The That'll Teach 'Em Doors open again, and this time it's a battle of the sexes...
With boys falling further and further behind girls in today's exam tables and displaying chronic disinterest in the Sciences, the third run of this historical reality series sees single sex classes introduced, and thrills, spills and explosions in the science lab. With a practical, 1950s education imposed, competition runs high. But will the boys close the gap, or will the girls stretch their lead?
Episode 1
Boys Versus Girls puts the emphasis on the practical: can some old-style teaching reignite a passion for the sciences? Thrown in at the deep end, lessons begin immediately and it's not just the 1950s teaching methods and curriculum that are a shock to the system. Separated by a vigorously enforced "six inch" rule, the boys and girls must eat at separate tables and attend separate classes. All sweets are confiscated and modern toiletries, including deodorant, forbidden. As well as receiving an average of 40 hours of lessons a week (they are accustomed to 28), the pupils have to contend with 1950s-style punishments and traditional school dinners, partake in debating societies and treat their teachers with an unaccustomed level of respect. That'll Test 'Em , a studio-based general knowledge quiz that pits the That'll Teach 'Em kids against their parents, is aired on More4 directly after the show.
Episode 2
In 1950s science classes the emphasis was on learning through doing, but in modern schools the balance has shifted to textbooks and coursework. Can dissecting a pig's eyeball spark the boys' enthusiasm? And how do the girls react to this gory physical experiment? And can the girls cope with compulsory daily physical education? Today's children face a maximum of two hours a week PE and the emphasis is on co-operation rather than competition. In the 50s, compulsory competitive sport was seen as character-building, with up to 17 hours a week. Some of the pupils also learn first-hand how 1950s discipline worked, when the boys make the mistake of expressing their hitherto suppressed individuality by singing after lights-out, and two of the girls escape from their dorm and head for the boys' room… A surprise choice of head girl prompts a belated confession; and there's tears, disappointment and realisation on Sunday as letters arrive from loved ones and the children write back; many for the first time.
Episode 3
Deputy Headmaster James Williams is shocked with the pupils' woeful ignorance of basic anatomical facts. In the 50s pupils were expected to learn by rote the names and positions of every bone, muscle and organ in the body. His solution is to ask them to dissect a rabbit, which causes much shrieking among the modern schoolgirls. Practice for the end-of-term musical The Mikado begins in earnest. This is the first time that the girls and boys have been brought together and taught in the same class. Confronted with the girls, a number of the boys begin to misbehave and music teacher Mr Stanley wastes no time in disciplining them. The musical miscreants are handed over to matron and appropriate 1950s style punishments meted out. The boys also experience CCF (Combined Cadet Force) while the girls get their first taste of deportment classes. The deputy headmaster reveals his unique technique for enforcing school uniform rules and in English class, the girls and boys are tasked with writing sonnets.
Episode 4
In the penultimate programme, the pupils begin the third week of their 1950's school experience. With the dramatic change in curriculum and teaching methods, early mornings, school dinners and strict discipline, it's been a tough two weeks for our pupils so far. In assembly the headmaster decides to announce an update of the pupils' current academic achievements; have the boys closed the gap or are they still lagging behind the girls? Once lesson time is finished for the day there are a plethora of extra-curricular activities to fill the time. This week's Science Club challenges the kids to build a go-cart from scraps of wood and pram wheels. The prize is a fish and chip dinner for the winners and precisely nothing for the losers. With the promise of a break from the usual school meals the pupils set about the task with great enthusiasm. Split into boys and girls teams, both are determined to win and neither is afraid of a little industrial espionage and foul play to reign victorious in this ultimate battle of the sexes! In Science, the practical experiments continue to enthuse whilst in English, the pupils are brought together for their first academic lesson; will mixing the sexes cause a breakdown in behaviour? A dance is organised and, for one night only, the usually vigorously enforced 'six inch rule' is suspended. The pupils are elated and set about preparing themselves for the event. The girls borrow matron's lipstick and the boys set about styling their hair. And it seems that love is most definitely in the air for some of our pupils.
Episode 5
In the final episode the pupils prepare to sit their 1950s 'O' level papers, preparation steps up for the arrival of their parents on school speech day and pupils face the agony and the ecstasy of exam results. Throughout their experience the students have faced harsh discipline, austere living conditions and a tough academic timetable. All are predicted to gain good grades at GCSE and now face their biggest challenge yet, sitting their 'O' level exam papers. In the current climate girls outperform boys by 10%, so has their dose of traditional lessons in a 1950's single sex environment have changed anything?
