In the first episode we follow a group of children from Upland Primary School as they prepare to take the test right up until results day. Ten-year-old Joanita has had extra lessons outside school for nearly three years in preparation for the test. Summer, also ten, is one of the few children at the school who will be taking the test without any private tuition. Critics of the selection test say private tutors give an unfair advantage to the children of wealthier families but supporters argue the test is designed to be tutor-proof. If Joanita and Summer don't reach the 'selective' level, they might go to Erith School, a secondary modern which is striving to pick itself up after an Ofsted report which judged the school to require improvement. Two miles away is another possible destination if they do reach the selective level - Townley Grammar school is one of the country's best, judged to be outstanding by Ofsted.
The second part of this three-part series follows daily life at the two secondary schools. Townley Grammar is judged to be one of the best schools in the country and two miles down the road, Erith School, a secondary modern, is striving to pick itself up after an Ofsted report which judged the school to require improvement. At Erith, we meet Bradley, a Year 7 student who finds it hard to focus in class and requires regular one-to-one attention to keep him in school, and Chichi, an extremely bright student who wants to go to medical school, but comes into conflict with the school authorities. At Townley Grammar, there are far fewer problems with behaviour and even the smallest infringements are picked up on. Moesha is one of the few who rebel against the rules: 'I feel like if I was in a normal school I would have been in a lot less trouble... But this is Townley.' While the teachers at Townley don't have many discipline problems, the school employs three full-time staff to help students cope with the pressure they put themselves under to keep up with their high-achieving peers.
In the third and final part of this series, students at Erith School and Townley Grammar face their GCSE mocks. At Erith, Denisa is striving to get A grades but the school is experiencing a teacher shortage. The head of science is trying to recruit a new teacher, but until then Denisa must prepare for her exams without a permanent teacher in her science class. Two miles down the road at Townley, the students feel the pressure to get the top grades. Tanisha, 16, needs to get good GCSEs to stay on at Townley sixth form. But she is in competition with students from other schools, like Denisa, who also has her sights set on a sixth form place at the prestigious grammar school. And the headteachers of both the schools have an announcement: they are embarking on an ambitious plan to bring Erith and Townley into the same trust.