A team from the heart-warming TV series ‘Educating Yorkshire’ is visiting Fairwater High School in Cwmbran about the possibility of a similar series being filmed.
TwoFour, who are behind the ‘Educating’ series on Channel 4, plan to do a small amount of filming over the next few weeks before deciding what school they will feature.
A review in the Radio Times on Educating Yorkshire said that the final episode earlier this week had viewers in ‘floods of tears.’
This week parents were sent a letter from Helen Coulson, the headteacher. The letter is on the school’s website and says:
“We are talking to the producers of the highly acclaimed Channel 4 documentary series’ ‘Educating Essex’ and ‘Educating Yorkshire’ which capture everyday life at an ordinary state secondary school. They feature inspirational teachers who approach their work with passion and enthusiasm and have been praised by both audiences and the teaching profession for their sympathetic portrayal of young people. TwoFour Broadcast, the company behind the series, are now looking to make a follow-up and have been speaking to schools all over the country about the possibility of being involved.
“Their ambition is to produce a new collection of warm, honest and important documentary programmes which will capture the experiences of both staff and a diverse range of pupils. They hope that these will be optimistic and celebratory films which sensitively explore the human relationships that lie at the heart of school life.
“A small team from TwoFour Broadcast have made a number of visits to Fairwater High School and have met with our Senior Leadership Team to discuss the project. They have recently been in touch to say that among the many schools that they have spoken to and visited, Fairwater High School stood out for its dynamism, caring atmosphere and inspiring teaching environment.
“Therefore, they are hoping to spend some more time in the school over the next few weeks, exploring the possibility of making the series here. As well as observing day-to-day life, they may do a small amount of filming. I’d like to reassure you that any filming they do undertake would not be for the purpose of broadcast, but only to give those responsible for commissioning the series at Channel 4 a flavour of our school.
“I am enormously proud of the school community here at Fairwater High School and everything that has been achieved over the past year. I feel this could be a valuable chance to promote the fantastic work we are doing and very much hope you will support us in exploring this opportunity.”
You can watch the series of Educating Yorkshire on 4oD.