The Gentles touch
LITTLE Oscar is struggling at school. The six-year-old is prone to outbursts of rage in the classroom and has already been excluded from school three times after incidents including hitting his teacher.
But the six-year-old is even more frustrated when he’s not allowed to be with his classmates.
At home his mum and dad are finding it hard to cope with his behaviour.
This thought-provoking documentary series delves into the issue of child exclusions – before the pandemic the number of permanent exclusions from state schools was at their highest in almost a decade.
Behavioural expert Marie Gentles OBE spent 10 years as the headteacher of a Pupil Referral Unit. Her experience working with children outside mainstream education has helped her develop a pioneering approach.
She says: “We have a national crisis on our hands with regards to behaviour and exclusions are not the answer.”
She has been invited to work with Milton Hall Primary School in Southend to manage some of its most challenging pupils, including Oscar.
Marie also meets eight-year-old
Jack, who is struggling to contain his emotions, leading to whole class evacuations. His teacher Jade is recently qualified and wants to know how to help him cope.
And nine-year-old Olivia’s anger and subsequent outbursts mean her relationships with staff have deteriorated and she is spending more time out of class than in it, losing hours of education.
Marie is like a School Supernanny and as the children respond to her methods, it’s all surprisingly emotional.