Watch The Unteachables

The Unteachables, a groundbreaking 2005 television series by Channel 4, took the hallmark approach of reality TV and honed it cleverly on the education sector. Spanning over two series, this compelling educational documentary aims to demystify the commonly held notion that some students are simply beyond the scope of education. This distinctive program examines the trials and tribulations faced by teachers and students alike when it comes to educating those deemed as unteachable, creating a cinematic blueprint for unconventional teaching methods through a layered insight of the British education system.

The Unteachables is premised around an ambitious experiment designed to challenge the stereotype of troubled and disruptive children who purportedly resist standard educational assembly lines. The protagonists of the show are real British students, a group of 13-14 and 16-17 year-olds considered by their teachers and parents as 'unteachable.' They are perennially unruly, and their disruptive behaviour and lack of interest in the conventional education system have led them to be excluded from regular classes. Despite their unsavoury reputations, however, these students have been endowed with a chance to turn their lives around, thanks to The Unteachables.

Each series has the students taken out of high schools and placed in an alternative education model. Here, they are given a unique opportunity by an expert team of five 'super-teachers'