Educating Yorkshire viewers sob as Year 8 pupil has ‘nothing good’ to say about herself

Educating Yorkshire series 2 already has a standout star (Picture: Channel 4)

Educating Yorkshire is back on screens after over a decade, bringing with it both side-splitting moments of laughter and tears.

The Channel 4 docuseries first aired in 2013 and quickly became a nationwide favourite thanks to the pupils’ antics, many of which are still quoted in memes today.

But among the chaos of the school days at Thornhill Community Academy also came sobering reminders of how tumultuous life as a teen can be and why teachers play such a key role—no one will forget watching English teacher Mr. Burton help Musharaf overcome his stammer.

And now, with Mr. Burton promoted to headteacher and a whole new generation of students within its walls, Educating Yorkshire series 2 has already got off to a flying start.

The standout star of episode 1 was Amy, whose candid admissions about self-esteem had viewers in tears, who wanted nothing more than to give the year 8 pupil a hug.

Tonight, viewers saw Amy take centre screen, one of her first lines being: ‘The only reason I go [to school] is for the hash browns and my friends.’

Viewers have massively warmed to year 8 pupil Amy (Picture: Tom Martin/Channel 4)

But audiences soon became aware that there was more to her than her comedic quips, as Amy confessed to not feeling ‘confident’.

‘I’m just a mixture of random stuff that, put together incorrectly, made me,’ she told cameras, as Amy explained that she had developed Tourette’s over the summer. Tourette’s syndrome is a neurological disorder that ‘may cause sudden, unwanted and uncontrolled rapid and repeated movements or vocal sounds’.

While some days, her tics feel more manageable, others leave her wanting to ‘lie in bed and disintegrate’.

To help Amy navigate her anxiety around her tics and not wanting her to ‘struggle in silence’, student manager Mr. Wilson arranged for her to have regular sessions in the school’s Wellbeing Hub.

During one session, her friend, Marcii, joined as the girls did a mental health check-in and were asked to list compliments to themselves.

‘Amy, what do you like about yourself?’, she was asked, to which the student replied: ‘I don’t know.’

During a mental health check-in, Amy was asked to list things she likes about herself (Picture: Channel 4) Alas, she couldn’t think of anything (Picture: Channel 4)

‘Positives? Erm. Nothing,’ she tearfully added later to cameras.

‘I’ve had enough,’ she told the teacher, saying the task of writing down five things she likes about herself was ‘stressing [her] out’.

‘I don’t get it, and I can’t find owt good about myself,’ she stated.

‘The thing is, Amy, we need you to be able to look in the mirror and feel positive about yourself and be able to say some positive things,’ the female staff member told the youngster.

‘I know this, but I can’t do that,’ Amy responded, her tics—such as whistling and neck twitching—worsening.

Despite the support of a friend by her side, vowing to ‘always stick up’ for Amy when others question her behaviour, viewers couldn’t help but get emotional as she revealed how she views herself.

It all got a bit much for Amy when cracks began to form in her friendship group (Picture: Channel 4) ‘I just want to give her a big hug!’, tweeted one viewer (Picture: Channel 4)

‘I adore Amy so much’, @mishybabez_ wrote on X. ‘Protect her at all costs’.

@beccynotbecky echoed: ‘I love Amy, I just want to give her a big hug!’

‘Considering everything she has to contend with Amy has an old head on young shoulders. She is amazing’, praised @KDCunliffe.

‘Amy represents why this programme is so IMPORTANT showing her struggles and resilience with tourette’s syndrome’, wrote @atvfriend, adding: ‘She’s such a lovely girl clearly great with her group of friends’.

‘Protect this little treasure at all costs. Heartbreaking that she cant think of a single thing she likes about herself’, said @Clareglitter.

Educating Yorkshire last aired in 2014 – now, English teacher Mr. Burton has been promoted to head (Picture: Channel 4) The nation wept watching him help student Musharaf overcome his stammer (Picture: Channel 4)

Later on in tonight’s episodes, viewers felt for Amy once more when she grew tearful over rising tensions in her social circle.

‘I’m just worried that we won’t be able to patch things up,’ she confided in Mr. Wilson, who left the room to fetch her pal for a heart-to-heart, cameras cutting to Amy wiping her eyes with a tissue.

Thankfully, Amy and Millie were able to reconcile, while viewers remained rooting for Amy throughout.

@paulcurwen hailed her as an ‘early star’ of the series, while said @nob_the_builder: ‘I hope she realises she’s a beautiful soul & realises her worth’.

Educating Yorkshire airs Sundays at 8pm on Channel 4.

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