It’s been 14 years since Educating Essex first aired on Channel 4, giving audiences up and down the country a peek into the lives of the students and teachers in a state secondary school. The docuseries proved a hit, and yielded four follow-ups – focusing on schools in Yorkshire, London’s East End, Cardiff, and Greater Manchester. A second series returning to the same Mancunian school was cut short when the headmaster resigned amid an unrelated scandal; a truncated four-episode season aired in late 2020.
In this light, it is probably easy to understand why producers would choose to return to Yorkshire, and the Dewsbury-based Thornhill Community Academy, for their new reboot. Back in 2013, Educating Yorkshire was an unmitigated hit, earning the show a National Television Award, with diligent teacher Matthew Burton in particular charming viewers. Twelve years later, Burton is now headteacher of the school – though the daily struggles of students and staff are mostly the same as ever.
