The Big School Lottery - The First Day

Series offering an insight into one of the most important and stressful decisions a family can make - which secondary school to send their child to. This film attempts a bold same-day, multi-camera experiment following six of the children in intimate detail on their first day at their new schools. With unique access to five schools on the biggest day of the year, cameras capture the experience of the children from the start of the day, until they travel home to their nervously waiting parents. Filmed at very different schools across the city, each of the children goes through this milestone in their own unique way. Thomas got his preferred choice of school and although he is thrilled, he has never been on a bus before on his own. So it's a big day of first experiences, and he manages to get lost in the school. Saffiyah is over the moon to have made it into Birmingham's best girls grammar school and it is likely to be an emotional day too for her dad Mohammed, who tutored his daughter for months before her entrance exams. Mohsin's family were initially disappointed he did not get into Birmingham's top grammar school but are now happy he is going to a school they believe combines the importance of English tradition with their ethos of hard work. For Jamiah, there were a difficult few days before he got into his favourite school, which was once notorious and failing but is now making huge strides to change results and perceptions. And Miles, who found it difficult to fit in at primary school, struggles to make new friends. It doesn't help that he is 15 minutes late on his first day.