DON'T MAKE ME ANGRY

BACKGROUND

SERIES 1

Yolande Beckles (programme 2)

Yolande Beckles is a Trinidad-born, 'self-made entrepreneur' with a no-nonsense attitude to education. She believes that every child should fulfil their potential, no matter who they are or where they come from. Yolande is ambitious, hard-working, and on a mission to change Britain's education system. As the founder of Global Graduates (see Links), an ethnic minority training and recruitment organisation, she works with high-achieving ethnic minority students to encourage them to fulfil their potential.

She was in involved in the controversial three-part documentary Don't Mess with Miss Beckles, which was screened on BBC2. Working in Fortismere School in London, Yolande's challenge was to use her strict disciplinarian methods to turn under-achievers around over the course of a term.

SERIES 2

Ritalin (Programme 1)

Ritalin is prescribed to children and young people with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). It is taken by thousands of British children and 4 million in the United States, and the number of prescriptions for the drug is increasing. But opponents of Ritalin, labelled a 'wonder drug', believe it may be addictive and has dangerous side-effects.

Ritalin is a mild stimulant – an amphetamine – that works on the central nervous system to improve concentration. There is also concern that doctors are prescribing the drug without considering alternative treatments.

Ubisoft (Programme 2)

Ubisoft is a leading international developer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment products. It has the second largest in-house development staff in the world, with 15 studios in 11 countries. The top-selling game is Rayman® with 17 million units sold worldwide. The games portal Ubi.com attracts 5 million unique visitors each month. Its headquarters are in Montreuil-sous-Bois, France.

Home schooling (Programmes 2 and 3)

Home education is a long-established legal right in the UK. While there are no official figures, research suggests that currently around 50,000 (0.5%) UK children of compulsory educational age are being home educated.

Lupus (Programme 3)

Lupus is an incurable immune system illness, probably genetic in origin and mainly suffered by females. It's systemic, in that it can affect any part of the body. Some 50,000 people are now thought to have lupus in the UK.

Young carers (Programme 3)

Around three million children in the UK have a family member with a disability, although not all take on a caring role that is inappropriate for their age. Few parents want their children to be carers but it can happen for many reasons, such as families being isolated, being afraid of outside interference or feeling unsupported.