Netflix confirms Adolescence will be made available in UK schools
It has been announced that Netflix’s Adolescence is to be made available to secondary schools across the UK.
The four-part miniseries – which was filmed in continuous shots and features Stephen Graham, Erin Doherty and newcomer Owen Cooper – tells the story of a 13-year-old boy who is arrested on suspicion of murdering a teenage girl.
Following its release earlier this month, Adolescence has received unprecedented acclaim across the globe from critics and viewers alike. It has already topped the Netflix charts in over 80 countries, and has become the first streaming show to top TV ratings in UK history, charting 66.3 million views in two weeks.
Now, following a recent suggestion from co-creator Jack Thorne that the series could be used as an education tool in schools, Netflix has confirmed that they will soon be making it available for students.
Earlier today, the team behind the streaming giant announced that they are partnering with Into Film+ to make Adolescence available to all UK secondary schools.
In a statement, Netflix added: “Additionally, healthy relationships charity Tender will produce guides and resources for teachers, parents and carers to help navigate conversations around the series.”
Prime Minister Keir Starmer – who recently revealed that he had watched the show with his family – has since welcomed the news, noting that Adolescence will “hit home hard” for parents.
“It’s an important initiative to encourage as many pupils as possible to watch the show. As I see from my own children, openly talking about changes in how they communicate, the content they’re seeing, and exploring the conversations they’re having with their peers is vital if we are to properly support them in navigating contemporary challenges, and deal with malign influences,” he stated.
Jack Thorne, who co-created Adolescence with Stephen Graham, added: “We wanted to pose the question — how do we help stop this growing crisis. So to have the opportunity to take this into schools is beyond our expectations. We hope it’ll lead to teachers talking to the students, but what we really hope is it’ll lead to students talking amongst themselves.”
