The most dangerous thing you can do
to a child is not expose them to an
element of risk and danger.
It is
probably the best school I have been
to.
Mr Faircloth is the best teacher
there is.
We are about giving
children experiences, giving them a
lust for life.
Welcome to danger
school.
Where ten-year-olds use guns
and knives, roam the marshes
alongside water buffalo, and cook on
open fires.
When the smoke gets in
your eyes, move away and stand
behind someone.
Risks are embraced
and free spirit encouraged, yet the
authorities, Ofsted, the Health and
Safety Executive have praised the
junior school.
It gets the best exam
results in the area, above the
national average.
Two thirds of the children are on
free school meals.
The majority live
on the council estate opposite.
The
head teacher passionately believes
in offering them experiences they
wouldn't otherwise get.
We are the
only state school to do things in
this way and the children themselves
are from a varied demographic and we
feel that we have a responsibility
to give them as many opportunities
as they deserve.
My dad taught me to
shoot.
I went hunting.
I lit fires.
I had a magical amazing quite feral
childhood and it's that thing I want
to be able to give to these children
here.
Alfie, what have you made?
A
fishing rod.
He has been credited
with turning the school around since
he joined 12 years ago.
Pull it
tight.
Good boy.
The long hair, fur
coat and open shirt are unusual for
a head teacher.
But don't be fooled
by his hippie image.
He demands good
behaviour.
And at the same time, he
believes these adventures outdoors
change children for the better.
If
children are excited about coming to
school, if they're inspired and
enthused being outside that has an
impact in the classroom.
If we
weren't having an impact
academically all of of this boo be
-- would be a waste of time.
I just
made it.
How did you make it?
With a
very big sticks and some strong and
I have some bread on it, cooked some
of what is left of our meal we ate.
If you imagine that that in one day
is how much that one pigeon has
eaten.
This is all about building grit and
resilience.
That means being
comfortable with plucking and
cooking animals in the wild.
Look,
pull that straight off, that skin.
There you go.
God, help us!
The farm
manager has encouraged them to
overcome any squeamishness.
Can you
smell that?
Smells like vinegar,
doesn't it?
So they're totally
confident, even with Boris, that's
the dead squirrel, looking on.
The ethos here is that country
pursuits are not just for the
privileged.
Teaching shooting is
undoubtedly controversial.
Yes!
En
But they insist this is about
discipline and ensuring children
first come across weapons in a
responsible way.
Well done.
Life-changing.
Why was it
life-changing?
Because I have never
done it before and the first
experience just changes my opinion
of shooting.
It's amazing.
It's a
really good adrenalin and nice
feeling.
Activities like this would
often be out of reach for those who
aren't wealthy.
The school makes it
possible by being resourceful,
getting local clubs involved.
The
land itself is rented from the
council at just under £1,000 a year
and farming on it makes the school
some money.
This isn't something
every school can do, though, they
don't have acres of land.
Every
school can do this.
Because even if
you have got an inner city school
with a small playground all you need
to build a fire is two metres by a
metre and the fire doesn't move
around.
So actually everything we
are doing here with forest school on
120 acres can be replicated in
smaller urban environments.
But there are some moments you can't
quite replicate.
The school is also home to a herd of
water buffalo.
Apparently they're
not just hungry at this time of
year, they're also frisky.
But the farm manager knows how to
deal with them.
Once a
parent-governor, now he is Mike's
sidekick.
I thought to myself, long
hair, hippie, you know, what's the
school coming to, all my kids have
been to this school, but after six
months getting to know him different
person, the kids - he's done really
well for the school itself and the
kids.
The kids have changed.
He's
given the school a new lease of life
really.
Amid rumours about banned
snowball fights, they think society
has ended up limiting expectations
of children and make the case that
Government bodies are actively
encouraging schools and parents to
take managed risks.
The cotton wool
culture of Britain has got a little
out of control.
It's only people's
own limiting beliefs and a few media
myths that people have invested in
which has stopped children having
these sort of activities.
We are
bucking against the trend but we are
not doing anything we are not
allowed to do, in fact we are being
supported in doing it.
And so he urges others in the
education system to embrace danger,
to cultivate creativity and to give
children the chance to explore.
The luckiest kids in Britain!