:36 > 0:11:38- TEACHER:- "Do people like your ideas?"
0:11:38 > 0:11:40No.
0:11:40 > 0:11:41'It seems far-fetched
0:11:41 > 0:11:44'that simple friendships across generations
0:11:44 > 0:11:47'will make a big difference, but research in the US and Japan
0:11:47 > 0:11:51'suggest this can improve the minds and strength of the old
0:11:51 > 0:11:54'and the confidence and exam results of the young.'
0:12:00 > 0:12:04It's the start of a new school day, and Jacub is rushing.
0:12:04 > 0:12:05Late, as usual.
0:12:07 > 0:12:12- Can you take that off the side, please?!- Sorry!- Jesus.
0:12:12 > 0:12:16- Don't start with your mouth this morning.- I'm not, I'm just saying.
0:12:17 > 0:12:21- High five.- See you later.- Gimme a high five.- Give Jacub a high five.
0:12:21 > 0:12:23Yeah.
0:12:23 > 0:12:26- Jacub, no C4s.- Oh, my days, man.
0:12:28 > 0:12:30Jacub is not supposed to go to school
0:12:30 > 0:12:33unless he has taken medication for his ADHD.
0:12:35 > 0:12:38The reason I wouldn't want to take my medication is because,
0:12:38 > 0:12:42like, two hours after I take it, I feel sick, and I almost be sick.
0:12:43 > 0:12:46When I take it, I am much more calm.
0:12:47 > 0:12:53But I don't like being calmer, because it's not...who I like to be.
0:12:53 > 0:12:56I like to be, like, hyper and energetic.
0:13:03 > 0:13:05Although there's 12 students,
0:13:05 > 0:13:07we've only got half the old people signed up.
0:13:08 > 0:13:12So the kids have been challenged to help find the rest themselves.
0:13:13 > 0:13:15They are already in the art room,
0:13:15 > 0:13:19designing posters to take to the local shopping centre.
0:13:19 > 0:13:22- I'm going to do an egg on mine as well.- An egg?
0:13:22 > 0:13:24Yeah, an egg, cos it's food.
0:13:24 > 0:13:28- Hairy Bikers - duh!- Yeah, but this ain't about food, is it?
0:13:28 > 0:13:30Duh(!)
0:13:32 > 0:13:35- Ohhh.- Ohh.
0:13:35 > 0:13:38- How are you doing? - Hello. Are you well?
0:13:38 > 0:13:39- Yeah.- Good.
0:13:41 > 0:13:45- This table, it looks... - It's a creative table.- Oh, wow.
0:13:45 > 0:13:48Nice to meet you. Hi, I'm Si.
0:13:48 > 0:13:49Tell you what, hold on, look.
0:13:52 > 0:13:56- Hey, this is great.- It's brilliant. - Well done, well done.
0:13:56 > 0:14:01Si, look. There's everything we can get into. Cooking, texting, food...
0:14:01 > 0:14:05YouTube, music, singing, dancing...baking.
0:14:05 > 0:14:08- Well, we can help with that. - DAVE LAUGHS
0:14:08 > 0:14:10'These kids want help,
0:14:10 > 0:14:13'but they are sceptical about what pensioners have to offer.'
0:14:13 > 0:14:16The things we do and the things they do are completely different.
0:14:16 > 0:14:20They just stay in with their little box TVs and their knitting stuff...
0:14:20 > 0:14:22and we have our big plasma TVs.
0:14:22 > 0:14:25Because they don't really speak to us
0:14:25 > 0:14:28and communicate with us, they probably think
0:14:28 > 0:14:31that we are horrible and we don't want to know them.
0:14:31 > 0:14:36They just sit in all day and tend to avoid other people.
0:14:36 > 0:14:40That's what my nan and gramp do, anyway.
0:14:40 > 0:14:42Do you think they sit in and tend to avoid other people
0:14:42 > 0:14:46or do you think it is because they are actually quite shy and lonely?
0:14:46 > 0:14:47It's like...
0:14:47 > 0:14:50my gramp doesn't understand how to speak to teenagers.
0:14:50 > 0:14:53He will find it quite awkward to start a conversation with us.
0:14:53 > 0:14:55Have you finished your posters and stuff?
0:14:55 > 0:14:57- Are you happy with them?- Yeah.
0:14:57 > 0:14:59- Great.- Yeah, smashing.
0:15:01 > 0:15:03The yellow bus. Right.
0:15:05 > 0:15:08'You know what, Kingy? This is definitely more fun.
0:15:08 > 0:15:09'Well, than double maths.'
0:15:11 > 0:15:14What sort of an old person are you hoping to find?
0:15:14 > 0:15:16Someone with a good personality and...
0:15:16 > 0:15:18Someone you can have a really good conversation with
0:15:18 > 0:15:20and they know what you're talking about.
0:15:20 > 0:15:22That's quite important to you, isn't it?
0:15:22 > 0:15:24Yeah. Someone that understands you.
0:15:24 > 0:15:25And someone that...
0:15:25 > 0:15:28Say if you open up to them, they know how you are feeling,
0:15:28 > 0:15:30you can tell them about how your life has been
0:15:30 > 0:15:32and how you want it to turn out and that.
0:15:36 > 0:15:40'As well as his ADHD, Jacub has also been forced to cope with
0:15:40 > 0:15:42'the death of his father eight years ago.'
0:15:42 > 0:15:46We used to always, like, go on my bouncy castles and trampolines,
0:15:46 > 0:15:50swimming pool, we used to always go swimming, bike rides, and then...
0:15:50 > 0:15:52he just died.
0:15:57 > 0:16:02- It's a hard journey, isn't it?- Yeah. - Cos my dad died when I was eight.
0:16:02 > 0:16:04And every...
0:16:04 > 0:16:05You're left to deal with everybody
0:16:05 > 0:16:08- who's really sad in the family, aren't you?- Yeah.
0:16:08 > 0:16:12Because it is not something that you ever think is going to happen,
0:16:12 > 0:16:14- do you?- No.- Until you get older.
0:16:16 > 0:16:18Right, we're here!
0:16:20 > 0:16:24'First stop on our recruitment drive - the local shopping centre.'
0:16:24 > 0:16:28Right, hold on, hold on. Coming through, Jacub coming through.
0:16:28 > 0:16:29JACUB LAUGHS
0:16:29 > 0:16:32This is like Grange Hill crossed with Last of the Summer Wine.
0:16:32 > 0:16:34THEY LAUGH
0:16:36 > 0:16:39Right... Oh, brilliant! Look at this.
0:16:39 > 0:16:41Great.
0:16:42 > 0:16:44Let's go.
0:16:45 > 0:16:47'The plan is to divide and conquer.
0:16:47 > 0:16:51'I'm taking Milly, Tawne and Bethany...
0:16:51 > 0:16:53'while Jacub strikes out on his own.'
0:16:56 > 0:16:58But it isn't easy.
0:16:58 > 0:17:02Many of the old people are scared of young antisocial behaviour.
0:17:03 > 0:17:07The teenagers today are too inclined to, shall we say, be violent.
0:17:07 > 0:17:10They're just as likely to pull a knife out and kill you,
0:17:10 > 0:17:12I think it's terrible.
0:17:12 > 0:17:15- We are doing a community project. - Mm-hmm.- So it is basically...
0:17:15 > 0:17:18Oh, sorry. Sorry.
0:17:19 > 0:17:21You're all right.
0:17:21 > 0:17:25Maybe another time, maybe another time, but not at the moment, like.
0:17:26 > 0:17:29Working with teenagers is lying around,
0:17:29 > 0:17:31doing nothing, going nowhere.
0:17:32 > 0:17:34Not looking for work.
0:17:34 > 0:17:37Years ago, we had to work to get everything we wanted,
0:17:37 > 0:17:40but these days, they just have it on a plate.
0:17:40 > 0:17:43'And I think we are asking a lot of our old folk.'
0:17:43 > 0:17:45No, sorry, I'm far too busy.
0:17:45 > 0:17:48'They need to commit to a two-hour meeting every week
0:17:48 > 0:17:50'for the entire autumn term.'
0:17:52 > 0:17:54How do you fancy adopting some more grandchildren?
0:17:54 > 0:17:55- No.- Oh, no, thank you.
0:17:55 > 0:17:57- No?- No.
0:17:57 > 0:18:01You've got the time, you've got the freedom, you've got the expertise.
0:18:01 > 0:18:04- No, we WANT the time and the freedom, don't we?- Aww.
0:18:06 > 0:18:08Robbie has had a smart idea.
0:18:09 > 0:18:13He's brought his games console in hope of enticing the oldies...
0:18:13 > 0:18:15with the promise of IT training.
0:18:15 > 0:18:18Heyyy!
0:18:18 > 0:18:20Boom!
0:18:22 > 0:18:25Oh, now I have... WOMAN LAUGHS
0:18:25 > 0:18:26- Oh, God.- You can have a go.- No, no.
0:18:26 > 0:18:28'And it seems to be working.'
0:18:28 > 0:18:31That grabs it, and then you lift and chuck.
0:18:31 > 0:18:32- Oh, good heavens.- Yep.
0:18:32 > 0:18:34- Do you know your number?- No.
0:18:34 > 0:18:37- You don't? - WOMAN LAUGHS
0:18:37 > 0:18:40'The offer of practical help with the modern world
0:18:40 > 0:18:43'is striking a chord with the pensioners.'
0:18:43 > 0:18:44MOBILE PHONE CHIMES
0:18:44 > 0:18:47- This is a hello I've sent from your phone.- Oh, I see.
0:18:47 > 0:18:52- Oh, thank you, dear.- You're welcome. - Come on. Oh, me lipstick.
0:18:52 > 0:18:57- And what's your name?- And even Milly and Tawne have got involved!
0:18:58 > 0:19:01We're both 13 and we're going into Year 9.
0:19:01 > 0:19:04- It was really hard at first, like...- Yeah.
0:19:04 > 0:19:07..getting the confidence up and gradually getting into it,
0:19:07 > 0:19:11but then we come up with a plan and eventually did it.
0:19:11 > 0:19:14Yeah!
0:19:14 > 0:19:17Bring it in, yeah. Well done.
0:19:17 > 0:19:19Call me a cynical old fella,
0:19:19 > 0:19:21but I didn't think people would sign up,
0:19:21 > 0:19:24especially when confronted in a shopping centre,
0:19:24 > 0:19:26but people have, and people have engaged with it.
0:19:36 > 0:19:40- Did you guys like school?- Very much. - I loved it, I loved it.
0:19:40 > 0:19:43It is a week since our trip to the shopping centre,
0:19:43 > 0:19:46and we have signed up all 12 elderly recruits.
0:19:48 > 0:19:52And they are going back to school for the first time in decades.
0:19:52 > 0:19:56I was last at school, I was 15 and a half.
0:19:56 > 0:19:59It was 1964, and I didn't like school,
0:19:59 > 0:20:03and the feeling of going back is actually making my stomach churn.
0:20:03 > 0:20:06It's like going into school and starting school again.
0:20:09 > 0:20:12I am a bit nervous of what the kids will expect of us.
0:20:14 > 0:20:18- Good morning, good morning. - Are you all right? Give me a hug.
0:20:18 > 0:20:20Good morning, sir.
0:20:20 > 0:20:22- Hello, welcome back to school. - Yes, nice to be back.
0:20:24 > 0:20:27Hello, love. Welcome to Oxford Academy.
0:20:27 > 0:20:31Trust me. Are we beautiful? Are we beautiful?
0:20:33 > 0:20:36Back to school, eh? How does it feel?
0:20:36 > 0:20:41I can't remember. That was about 70, 75 years ago when I left school.
0:20:41 > 0:20:42By the end of today,
0:20:42 > 0:20:47each of these old folk will be matched to a younger person.
0:20:47 > 0:20:51The success or failure of the entire Old School project
0:20:51 > 0:20:54rests on these pairings hitting it off.
0:20:55 > 0:20:58- Welcome to the Oxford Academy. - Thank you very much.
0:20:58 > 0:21:00Thank you very much for having us.
0:21:00 > 0:21:02- Hi.- I'm Vic, pleased to meet you. - Bethany.
0:21:02 > 0:21:04Hello, pleased to meet you.
0:21:04 > 0:21:08This is Ky, Kyrone, and this is Jacub, and...
0:21:08 > 0:21:10- DAVE AND SI:- ..Kimberly.
0:21:10 > 0:21:15'Ey-up, mate, it's a bit like the first contact in a sci-fi film.
0:21:15 > 0:21:16'It's no wonder, mucker.
0:21:16 > 0:21:19'With an average age gap of 50 years between the two generations,
0:21:19 > 0:21:21'will they even speak the same language?'
0:21:23 > 0:21:26How long have you...? I don't even know
0:21:26 > 0:21:30- what I'm supposed to be saying. - How long have I...
0:21:30 > 0:21:33- lived?- I don't know!
0:21:35 > 0:21:37Thank you.
0:21:37 > 0:21:38When we were at school,
0:21:38 > 0:21:41we used to have to take a ration book to get your dinner.
0:21:41 > 0:21:44If we spoke to t'headmaster, it was trouble.
0:21:44 > 0:21:46Listen, times have changed, times have changed.
0:21:46 > 0:21:50- I speak to everybody every day. - I'm terrified here.
0:21:50 > 0:21:54I promise, I promise, I give you my Scottish word,
0:21:54 > 0:21:55we will look after you.
0:21:57 > 0:22:00- I am overwhelmed by it all. - No, don't get overwhelmed by it.
0:22:01 > 0:22:06I'm just gobsmacked by it all, never been in the place.
0:22:06 > 0:22:08I feel a bit emotional, actually.
0:22:16 > 0:22:2171-year-old Dave hasn't set foot in a school for over half a century.
0:22:24 > 0:22:27It's wonderful, innit? I mean, everything about it.
0:22:29 > 0:22:30The teachers...
0:22:34 > 0:22:36We couldn't talk to our teachers.
0:22:39 > 0:22:41Christ.
0:22:41 > 0:22:43Do you know, when we were kids,
0:22:43 > 0:22:46if you spoke to a teacher out in the street, you were in trouble.
0:22:50 > 0:22:53I've never been in a school like that.
0:22:53 > 0:22:55I feel so stupid.
0:22:58 > 0:23:00I'm terrified.
0:23:00 > 0:23:02Absolutely terrified.
0:23:04 > 0:23:06Just everything.
0:23:09 > 0:23:11Now, this is the moment we have all been waiting for, really.
0:23:11 > 0:23:14- Yes, this is it. - Where we meet our future chums.
0:23:14 > 0:23:18I know for us, as Hairy Bikers, when there's two of you,
0:23:18 > 0:23:23- as a team, you are infinitely stronger than two individuals.- Yeah.
0:23:23 > 0:23:27So, Jamie, we're going to need the two builders over there...
0:23:27 > 0:23:30To get them talking and finding out about each other,
0:23:30 > 0:23:32they start off with some games.
0:23:33 > 0:23:36Then they will pick their favourite partner.
0:23:36 > 0:23:38- This the driver? - Yeah, that is the driver.
0:23:38 > 0:23:43- The two orange bricks on the second row.- I can't see what colour it is.
0:23:43 > 0:23:45A man in the front.
0:23:46 > 0:23:48Is there men in the front?
0:23:48 > 0:23:52Facilitator Professor Charles Irvine has organised the games.
0:23:52 > 0:23:55Find yourself a juicy apple to talk to, please.
0:23:55 > 0:23:59He wants everybody to meet everybody,
0:23:59 > 0:24:01because scientists have shown
0:24:01 > 0:24:04you can suss a person out in under a second.
0:24:04 > 0:24:06I'm also a very loyal person.
0:24:06 > 0:24:09I play, like, zombie games and that.
0:24:09 > 0:24:13I've got Dead Rising and Dead Rising 2, and I've got Island of the Dead.
0:24:13 > 0:24:18I stick to watching sport these days and I do collect stamps.
0:24:20 > 0:24:24Everyone draws up a shortlist, and not all can have their first choice.
0:24:24 > 0:24:27Head teacher Niall knows these kids better than anyone,
0:24:27 > 0:24:31and he helps advise on the final pairings.
0:24:31 > 0:24:33When we look at Wezley and David...
0:24:33 > 0:24:37- Perfect.- Absolutely A1 perfect choice.- Brilliant.- OK.
0:24:39 > 0:24:41- Milly is really brilliant.- Yep.
0:24:41 > 0:24:44But something she needs confidence and a bit of calmness,
0:24:44 > 0:24:46and I think that's perfect too, yeah.
0:24:47 > 0:24:49We're looking at Jacub and Clive.
0:24:49 > 0:24:53- And Jacub, he has a real good vitality.- Yeah.
0:24:53 > 0:24:56Listen, vitality and energy are two words
0:24:56 > 0:24:59that sum Jacub up, when quite often he's disappearing
0:24:59 > 0:25:02down the corridor and I'm chasing after him.
0:25:02 > 0:25:03OTHERS LAUGH
0:25:06 > 0:25:09You know, Kingy, this genuinely is a big moment.
0:25:09 > 0:25:12Because the names are being put on the seats.
0:25:12 > 0:25:16I just hope with all my heart that nobody looks at the other
0:25:16 > 0:25:20and goes, "Oh, no", and their body language tells disappointment.
0:25:20 > 0:25:23You're never going to be able to dot every I and cross every T.
0:25:23 > 0:25:28Please come inside and find your picture and find your chair.
0:25:28 > 0:25:30Dave!
0:25:30 > 0:25:32With the boxer.
0:25:32 > 0:25:35We would like to introduce you to your new partners.
0:25:35 > 0:25:37What I'd like you to do now, please,
0:25:37 > 0:25:39is start to get to know each other.
0:25:40 > 0:25:43I thought that'd be really nice for you.
0:25:43 > 0:25:45- Thank you.- You're welcome, you're more than welcome.
0:25:45 > 0:25:48'I've been matched with Tawne, which is absolutely brilliant,
0:25:48 > 0:25:50'because she put me down as her first one as well,
0:25:50 > 0:25:52'because we found it easy to speak.'
0:25:52 > 0:25:55She seemed a bit shy, so I spoke to her and that,
0:25:55 > 0:25:58and that was when she told me she didn't like to come to school
0:25:58 > 0:26:02because she had been bullied, and that's what got to me.
0:26:02 > 0:26:05In those days, people didn't base it off where you come from,
0:26:05 > 0:26:07now you can joke about it.
0:26:07 > 0:26:10'I've been matched with Wezley.'
0:26:10 > 0:26:14And I put his name on the list and he put mine,
0:26:14 > 0:26:16its such a wonderful thing.
0:26:16 > 0:26:20I would have picked him. Yeah, yeah.
0:26:20 > 0:26:23He would be a good son to have, actually.
0:26:23 > 0:26:25Anyway, I'll see you again.
0:26:29 > 0:26:32Well, we have put the relationships together...
0:26:32 > 0:26:35- They're young shoots, they need nurturing.- They do.
0:26:35 > 0:26:37It's interesting, these characters together -
0:26:37 > 0:26:41the relationships will develop, and we have absolutely no control
0:26:41 > 0:26:43over what's going to happen.
0:26:43 > 0:26:47No, and the big step is, for a while now, they are on their own.
0:26:51 > 0:26:52Three weeks in,
0:26:52 > 0:26:56and our newly formed partnerships are meeting up for the first time.
0:26:58 > 0:27:02What's important is, we've not brought olders in from outside,
0:27:02 > 0:27:06they're from the same community, so they should have plenty in common.
0:27:06 > 0:27:10- Hiya.- Hi, Bethany. - I've brought you some flowers.
0:27:10 > 0:27:13Oh, lovely, thank you very much.
0:27:13 > 0:27:15You're welcome.
0:27:15 > 0:27:18Each week, students will be taken out of lessons
0:27:18 > 0:27:22chosen by teachers to minimise disruption to their education.
0:27:22 > 0:27:25This is 1964, look. Oh, I got a B minus there for English.
0:27:25 > 0:27:29Instead, they'll spend an hour with their senior partners,
0:27:29 > 0:27:32who will hopefully get them to talk about their biggest worries,
0:27:32 > 0:27:35ones they can't talk about with their parents and friends.
0:27:35 > 0:27:38- Big school, isn't it?- It's a massive school.- Massive, yeah.
0:27:41 > 0:27:42It's end of break,
0:27:42 > 0:27:46and Year 9 Jacub is off to his first partnership meeting.
0:27:46 > 0:27:48- Go on.- Oi!
0:27:50 > 0:27:53It's on my back, I'm not stupid!
0:27:53 > 0:27:54BELL RINGS
0:27:55 > 0:27:58I'm feeling nervous, because it is my first meeting with Clive
0:27:58 > 0:28:00and I don't know how it's going to go.
0:28:00 > 0:28:04But I'm happy at the same time, because I like Clive as well.
0:28:09 > 0:28:12Jacub's partner Clive joined Old School
0:28:12 > 0:28:14along with his wife Marina.
0:28:14 > 0:28:16They've found life hard
0:28:16 > 0:28:20since they tragically lost their son Matthew to a heroin overdose.
0:28:20 > 0:28:26That's Matthew, erm, just before he died.
0:28:26 > 0:28:29You look at him, you wouldn't think he was on drugs.
0:28:30 > 0:28:34Obviously it affected us quite badly.
0:28:34 > 0:28:39Obviously, you grieve. At the start, it's there and it's happened.
0:28:39 > 0:28:43But then the shock comes later, I think.
0:28:43 > 0:28:46I feel a bit guilty not sort of noticing
0:28:46 > 0:28:49how strong he was into drugs.
0:28:49 > 0:28:53Well, it is the reason I went into the Old School project.
0:28:53 > 0:28:57Perhaps it would help me with the loss of Matthew
0:28:57 > 0:29:02if I could help someone to go down the right path.
0:29:02 > 0:29:05Good morning, I'm here to see Jacub.
0:29:05 > 0:29:06There you go.
0:29:08 > 0:29:10- Hello.- Hello.
0:29:10 > 0:29:14- Hello, Jacub.- All right, Clive? - How are you?- Good, you?
0:29:14 > 0:29:17- Yeah.- I'm going to take you round for a tour of the school.- Ahh.
0:29:19 > 0:29:21Miss, can you buzz us out, please?
0:29:22 > 0:29:25- Thank you! - Where we going this morning, then?
0:29:25 > 0:29:27Dunno, probably just take you to the C4 room,
0:29:27 > 0:29:29cos that's where I spent most of my time in Year 7.
0:29:29 > 0:29:32I was always getting C4-ed and I was always getting in trouble.
0:29:32 > 0:29:34What does the C stand for then?
0:29:34 > 0:29:37I don't know, really, it's like detention.
0:29:37 > 0:29:39it's like a sanction, basically.
0:29:39 > 0:29:41- Yeah.- Hello, Jenny.- Hello.
0:29:41 > 0:29:43Don't worry, I haven't got a C4.
0:29:43 > 0:29:45If you get a C4 you have to sit in one of these cubicles,
0:29:45 > 0:29:48- which is boring. - That's the whole point of it.
0:29:48 > 0:29:50You have to sit here and just do your work, bored.
0:29:50 > 0:29:52You have to face there, bored.
0:29:56 > 0:29:5913-year-old Milly is also meeting her partner
0:29:59 > 0:30:00for the first time today.
0:30:02 > 0:30:06Milly has been paired up with Janey, a writer and former foster mother.
0:30:10 > 0:30:13- Hi.- Good morning, Milly.
0:30:21 > 0:30:23Well, this is awkward.
0:30:27 > 0:30:30- INTERVIEWER: What do you want to say to Janey?- I don't know.
0:30:33 > 0:30:37- What do you normally say when you meet someone?- Nothing.
0:30:40 > 0:30:45'This is a bad start. Learning mentor Julie tries to help.'
0:30:46 > 0:30:48- What's the matter?- It's winding me up, I don't want to do it.
0:30:48 > 0:30:51- Who is winding you up? - This whole thing,
0:30:51 > 0:30:53it's just stupid, I don't want to do this any more.
0:30:53 > 0:30:55Do you want to come and talk for a minute?
0:30:55 > 0:30:59I want to go to my lessons. I don't want to do this.
0:30:59 > 0:31:04OK, do you still want to come and talk for a minute? Come on.
0:31:04 > 0:31:05MILLY SIGHS
0:31:08 > 0:31:1271-year-old Dave is here for the first meeting with Wezley.
0:31:14 > 0:31:18Meeting young people is a little bit daunting for somebody my age.
0:31:18 > 0:31:21Sorry to trouble you, I wonder if you could tell me
0:31:21 > 0:31:22where Wezley is, please?
0:31:22 > 0:31:26Just hold on there, I will just have a little look at his timetable.
0:31:26 > 0:31:31Worst thing I think could happen is, I will make a mess of it.
0:31:31 > 0:31:34That I won't be able to respond, because I'm deaf,
0:31:34 > 0:31:35which doesn't help.
0:31:37 > 0:31:41Dave's partner is 16-year-old Wezley, who has a passion.
0:31:44 > 0:31:50Boxing means everything to me, my dream is to be very successful.
0:31:50 > 0:31:54Hopefully turn professional one day.
0:31:58 > 0:32:01At school, Wezley is always getting into scrapes.
0:32:01 > 0:32:04Last year, he was excluded for six days.
0:32:04 > 0:32:06I have always been in trouble.
0:32:06 > 0:32:08I have always been the aggressor in school.
0:32:08 > 0:32:11I was always going around hitting people,
0:32:11 > 0:32:14because of short temper, short attention span.
0:32:14 > 0:32:16He's trying to turn things around,
0:32:16 > 0:32:21but his challenge is balancing school life with his boxing dreams.
0:32:21 > 0:32:24My biggest fear for the future is that if I don't do boxing,
0:32:24 > 0:32:28then nothing is going to turn out for me and I won't be successful.
0:32:29 > 0:32:31- Hello, Wezley. - How you going, all right?
0:32:31 > 0:32:34Thanks for being so quick, I appreciate that.
0:32:35 > 0:32:37It was only a week ago on pairing day
0:32:37 > 0:32:41that Dave was overwhelmed at how schools have changed since his day.
0:32:42 > 0:32:47What we get is, we get a timetable where there's a piece of paper
0:32:47 > 0:32:52and it tells you what classroom you are in, what time it is...
0:32:52 > 0:32:55So it's scheduled for you from the school, as it were?
0:32:55 > 0:32:57- Scheduled from the school, yeah. - Ah.
0:32:58 > 0:33:00Right, I'm going to take you to drama,
0:33:00 > 0:33:03because that's one of my best lessons ever.
0:33:03 > 0:33:05I have never, ever got a C4 in that lesson.
0:33:05 > 0:33:08But the reason I like it is, I am in a school play now,
0:33:08 > 0:33:10- I am in Romeo and Juliet. - I wouldn't have thought
0:33:10 > 0:33:12- you would have liked drama. - I love it.
0:33:12 > 0:33:16It is one of the best lessons ever, it is one of the best rooms ever.
0:33:17 > 0:33:19Talking and sharing might not seem a lot,
0:33:19 > 0:33:22but these are important first steps in building the confidence
0:33:22 > 0:33:27and trust that can lead to dramatic improvements for old and young.
0:33:27 > 0:33:31This is one of the scripts that we're doing. I'm Tybalt.
0:33:31 > 0:33:32But I get killed off!
0:33:32 > 0:33:36- Who are you, Ty...?- I get killed off, it's not fair.- Aww.
0:33:36 > 0:33:39- I get stabbed. - How long does your part last?
0:33:39 > 0:33:42I've only got, like, a few lines,
0:33:42 > 0:33:44- because I get killed halfway through.- Ahh.
0:33:44 > 0:33:47That's why I wanted to be Romeo, because I'd get most of the lines.
0:33:47 > 0:33:48- Yeah.- It's good though.
0:33:48 > 0:33:50- I like it.- That's brilliant.
0:33:52 > 0:33:56- I'm nervous about the play, though. - How do you find learning the words?
0:33:56 > 0:34:01- Your script?- We do it in the old-fashioned language as well.
0:34:01 > 0:34:04I can read them, but I don't really know what they mean.
0:34:04 > 0:34:06I know that "thou" means "you".
0:34:06 > 0:34:09I just read from the script because I don't know what the words mean.
0:34:09 > 0:34:12- Yeah, but that's how they spoke in those days, isn't it?- Yeah.
0:34:12 > 0:34:15They used to swear as well, spit in their thumb and go like that...
0:34:15 > 0:34:20- And go like that with their thumb. - Oh, was that like a swear word?
0:34:20 > 0:34:22Yeah, it's eff you, basically.
0:34:22 > 0:34:24- Oh, is it?- What phrase did you use when you were a kid?
0:34:24 > 0:34:27Because we use phrases now, like, say if we're going to
0:34:27 > 0:34:29hit someone, we say, "Oh, we're going to bang him",
0:34:29 > 0:34:31or, "We're going to spark him in his face."
0:34:31 > 0:34:33- Spark him?- Yeah, we mean, like, hit him in his face,
0:34:33 > 0:34:34because that's how we talk now,
0:34:34 > 0:34:37I don't know how used to say it when you were kids.
0:34:37 > 0:34:40Yeah, we didn't have this new-fashioned...
0:34:40 > 0:34:44Like you lot, sparking... Just, you'd say, "I'm going to thump you."
0:34:46 > 0:34:50Thank you so much for taking me round, Wezley.
0:34:50 > 0:34:52- That's really marvellous.- Thank you.
0:34:52 > 0:34:55For our partners to bond, they need to find common ground.
0:34:55 > 0:34:59I went to see Cassius in the Cooper fight.
0:34:59 > 0:35:02- Oh, did you?- Yeah, cos Henry Cooper I used to know very well.
0:35:02 > 0:35:05- Did you?- Yeah. Cooper twins, yeah. - No way.
0:35:06 > 0:35:08Jesus, I didn't know that.
0:35:08 > 0:35:11I chose Dave on my sheet in the first place
0:35:11 > 0:35:16because he mentioned something about how he used to box, and I think
0:35:16 > 0:35:20that if someone used to box, then you can relate to them that way.
0:35:20 > 0:35:23The thing is, Wezley, I have got to ask you certain things,
0:35:23 > 0:35:26because we're mates now. You take me as a mate, don't you?
0:35:26 > 0:35:28I class you as a mate, David, why not?
0:35:28 > 0:35:32Well, what do you want to do long-term?
0:35:32 > 0:35:36Well, it has to be involved with boxing, of course,
0:35:36 > 0:35:38so maybe a boxing promoter, I don't know.
0:35:38 > 0:35:43- I'd like to promote.- A sports promoter.- Sports promotion, yes.
0:35:43 > 0:35:46They are all good things, but you've got to have...
0:35:46 > 0:35:49My life has taught me something different.
0:35:49 > 0:35:52- What you have got to have is a backstop.- Yeah.
0:35:52 > 0:35:54Because life has got a funny habit of coming along
0:35:54 > 0:35:57and smacking you straight in the face.
0:35:57 > 0:35:59So did you have dreams when you were younger?
0:35:59 > 0:36:01I had dreams of everything.
0:36:01 > 0:36:04My dreams had to change, like yours do, every six months.
0:36:04 > 0:36:07- Mine never change. - Well, they will.
0:36:07 > 0:36:09Things will change for you.
0:36:09 > 0:36:16I spoke to Wez on the basis of my normal approach, which...
0:36:16 > 0:36:18I call it tough love.
0:36:18 > 0:36:21I hope that I have been able to influence him enough to make choices
0:36:21 > 0:36:26which are beneficial to him and the people around him.
0:36:27 > 0:36:33We're not middle class, we're working class, that's my hang-up.
0:36:33 > 0:36:36You ain't got a rich daddy to fall back on,
0:36:36 > 0:36:39and you've got to have something that feeds you.
0:36:40 > 0:36:42Cos boxing doesn't feed you.
0:36:44 > 0:36:48I felt a bit heartbroken, because I actually joined this project
0:36:48 > 0:36:52because I wanted positive advice towards my goals.
0:36:52 > 0:36:55So I felt a bit like I didn't want to get involved with
0:36:55 > 0:36:58the project any more, I wanted to quit.
0:37:00 > 0:37:03What about maths? Are you any good at maths?
0:37:03 > 0:37:05Well, I've got ADHD and that,
0:37:05 > 0:37:08I can't sit down for more than five minutes in maths without fidgeting.
0:37:08 > 0:37:09I can, like, write some of them.
0:37:09 > 0:37:11Once I've finished writing something,
0:37:11 > 0:37:13I end up turning around, like, messing around.
0:37:13 > 0:37:15If they say I can go outside for five minutes to calm down,
0:37:15 > 0:37:16yeah, that's fine.
0:37:16 > 0:37:20But if they keep me into the lesson, I end up getting into trouble.
0:37:20 > 0:37:23Like, if I take my medication, yeah, I'm fine.
0:37:23 > 0:37:25But, like, if I don't take it, I'm like a rocket.
0:37:25 > 0:37:26I'm bouncing off everything.
0:37:26 > 0:37:29So you lose your temper if you don't have your medicine? You lose it?
0:37:29 > 0:37:32If I take my medicine, then I don't need my anger as quick.
0:37:32 > 0:37:34If I don't take it I'm like,
0:37:34 > 0:37:36I can go from happy to angry in a matter of seconds.
0:37:36 > 0:37:39I punch stuff, I kick stuff, I throw stuff.
0:37:39 > 0:37:41If I take my medicine, I can be, like, a really nice person.
0:37:41 > 0:37:43If I get angry and I take my medication,
0:37:43 > 0:37:44I calm down, like, straight after.
0:37:44 > 0:37:47That's why the school refused to have me in school
0:37:47 > 0:37:49if I don't take my medication.
0:37:49 > 0:37:53I would like to talk to Jacub more about this ADHD
0:37:53 > 0:37:54and try and help him.
0:37:54 > 0:37:56Erm...
0:37:56 > 0:37:59But I think that would be, you know, later on down the line,
0:37:59 > 0:38:02when we've got to know each other a little better.
0:38:02 > 0:38:04Yeah, cheers for coming, anyway. I can't wait till next time.
0:38:04 > 0:38:07- Well, it's nice to see you again, Jacub.- I can't wait till next time.
0:38:07 > 0:38:08I'm looking forward to it.
0:38:09 > 0:38:13And look at Jacub. He just chats away. I can't do that.
0:38:13 > 0:38:16I don't know what to say or anything, so I don't want to do it.
0:38:16 > 0:38:18- So you're generally struggling? - Yeah.
0:38:19 > 0:38:21- See you next time. - Yeah, see you.- Take care.
0:38:21 > 0:38:24DAVE: 'Jacub and Clive's meeting seems a success.
0:38:24 > 0:38:28'But it's a different story for Janie and Milly.'
0:38:31 > 0:38:33I don't want to do this.
0:38:33 > 0:38:36It's annoying me now.
0:38:36 > 0:38:39Milly's pulled out of Old School
0:38:39 > 0:38:42which, as far as I know, means I have, too.
0:38:42 > 0:38:44I feel quite sad,
0:38:44 > 0:38:47because I was looking forward to getting to know Milly.
0:38:59 > 0:39:02'The pensioners, like the kids, will be monitored.
0:39:02 > 0:39:06'Dr Carol Holland of the Research Centre for Healthy Ageing
0:39:06 > 0:39:07'is doing the tests.'
0:39:09 > 0:39:11- Any word beginning with "P". - Yeah.- OK.
0:39:13 > 0:39:15'Studies show getting out and forming new relationships
0:39:15 > 0:39:19'can boost health and mental agility in older people.'
0:39:20 > 0:39:24So squeeze as hard as you can when you're ready.
0:39:24 > 0:39:27'These tests will be repeated in 12 weeks' time
0:39:27 > 0:39:29'to see if there are any signs of improvement.'
0:39:29 > 0:39:32- Hi, there. Hi, Dave, you're next. - I'm next?
0:39:32 > 0:39:33- Thank you.- Come on in.
0:39:33 > 0:39:35'In the spirit of partnership,
0:39:35 > 0:39:38'I've decided to give the tests a go.'
0:39:38 > 0:39:40So that was a very nice walking speed there.
0:39:40 > 0:39:43- Oh, I do do good walking.- You do. Yeah, that's very good walking.
0:39:43 > 0:39:45Ready, and go.
0:39:46 > 0:39:50'Along with measuring my walking speed, I'm doing a sit-to-stand...'
0:39:50 > 0:39:52Brilliant. I'll make a note of that.
0:39:54 > 0:39:56'..and the grip strength test.'
0:39:56 > 0:39:58Just squeeze as hard as you can.
0:39:58 > 0:39:59So release.
0:39:59 > 0:40:03My mother used to say, when I was a baby, I had stranglers' hands.
0:40:05 > 0:40:07'Carol also does cognitive tests.'
0:40:07 > 0:40:09I'm going to read you some words
0:40:09 > 0:40:11and, for each word,
0:40:11 > 0:40:14I want you to think of a memory that that reminds you of.
0:40:14 > 0:40:16The first word is board.
0:40:16 > 0:40:17Board...
0:40:17 > 0:40:22I always remember we used to have a teacher at school called Mr Eales.
0:40:22 > 0:40:25'Our senior partners need to associate each cue word
0:40:25 > 0:40:27'with a specific and detailed memory.'
0:40:27 > 0:40:30..and I can just see Mr Eales' chalk scratching against the blackboard.
0:40:30 > 0:40:32OK.
0:40:32 > 0:40:34'The more detailed your memories,
0:40:34 > 0:40:35'the more of yourself you communicate
0:40:35 > 0:40:38'and the better chance you'll have of forming relationships.'
0:40:40 > 0:40:43The only thing I can think of to do with board is...
0:40:43 > 0:40:45most probably a board meeting.
0:40:45 > 0:40:47The next one is nervous.
0:40:47 > 0:40:52I think I was very nervous on the first day of this project...
0:40:52 > 0:40:53Right. Yeah.
0:40:53 > 0:40:55- ..when I came along, because I wasn't sure what to expect.- Yeah.
0:40:55 > 0:40:58- So I guess I was pretty nervous that day.- Yeah. OK.
0:40:58 > 0:41:01'The reason memory is really important is that we use it.
0:41:01 > 0:41:02'We use it all the time.'
0:41:02 > 0:41:05So if you meet somebody new, you're talking about yourself,
0:41:05 > 0:41:07you're explaining who you are
0:41:07 > 0:41:09to this new friend that you've just met.
0:41:09 > 0:41:11Which, of course, is what our teenagers
0:41:11 > 0:41:13and our older people are all doing.
0:41:13 > 0:41:14In this particular project,
0:41:14 > 0:41:18if people are doing a lot more communication and socialising,
0:41:18 > 0:41:23then we would expect this kind of memory to improve over time.
0:41:25 > 0:41:29'Socialising may help but, if you're living on your own,
0:41:29 > 0:41:31'you don't meet people.
0:41:31 > 0:41:34'That's where this project could make all the difference.
0:41:35 > 0:41:37'Rick has lived entirely alone
0:41:37 > 0:41:39'since the break-up of his family ten years ago.'
0:41:41 > 0:41:43I do miss socialising.
0:41:43 > 0:41:45I really do miss socialising, but...
0:41:47 > 0:41:50..I've lost the knack, if you like.
0:41:50 > 0:41:54- TV:- So the wedding dress has been around for hundreds of years.
0:41:54 > 0:41:55And it's certainly changed...
0:41:55 > 0:42:00I will watch TV from sort of five o'clock until ten, 11 o'clock maybe.
0:42:01 > 0:42:03That's it.
0:42:03 > 0:42:05Day over.
0:42:06 > 0:42:08- INTERVIEWER:- What's life like?
0:42:08 > 0:42:10Is it fair to use the word "lonely"?
0:42:12 > 0:42:14Yeah. Yeah.
0:42:17 > 0:42:20DAVE: 'Today he's going out to meet his partner Robbie,
0:42:20 > 0:42:22'who I met at the start.'
0:42:23 > 0:42:27Robbie's 16 and I'm coming up 66.
0:42:27 > 0:42:32So, again, there's that large age difference between us.
0:42:34 > 0:42:37It might turn out that we have got nothing in common whatsoever.
0:42:38 > 0:42:42The worst-case scenario would be that Robbie...
0:42:43 > 0:42:44..doesn't want to know.
0:42:46 > 0:42:50'But Katie, who sets up all the meetings, has some bad news.'
0:42:51 > 0:42:55- Hello, Rick. It's Katie. How are you?- You all right?
0:42:55 > 0:42:56I'm good, thank you.
0:42:56 > 0:42:59Now, I'm afraid Robbie's not in today.
0:42:59 > 0:43:00- He's unwell.- Oh.
0:43:00 > 0:43:03Erm, yes. So I'm really sorry.
0:43:03 > 0:43:06We're going to have to arrange another time. Is that all right?
0:43:06 > 0:43:07Yeah, that's fine.
0:43:07 > 0:43:10I was looking forward to this afternoon.
0:43:10 > 0:43:12Erm...
0:43:12 > 0:43:16And...yeah, disappointed for him, disappointed for me.
0:43:18 > 0:43:21So I'll just go home, cook my tea,
0:43:21 > 0:43:24which is going to be a bit earlier than I thought it was going to be,
0:43:24 > 0:43:27watch a bit of snooker or whatever's on TV.
0:43:31 > 0:43:35- SI:- 'It's easy to assume young and old are poles apart.
0:43:35 > 0:43:37'But they often have struggles in common.
0:43:37 > 0:43:42'Retired nurse Judy knows just what it's like to be bullied.
0:43:42 > 0:43:44When I was at school, I was bullied badly.
0:43:45 > 0:43:48When I was bullied, I lost my confidence.
0:43:48 > 0:43:49I lost everything.
0:43:49 > 0:43:52It made me sort of go inside myself.
0:43:53 > 0:43:58I felt so sick that I would do anything not to go to school.
0:43:59 > 0:44:01I want to try and help children that are bullied
0:44:01 > 0:44:04to bring themselves out of themselves
0:44:04 > 0:44:05and tell them they're worth it.
0:44:06 > 0:44:10'Today she's come to meet Tawne for the first time.'
0:44:10 > 0:44:12Hello. Hi, there. Is Tawne here yet?
0:44:12 > 0:44:15'I felt I'd really connect with Tawne
0:44:15 > 0:44:17'because we've got so much in common.
0:44:18 > 0:44:20'She was bullied at school.'
0:44:23 > 0:44:26- If you just take a seat.- Thank you.
0:44:26 > 0:44:28'Tawne's missed a lot of school.'
0:44:28 > 0:44:32She said that she felt that she couldn't cope with school.
0:44:32 > 0:44:36And she even felt sick and didn't want to come.
0:44:36 > 0:44:40I'm really excited about meeting her and talking to her
0:44:40 > 0:44:42and spending some time with her.
0:44:42 > 0:44:44Really excited about that.
0:44:48 > 0:44:51I'm really sorry, but Tawne is not in today.
0:44:51 > 0:44:53- She's actually off sick.- Oh.
0:44:53 > 0:44:57- Erm, so probably might have to rearrange.- Right.
0:44:58 > 0:45:00How disappointing.
0:45:00 > 0:45:02Can we just make a note of your name?
0:45:02 > 0:45:04It's Judy Watson.
0:45:14 > 0:45:16'Yeah, it is hard not to take it personally.'
0:45:18 > 0:45:20The very first meet and she's not here.
0:45:20 > 0:45:22And I just think,
0:45:22 > 0:45:27"Oh, God, she's probably changed her mind or she doesn't want to do it."
0:45:32 > 0:45:34I'm worried that it's going to all fall flat.
0:45:34 > 0:45:38But if anything needs to happen, it always happens to me.
0:45:38 > 0:45:41Anything goes wrong, it's always me.
0:45:44 > 0:45:46'It just seems really upsetting.
0:45:46 > 0:45:49'I just have to wait and see what happens next week.'
0:45:55 > 0:46:00- SI:- 'We always knew that pairing old and young would be tough.
0:46:00 > 0:46:03'But things are not going well.'
0:46:03 > 0:46:07There's a no-show there and Judy is taking that personally.
0:46:08 > 0:46:11And that one is already dead in the water.
0:46:11 > 0:46:12- So I'll turn these over, then.- Yeah.
0:46:15 > 0:46:18I mean, David seems intent on dashing Wezley's dreams.
0:46:20 > 0:46:21And Robbie and Rick...
0:46:21 > 0:46:23You know, Robbie just hasn't...
0:46:23 > 0:46:25- stepped up to the plate.- No.
0:46:25 > 0:46:27There has to be an investment on both parties
0:46:27 > 0:46:29or it's simply not going to work.
0:46:29 > 0:46:31Because, at the minute, we haven't got that.
0:46:31 > 0:46:34And I'm not entirely sure with the ones that are going a bit wrong
0:46:34 > 0:46:37whether the personality types are actually capable
0:46:37 > 0:46:39of making that relationship work.
0:46:39 > 0:46:42Are the relationships worth pursuing in that case?
0:46:42 > 0:46:44What do we do? Do we try and mould them?
0:46:44 > 0:46:47Do we try and make them work or we just let go?
0:46:47 > 0:46:51We're intervening in lives at crucial moments
0:46:51 > 0:46:53and at crucial points.
0:46:53 > 0:46:54And that's what I care about.
0:46:54 > 0:46:56We can't get that wrong.
0:46:56 > 0:46:57Full stop.
0:46:57 > 0:46:58We can't get that wrong.
0:46:58 > 0:47:00And we'll need all the support and help
0:47:00 > 0:47:03that we can get from educational professionals,
0:47:03 > 0:47:06from people like Niall McWilliams, who know their subject.
0:47:08 > 0:47:12- I'm going to be really straight with you.- Yep. Good.
0:47:12 > 0:47:14I...
0:47:14 > 0:47:16am concerned...
0:47:16 > 0:47:19- Yes.- ..that we've had four relationships
0:47:19 > 0:47:21- that haven't particularly worked. - Yeah. Yeah.
0:47:21 > 0:47:23Have we done something that's just not achievable here?
0:47:23 > 0:47:26Have we backed a wrong 'un? What's your take on it?
0:47:26 > 0:47:31- Yes, there has been a 33%, 35% drop-off, whatever it is.- Right.
0:47:31 > 0:47:35But then that would be really easy for us all to give up, isn't it?
0:47:35 > 0:47:39So, therefore, what we've got to do is, we believe it's important,
0:47:39 > 0:47:41therefore, we continue and continue and continue.
0:47:41 > 0:47:45I don't think that we need to look at the 30% drop-off rate,
0:47:45 > 0:47:47because they might very well come back.
0:47:47 > 0:47:51Let's celebrate that 70% success rate
0:47:51 > 0:47:53and go forward from there.
0:47:54 > 0:47:56- SI:- 'OK, but we're now a month in.'
0:47:56 > 0:47:59'We can't have any more failures.'
0:48:07 > 0:48:11DAVE: 'Wez's relationship with Dave got off to a prickly start.
0:48:12 > 0:48:16'Wez opened up about his dream of boxing professionally,
0:48:16 > 0:48:20'only for Dave to tell him he should think about a day job instead.'
0:48:21 > 0:48:23I didn't like what he said.
0:48:23 > 0:48:26I think he needs to come and watch me
0:48:26 > 0:48:29before he starts, you know, saying I need a trade.
0:48:31 > 0:48:34He's quite a negative person, to be honest.
0:48:34 > 0:48:36But hopefully, I can change his mind.
0:48:37 > 0:48:40When I was a kid, a lot of the lads out of the Navy and all that
0:48:40 > 0:48:44that came to show us, were originally bare-fist boxers.
0:48:44 > 0:48:46They weren't boxers who had gloves.
0:48:46 > 0:48:48We couldn't afford gloves. We had to share them.
0:48:56 > 0:49:00When I box, nothing else matters.
0:49:00 > 0:49:03I feel like I'm on top of the world and I'm invincible.
0:49:03 > 0:49:04Nobody can beat me.
0:49:10 > 0:49:13- What is he like as a boxer? - He is good, yeah.
0:49:13 > 0:49:15He's a good boxer, as opposed to a scrapper, is he?
0:49:15 > 0:49:17He's dedicated, which a lot of kids are not.
0:49:19 > 0:49:23If we could somehow get him to win a title or two,
0:49:23 > 0:49:27then England looked at him and he'd maybe go up on the England squad,
0:49:27 > 0:49:29then it just takes off.
0:49:29 > 0:49:31Is he good enough for that?
0:49:31 > 0:49:33Yeah. Yeah.
0:49:34 > 0:49:37Anything I can do to help him?
0:49:37 > 0:49:39He's at a vulnerable age now.
0:49:39 > 0:49:42- He needs a bit of stability in his life.- Yeah, he does.
0:49:42 > 0:49:45- And he's not really getting it. - We'll help.
0:49:49 > 0:49:51Well done. Well done.
0:49:51 > 0:49:53Now, how do you feel about that bout?
0:49:53 > 0:49:56- Could have been better.- No.
0:49:57 > 0:50:00You've got a good left. You come in second with your left.
0:50:01 > 0:50:04I was just saying, on points, he would have got it.
0:50:06 > 0:50:09On points, Wez would have got it. There's no doubt about it.
0:50:09 > 0:50:11He'd have won that bout.
0:50:15 > 0:50:17He's got something extra.
0:50:17 > 0:50:19Really, really has got something extra.
0:50:19 > 0:50:21I'm so proud of him.
0:50:21 > 0:50:25Seeing him tonight is a totally different Wez.
0:50:26 > 0:50:29And the nice thing was I could see in his eyes that he knew I cared.
0:50:31 > 0:50:34He showed me that he was better than I thought he was.
0:50:35 > 0:50:38I dismissed him and I shouldn't have ever done that.
0:50:38 > 0:50:42He's given me something tonight. He really has.
0:50:42 > 0:50:44He's made me feel good.
0:50:44 > 0:50:45And it's...
0:50:45 > 0:50:50I haven't felt that good for a very long time about young people.
0:50:50 > 0:50:52And to have a young person that's...
0:50:52 > 0:50:55not long known me give me that sort of...
0:50:55 > 0:50:58- My favourite man. - All right, mate?- All right?
0:50:58 > 0:51:01..that sort of a kick, that sort of a value...
0:51:03 > 0:51:05I can't, just can't explain it.
0:51:07 > 0:51:10DAVE: 'Wez and Dave's relationship is now on firm ground.'
0:51:12 > 0:51:14- SI:- 'But Judy and Tawne, on the other hand,
0:51:14 > 0:51:17'still haven't even had their first meeting.'
0:51:19 > 0:51:24'Last week, Tawne failed to show up, leaving Judy deeply upset.'
0:51:25 > 0:51:28I came this morning with sort of bated breath thinking,
0:51:28 > 0:51:32"Oh, gosh, is she coming today? Is she all right?"
0:51:32 > 0:51:35And you just don't know, you know?
0:51:35 > 0:51:38But, erm, I hope she's here, anyway.
0:51:39 > 0:51:41So we just wait and see.
0:51:44 > 0:51:46- Hiya.- Hello, Tawne!
0:51:46 > 0:51:48- How are you?- I'm doing good.
0:51:48 > 0:51:50Are you feeling a lot better than you did last week?
0:51:50 > 0:51:54- A lot better, yeah.- Oh, fantastic. I was worried about you.
0:51:55 > 0:51:58- SI:- 'Last year, Tawne had a tough time with severe bullying.'
0:52:00 > 0:52:02Everyone was calling me names.
0:52:02 > 0:52:06People would follow me from school and throw stuff at me.
0:52:06 > 0:52:09And I'd be, like, scared to walk between certain lessons,
0:52:09 > 0:52:10walk by myself.
0:52:10 > 0:52:13It made me be feel like no-one wanted to be around me,
0:52:13 > 0:52:16like I was just completely, like, invisible.
0:52:19 > 0:52:22'For Tawne, the bullying didn't stop at the school gates
0:52:22 > 0:52:25'and the abuse continued online.'
0:52:25 > 0:52:29Cyber bullying is the worst that it can get.
0:52:29 > 0:52:30They were talking to themselves,
0:52:30 > 0:52:33saying how much I should kill myself, I should jump off a bridge.
0:52:34 > 0:52:37'It drove her to drastic ends.'
0:52:37 > 0:52:39I was basically cutting myself.
0:52:39 > 0:52:42I felt inside that, like, this was something
0:52:42 > 0:52:43that I could do with myself
0:52:43 > 0:52:45that she couldn't do to me.
0:52:45 > 0:52:48And, like, I could do it and, like, I would overpower her in a way.
0:52:48 > 0:52:51Like, I could do this and she couldn't.
0:52:52 > 0:52:55This is just the art block.
0:52:55 > 0:52:57'Tawne can now finally give Judy her school tour
0:52:57 > 0:53:00'and has chosen to focus on the art department
0:53:00 > 0:53:02'and to show one of her works.'
0:53:02 > 0:53:04This... That one right there
0:53:04 > 0:53:07with all, like, the black coming up.
0:53:07 > 0:53:08Oh...!
0:53:08 > 0:53:11I was really wary about what she was going to say about it
0:53:11 > 0:53:14because of the particular topic that was on.
0:53:14 > 0:53:17Whether she'd, like, in a way judge me for it.
0:53:23 > 0:53:25I think that is absolutely fantastic.
0:53:26 > 0:53:28You've done a really good job.
0:53:29 > 0:53:31- You should be proud of yourself. - Thank you.
0:53:33 > 0:53:37It was all about bullying, razor blades and tears.
0:53:37 > 0:53:40It was very, very sad to see a girl of that age
0:53:40 > 0:53:42doing a picture like that.
0:53:44 > 0:53:46I felt that this was...
0:53:46 > 0:53:48this was asking for help.
0:53:55 > 0:53:57DAVE: 'Jacub's also facing his demons.
0:53:58 > 0:54:00'Today, he forgot to take his medication
0:54:00 > 0:54:04'and now has been thrown out of his lesson for being disruptive.'
0:54:05 > 0:54:07You know, I walked out the door, slammed it open,
0:54:07 > 0:54:09I started punching the wall.
0:54:12 > 0:54:14It's just annoying.
0:54:14 > 0:54:16Because every other time they think it's me
0:54:16 > 0:54:17and they always blame it on me.
0:54:17 > 0:54:19I kick off and they end up giving me a C4.
0:54:19 > 0:54:21It's like they always pick on me
0:54:21 > 0:54:23because they know I'm going to lose my temper.
0:54:27 > 0:54:30I think I might talk to Clive
0:54:30 > 0:54:33about how to stop, like, losing my temper so quick
0:54:33 > 0:54:36and how to stop...
0:54:36 > 0:54:38getting so angry, like, really easy.
0:54:38 > 0:54:40Right, everybody can go.
0:54:47 > 0:54:50'Jacub often refuses to listen to his teachers.
0:54:50 > 0:54:52'But can Clive help?'
0:54:54 > 0:54:58'Getting into big trouble at school is something Clive knows all about.'
0:54:58 > 0:55:01I was a bit like Jacub. Erm...
0:55:01 > 0:55:04I did have a short temper.
0:55:05 > 0:55:10Being mixed race, kids always called you names or said silly things,
0:55:10 > 0:55:13like "blacky" and "get back to the jungle" and that sort of thing.
0:55:13 > 0:55:16And that... You know, that really got me then.
0:55:16 > 0:55:21But I always stood up for myself and get into fights.
0:55:21 > 0:55:24And I had the cane a couple of times.
0:55:24 > 0:55:26He said, "Jacub, get outside now." Like, shouting at me.
0:55:26 > 0:55:29So then I threw my chair onto the floor,
0:55:29 > 0:55:31I went to the door and punched the door open
0:55:31 > 0:55:35- and then went outside and started punching the wall and that.- Hm...
0:55:35 > 0:55:38- It's a matter of control, then, isn't it?- Yeah.
0:55:38 > 0:55:40You know, because it only makes you feel worse.
0:55:40 > 0:55:43Did you have to apologise or...?
0:55:43 > 0:55:45Yeah, I had to go and apologise to the teacher.
0:55:45 > 0:55:48Then I walked off and got a book.
0:55:48 > 0:55:51- So you sort of learned your lesson a little bit?- Yeah.
0:55:53 > 0:55:56DAVE: 'Seeing Jacub getting into trouble
0:55:56 > 0:55:58'brings back unhappy memories for Clive. '
0:56:00 > 0:56:03My son, he got in with a crowd.
0:56:03 > 0:56:05It was drugs and...
0:56:05 > 0:56:07Then one thing led to another.
0:56:07 > 0:56:09The soft drugs turned to heroin.
0:56:09 > 0:56:13And, you know, it killed him, anyway.
0:56:15 > 0:56:17Jacub's 13 years old.
0:56:17 > 0:56:21And he's reaching that point where he can go either way.
0:56:21 > 0:56:25If he takes the left fork, you know, it could be disastrous.
0:56:25 > 0:56:28If he takes the right fork, then that's the right way to go.
0:56:30 > 0:56:34And, you know, perhaps I can help him, give him some advice,
0:56:34 > 0:56:38some experience that, you know, "Jacub, take the right fork."
0:56:48 > 0:56:50- SI:- 'Our first month is up.
0:56:50 > 0:56:54'Most partnerships have just about made it through.
0:56:54 > 0:56:56'You can see trust developing
0:56:56 > 0:56:59'and signs that they're going to be good for each other.'
0:56:59 > 0:57:02DAVE: 'Oh, boy, hasn't it been emotional?
0:57:02 > 0:57:04'And we've only just started.'
0:57:04 > 0:57:07- Whoa! - He-he-heee!
0:57:07 > 0:57:11I tell you what, man, this has got to be the scariest,
0:57:11 > 0:57:16most bonkers, up and down, emotionally draining journey
0:57:16 > 0:57:19- we've ever been on.- Oh, I feel as though I've been through a mincer.
0:57:19 > 0:57:22- I mean, there's been laughter, tears, all of that.- Yeah.
0:57:22 > 0:57:25You know, sometimes, you see these little nuggets of love
0:57:25 > 0:57:26that makes you, makes you well up.
0:57:26 > 0:57:29- Other times, it's blooming heartbreaking.- It is.
0:57:29 > 0:57:32But never let anybody tell me
0:57:32 > 0:57:35that older people and youngsters can't get on.
0:57:35 > 0:57:38There are bridges to be built but, once they're there,
0:57:38 > 0:57:41I think we're on to something really big, really valuable.
0:57:41 > 0:57:42Oh, definitely.
0:57:46 > 0:57:47'Next time...'
0:57:47 > 0:57:51Maybe some of us oldies don't actually listen.
0:57:52 > 0:57:54'..as we try to unite everyone...'
0:57:54 > 0:57:57She interrupts me, doesn't let me talk.
0:57:57 > 0:57:59'..communication breaks down.'
0:57:59 > 0:58:01I'm just a bit concerned that this is one opportunity you have
0:58:01 > 0:58:03to get a qualification.
0:58:04 > 0:58:06I hope it doesn't end in tears.
0:58:08 > 0:58:11'What do you think of the older and younger generations of today?
0:58:11 > 0:58:15'Well, to find out more and have your say, go to...
0:58:18 > 0:58:20..and follow the link to the Open University.