Educating Yorkshire is set to return to our screens next year, with production officially beginning this autumn on a new season.
The reality show follows the teachers and students of Thornhill Academy, with past seasons giving us iconic TV moments (who could forget Musharaf and his King’s Speech moment?!).
Soon, they’ll be back for more, with long-time fan favourite Mr Burton returning as headteacher.
However, this season is a little different, with production set to begin in September. It means that the series will follow the students from the very beginning of their school year – including the new Year 7s as they experience their first days in secondary school – something that the show has never done before.
Speaking exclusively to Radio Times at the 2026 Edinburgh TV Festival, David Brindley, Chief Creative Officer of production company TwoFour, explained: “We start in September when the students come back to school. I don’t think we’ve actually done that before. We usually start in the second half term, but we’re in school right from the very start of term this time.
“So we’re really excited to see what the new year [holds], really following the new Year 7s because it’s such a moment as a new Year 7 to enter big school.
“Hopefully we’ll get some amazing stories through those students, but the joy of Educating… is we don’t know what’s going to happen.”
Brindley added: “We can’t pre-plan anything. It’s purely observational. I can’t tell you what’s going to be the standout moment. Mr Burton will be there right at the front, leading the charge, and he’s fast becoming the nation’s favourite head teacher, I think. So whatever happens over the next year at Thornhill, we’ll be there to capture it.”
As for how long the show could continue?
“As long as people will watch it, and as long as it gets commissioned, we would love to keep making it,” Brindley explained.
“There just isn’t another series out there that reflects what it’s like to live as a teenager and as a teacher in modern Britain. And so I think there are endlessly fascinating stories to be told, and it could constantly be reflecting a changing world…long may it continue.”
Despite the Educating… series taking us across the country, with past seasons focusing on including Essex, Cardiff, and Greater Manchester, Brindley also confirmed we’ll be staying in Yorkshire for the foreseeable future…
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