10. A School of the Future

In the final episode of the series, Alan Johnson visits a brand new academy on the site, Ark All Saints, which opened 2013, when the previous St Michael's was demolished. A modern design, it is built with pupil safety in mind. There are no hidden spaces, even the toilets and lockers face out onto the corridors. The quadrangle system gives 360 degree sight lines for staff to check for trouble, and there is a large pastoral team to sort out problems.

In lessons, discipline and attention is focused with clicking and clapping, which give approval and reward correct answers and good behaviour. Even the distinctive purple uniform is cherished by pupils, who are called "scholars". If they misbehave badly enough, the jacket and tie are taken away until the scholar is ready to be part of the school community again. After school, staff make sure the children get home safely.

Ark All Saints Academy looks like a school of the future – whether it will continue with its success, only time will tell.

Series in which the former Education Secretary tells the story of English education over the last 140 years through the prism of one school - St Michael and All Angels in Camberwell, London.

Over the decades, it’s undergone many transformations, including names, in response to changes in policy, but its purpose has remained constant - to provide decent and free education to local children.

The story is told through original documents – from headmasters’ logs and inspection reports – and the testimony of the children and teachers who went there.

It’s as much a social history of inner-city life down the ages as it is a study of our attempts to educate the children of poor families.

Producer: Sara Parker
Executive Producer: Samir Shah

A Juniper Connect production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in March 2019.