An edition of the Tyne Tees Television programme investigating topics affecting life in the North East. In this edition a visit ‘Learning to Listen’, the most unusual school in the north of England based in the Yorkshire Dales where unorthodox methods seem to be getting through to pupils previously considered un-teachable. Early morning on the remote Hill Top Farm at Ilton near Masham in North Yorkshire where several young people work to feed animals and lay fresh hay into stalls. A montage...

An edition of the Tyne Tees Television programme investigating topics affecting life in the North East. In this edition a visit ‘Learning to Listen’, the most unusual school in the north of England based in the Yorkshire Dales where unorthodox methods seem to be getting through to pupils previously considered un-teachable. Early morning on the remote Hill Top Farm at Ilton near Masham in North Yorkshire where several young people work to feed animals and lay fresh hay into stalls. A montage featuring some of the people who will be interviewed as part of this programme. Title: Northern Eye. The Last Chance School Sarah Kreutzer, founder of Learning to Listen, standing in the middle of a circular paddock speaks with two girls standing on the other side of a fence about how to handle a pony in the paddock called Poppy. One of the girls, thirteen-year-old pupil Beccy, comes into the paddock and Sarah gives further instruction. Nearby Sarah talks about today’s work with Beccy called ‘joining up’ about making her aware of her body language, what it means and how it affects the animal or other people. As she talks Beccy lead Poppy around in a circle. Sitting on a swing she talks about working with the horse, Sarah talks about the confidence Beccy has gained. Back in the paddock Beccy smiles as Poppy come to her, she strokes the pony’s mane. A montage of photographs showing Sarah Kreutzer growing up in Australia and her love of horses. Her teaching methods are inspired by the works of Monty Roberts the ‘Horse Whispers’, a copy of his book ‘The Man Who Listened to Horses’ is shown. Sitting in a bench Sarah talks about Monty’s book and how it changed her life. Photographs of Sarah with Monty on his farm in California. Four teenage boys walk across a field, one of them is holding a bucket. Sarah continues to talk about how many of the techniques Monty Roberts used could be applied in dealing with children where all normal schooling had failed. One of the boys seen in the field now leads a horse through a farmyard, in another fields a boy leading a herd of sheep Sarah say that until you’ve listened to the child or animal either through body language or verbally you can’t move forward. Adam, a teenager on the course, talks about those at the school listening to him and understanding what he and the other pupils have been through. Inside the farmhouse Sarah sits at the kitchen table with husband Robert and two other who help run the school to talk about the coming day. Outside an American wild-west corral and a taxi coming along the drive towards the farm. A sign at the farm entrance reads ‘Welcome to Leaning to Listen’. Sarah talks about the school day’s structure and framework. Two boys arrive by taxi at the farm as Sarah explains how she watches how each child reacts and spends time listening to and watch that child to learn his or her ‘baggage’ and then dealing with it. The boys come into the kitchen where Sarah is sitting at the table talking with her staff. In classrooms some of the boys work one-on-one with a teacher, a copy of a ‘Mutually Agreed Contract’ which each pupil and the school signs hangs on a wall. Fifteen-year-old Adam work on some math paperwork with a tutor changes to him standing in a field explaining that this is the best school he’s ever been to, in the background a tractor ploughing the field. Back in the classroom fifteen-year-old Nick sits with his tutor doing his schoolwork. Dave Broadbent, Nick’s tutor, talks about working with Nick who talks to the animals and how it is a great comfort to him, it's a way of releasing pent up feelings. In a paddock Nick calls over a calf which comes to him eating from a bucket in Nick’s hand. In the paddock Nick talks about learning to work with the animals. He describes himself as a ‘mad little boy’ when he first arrived, he doesn’t fight anymore and looks forward to coming to school in the morning. Ideally, he would like to own a farm, he talks about the relationships he has with animals. Dave Broadbent explains that children will see a different side of life and be free to make choices of their own, either be like those at Learning to Listen’ or go back to the problems they have on the street. Title: The Last Change School General views of Leaning to Lean and Hill Top Farm near Ripon, in the kitchen of the family home Sarah Kreutzer and husband Robert sit at the kitchen table chatting. In the horse paddock Beccy rides pony Poppy while in a field Nick watches over a ewe as it gives birth to a lamb. Other teenage boy stands nearby, one assisting with the birth. Mother and child sorted they heads back towards the farmhouse. Sarah Kreutzer says that pupils become different people because of the environment on the farm and the animals that are so calming. A cow eats from the bucket held by Nick who explains that he understands the animals body language. Adam says he likes watching the animals grow up, in a shed he helps two carfs feed from a trough. Back in fields Nick is supervised driving the tractor and ploughing the field. Robert Middeton, Sarah’s husband, explains that the school deals with children who have been expelled from three or four schools as well as residential schools before they are referred to Leaning to Lean. Robert goes onto say that to these pupils it a ‘last chance saloon, there is no other option’. Back at the farm an incident with a student unofficially sunbathing on the roof of a cabin. Staff and pupils stand back as the incident is de-escalated. Robert explains how he deals with such incidents by standing back, its is also a concept that Sarah’s has developed with the horses; allow then to get ‘wound up’ while you remain calm. Standing in a field near the farmhouse Sarah explains that they are in a ‘lock-down’ situation. She talks about her involvement in the situation and about it being about the child needing attention. To illustrate the point a horse in a paddock rearing up and bucks. Back at the cabin with the boy of the roof Dave Broadbent walks around watching over the situation. In the farm driveway a broke fence destroyed by the boy on the cabin roof done in frustration. The incident escalates and Sarah speaks with colleagues on a walkie-talkie about how to deal with it. She makes it clear they need to explain to the boy the consequences of his actions. She isn’t worried about such incidents, its how the team learn to help these boys. Incidents like these can be defused very quickly. In slow motion two horses running around a field, a third feeds in a paddock. Robert talks about good as well as bad days such as today and the feeling sometimes that things are going backward with their development. In a barn or workshop some of the boys work together to clean or repair farm machinery. One of the boys, Paul, who has Asperger’s Syndrome, works with Robert to maintain the plough. He has been at the school for two years; his mother Sue explains his troubled past and how the school has helped him. She also talks about her hopes for his future. Paul talks about his initial expectations of the school and what he has gained from being here. As he talks, he works around the farm ploughing a field under the supervision of Robert and helping to spread out hay in a barn. He goes on to say that since he has been at the school and working on the farm his mother’s health has improved, she is less stressed, which he is pleased about. Robert says it is the school’s priority to get the pupils either into employment or further education, but he wants them to stay in contact with the school. Nick explains how he deals with bad days, he goes to speak with Sarah and it’s a good day again. In a field Sarah works with a horse, she is asked if ‘horse whispering’ is just common-sense, Sarah agrees it’s so simple we’ve forgotten it. She doesn’t believe the school totally changes the pupils; you can’t take away the memories. However, how you choose to use those memories is what she is hoping to help them with. You can’t change what has happened, but you can change what will happen. At sunset Sarah and one of her colleagues leads two horses across the farmyard. Title: With thanks to Deborah Hayward, Alex Pearson Title: ‘Joined Up’ and certain techniques discussed are owned by Monty Roberts Credit: Camera Alistair McKenzie Sound Chris Corner, Dave Venus Book photographs Christopher Dydyk, Joseph Myk, Kyle Barker Graphics Dave Richardson Sound post production The Edge Editor Kerry Plummer Unit Manager Christine Stewart-Tilling Series Producer Mary Wimpress Executive Producer Graeme Thompson Producer/Director Chris Phipps © ITV Tyne Tees 2007 End credit: Production for ITV