Young adult carer Aran Rashid begins his teacher training wanting to make a difference in
children’s lives.  Little does he know how much it'll cost of his own. 

SYNOPSIS:

Fresh faced and eager to broaden students’ horizons, Aran suffers a rude awakening when he

meets his subject tutor, the toxic Amy O’Neill. To balance this, he becomes friends with fellow

trainee, Zi. Daunted by his tutor’s high standards and seeking his father’s counsel, Aran’s

concerns are reaffirmed when Amy condemns him to the notorious South Croydon High

School. Not only is this hell on earth, but it will take Aran three hours to get there.

Aran struggles to get to grips with the school, not least because his students, far from being

enlightened by Aran as he’d hoped, are eager to exploit his inexperience. However, Aran’s

steadied by his level-headed mentor, Natasha Forward. But even Natasha cannot prepare Aran

for Amy’s draconian demands. Sleepless nights planning, impossibly tight deadlines and a

major assignment drive Aran towards exhaustion as he struggles to balance work with caring

for his sick father. When his complaints to his course leader fall on deaf ears, he vents to Zi,

who is struggling with students mocking his accent. Aran’s comments soon reach a furious

Amy. Determined to get back at Aran for his remarks, Amy puts him on the spot with a very

short-notice lesson observation. Exhausted and overwhelmed, Aran’s observation is a disaster,

and Amy revels putting Aran on report, threatening his future on the course.

Desperate, Aran resorts to falsifying observation notes, which is discovered by Natasha who

reports it to Amy. With his only form of defence being attack, Aran accuses Amy of targeting

him from the beginning, which Amy denies. Facing expulsion in a few weeks if his report

observation falls below expectations, and his father’s deteriorating health, Zi finds Aran crying

alone in the campus library. Aran confesses the lack of support from Amy and his caring

responsibilities means he’s ready to quit, but Zi insists he remember why he wanted to become

a teacher in the first place. Heartened by Zi’s encouragement, Aran resolves to push on.

A new term brings a new start for Aran, as he visits the reputable Uxbridge School for Girls

for induction, with a few weeks still left at South Croydon High. At Uxbridge, he meets his

new mentor Chris Matthews. With the black clouds of being on report hanging over Aran,

Chris shows Aran what an outstanding lesson looks like. With a glimmer of hope, Aran races

to redevelop his report observation lesson. The sky clears when his lesson goes well and he’s

taken off report. Prior to starting afresh at Uxbridge, Aran is dealt a huge blow when his father

suffers a heart attack. Ready to quit the course, Aran’s father urges him to complete the course.

Chris provides Aran with the support needed to flourish. Although the workload daunts him,

Aran gets on top of things, including caring for his father, as he soul searches for his own

teacher voice. Behind closed doors however, Aran connects with burnt-out colleagues. With

Chris’ continued guidance, Aran grows into a good teacher. Not only does he ace his final

observation, but is father’s health improves and he has inspired his students. Eventually, his

efforts are rewarded with an NQT post at his alma mater school.

As Aran completes his final lessons of the year, Chris exchanges phone numbers with him,

helping Aran finish on a high. However, it is short lived as Zi reveals he is returning to Nigeria.

Fearing he won’t be able to continue in his career without the support of his closest friend, Zi

reassures Aran that he can weather whatever comes next, having proved he can stand up to the

test. Emboldened, Aran bids his friend goodbye, and braces himself for the road ahead.

MR RASHID