Just like that, summer has flown by, September is here and the return to classrooms begins. To help you prepare for the new term ahead, we’ve put together a list of the top tv shows about schools that you can watch for free. From teen dramas to school-based documentaries, teacher comedies and insights into university life, there’s something for everyone on Freeview Play.
Abbott Elementary
Emmy and Golden Globe-winning mockumentary sitcom following a group of dedicated, passionate teachers - and a slightly tone-deaf principal - in Philadelphia.
Helping Our Teens
Leading behaviour expert Marie Gentles is heading to Beacon Hill Academy in the West Midlands, where in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic, some of the pupils are struggling.
Bad Behaviour
No one grows up without scars. Ten years on from her brutal boarding school years, a chance encounter forces Jo to confront her past. Has anyone escaped Silver Creek unscathed?
Bad Education
They talk too much, don’t pay attention and have a poor attitude. Must try harder, especially as they're the teachers. Silly comedy from Jack Whitehall, with Layton Williams.
Waterloo Road
Affairs, scandals, blackmail and many, many headteachers. Who said education was easy? The original and new series together on Freeview Play.
Gossip Girl
Blair Waldorf is a popular student at her private school and envied by one and all. But, her perfect life is unsettled when her ex-best friend enrols in the same institution. And with 121 episodes ready to watch, plus the show's 2021 sequel, there’s no better way to distract yourself from all the work you should be doing.
PRU
If you’re after fresh and funny comedy with a big heart, be sure to watch Pru. Follow four beautifully complex but seemingly self-destructive teens as they look for a new start in a school for excluded kids.
The Carrie Diaries
In this prequel to Sex and the City, head to high school in the 1980s with Carrie Bradshaw. The dates, drama and 80s outfits will soon have you hooked on this must-watch series.
Ackley Bridge
Set in a Yorkshire mill town, where a new academy school merges the lives and cultures of the largely divided White and Asian community, Ackley Bridge returned for a 5th season. Get ready for explosive fallouts, problem pupils and plenty of heart-warming moments in this comedy-drama.
The Secret Teacher
Leading entrepreneurs go undercover in schools across the country, seeking to offer students with untapped potential the chance of a lifetime.
Educating…
Enjoy an inside look into schools in this fascinating docuseries. From Cardiff and Greater Manchester to the East End, follow the real-life ups and downs of being a student or a teacher in secondary schools across the UK.
Fresh Meat
Comedy drama series from the creators of Peep Show about the hilarious, and often painful, truths of being a student. Set in Manchester, follow six new students as they are thrown together in a shared house and embark on university life together.
The Inbetweeners
This smash-hit adolescent comedy about lads behaving sadly is undoubtedly one of the UK’s most iconic TV shows set in a school. Welcome to a world of futile crushes, getting drunk too quickly and casting constant aspersions about your friends' sexuality.
TV shows about schools not your thing?
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