Mr Drew's School for Boys is a British television programme which aired on Channel 4 from April until May 2014. The programme follows "Mr Drew" (Stephen Drew), who previously featured in another Channel 4 documentary, Educating Essex during his tenure as Deputy Headteacher at Passmores Academy. In the series, Mr Drew is the Headteacher of a summer school in Writtle, Essex for boys who are challenging and have behavioural issues, with most of them being excluded from their schools. All boys in the programme were under the age of 12, with the youngest aged eight.
The series premiered on 29 April 2014, with the first episode attracting a viewing audience of 1.7 million.
Background
The programme features eleven boys from around the United Kingdom who have challenging behaviour and have been excluded from mainstream school. In an attempt to improve their behaviour, the eleven boys have enrolled in a summer school programme, led by Mr Drew and a small team of teachers and pastoral support staff. The boys' parents also feature in the programme, with their parents receiving lessons and guidance on effective parental techniques and support which will hopefully improve their sons behaviour.
The synopsis for the programme was inspired by UK Government statistics released at the time which revealed that boys aged 12 and under are almost six times more likely than girls to be excluded from school.
Cast
Summer school staff
Stephen Drew; "Mr Drew": The headteacher of the summer school. Previously featured in Educating Essex as one of the schools Deputy Headteachers (2011) Dominic Volante: Teacher of PE Mark Grist: Teacher of English & Drama Lindsay Skinner: Teacher of Mathematics Benjamin Vidler: Teacher of Science
Narrator Nick Frost; 4 episodes
Episodes
Reception
Catriona Wightman from the Digital Spy praised the series for its ability to "not paint these boys out to be absolute terrors", but also highlighted the "impossible task" that Mr Drew or Channel 4 had set for him, recognising the challenges of the boys' behaviour in the series.
Pat Thomson, Professor of Education at the University of Nottingham criticised the programme, claiming that the majority of boys from working families who may display challenging behaviour would not be able to afford fees associated with a summer school programme similar to what was featured in the programme.
The Metro gave the series favourable reviews, claiming that "Mr Drew had been missed" since his last appearance on television in Educating Essex.
See also
Education in the United Kingdom Behaviour management
References