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Private Notes
In the first episode, four of the unlikely pairs attempt to establish friendships despite the generational gulf between them. 13-year-old Jacub, who has ADHD and is struggling to cope with his dad's suicide, is paired with Clive, whose son died from an overdose. Their initial meetings go well but will the older man be able to help Jacub manage his behaviour? 13-year-old Tawne and retired nurse Judy have something in common: they are both victims of bullying. However, their first meeting is a disaster. 16-year-old Robbie's mum has multiple sclerosis, and he often misses school to help her, while his partner Rick has lived alone for years. Finally, 16-year-old Wez has a passion for boxing, but former electrician Dave doesn't rate it as a career.
After an initially promising start, rifts have started to open up in the partnerships and the project is in jeopardy: the teenage partners think the senior partners aren't listening to them, and they're not happy. With an oral English exam pending for the Year 11 students we meet Marlon, Charisma, Bethany and Chloe, who all want to practice their speaking and listening skills. Marlon's partner is 65 year-old Vic, who offers for the Senior Partners to help in a mock exam, but tensions soon run high when Vic's line of questions offends the students - and Chloe walks out. Keen to tackle the growing ill-feeling, 13 year-old Kyrone has an idea for everyone to come together and air their concerns in a joint meeting. Impressed by his peace-making approach, Si and Dave are keen for Kyrone to chair the meeting himself to try resolve the issues. Meanwhile, 13 year-old Kimberly comes up with the idea of an Intergenerational Games, where old and young get active and enjoy themselves - with Kimberly excelling in the role of host and chief organiser.
The Hairy Bikers have only four weeks left at the Oxford Academy to prove that their social experiment pairing up teenagers with pensioners is working. Can friendships between the old and the young transform both groups? There's trouble brewing. Jacub, who has ADHD, is still getting detentions and risks being thrown out of Old School unless he improves his behaviour. His older partner Clive goes on a mission to find out how Jacub's gaming habit is affecting his learning. Wez is also in trouble when he is withdrawn from his Maths GCSE exam for missing too many lessons. Can his partner Dave help him to become re-motivated by joining Wez in class? Battling these problems, will the bikers ever get the evidence to prove Old School is worth continuing and attract funding to pay for it? Many of the partnerships are thriving, and those who initially helped their partner are now starting to receive help back. Shy Charisma has been helping Hanif learn English and how to send emails. Now, Hanif reciprocates by helping Charisma with her driving lessons, and Charisma's confidence grows by the day. The School organises a special event and invites potential sponsors, educational specialists and charities to hear from the partners themselves about the project and their new friendships. As well as re-testing the senior participants for improvements in mobility, strength and memory, and the pupils for improvements in behaviour and confidence, the GCSE results are about to be revealed. Will the numbers prove Old School is working? And most importantly, will the bikers' experiment raise enough cash to guarantee Old School has a future? And could older partner Dave's childhood dream be realised at last, courtesy of his teenage partner Wez?
