School documentary 'exploitative'

Teachers have condemned the BBC's controversial school discipline documentary Don't Mess with Miss Beckles, branding it "highly exploitative".

Mary Bousted, the general secretary of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, said some scenes that showed bitter rows between a teenage boy, Luke, and his mother should not have been broadcast.

Ms Bousted had "huge concerns" after Luke was thrown out of the family home when the relationship with his mother broke down.

The programme sparked controversy over the techniques used by Yolande Beckles, an "educational motivator", to encourage disaffected teenage boys to work for their GCSEs.

Ms Bousted said: "The thing that really worried me was the boy who was living on the streets. The programme makers knew he was bunking-up with his friends, they knew he was in danger and what did they do about it? It's highly exploitative." Ms Bousted said when teachers knew a child had been thrown out of their home, they told police and social services.

The BBC denied the programme was exploitative. "Ms Bousted is commenting without knowing the full facts and we consider her comments misinformed," a spokesperson said. Social services were told when Luke was thrown out of his home and he had not been in any danger.