Channel 4 Commissions New Comedy Series Schooled

Schooled, written and created by Delia-René-Donaldson has been greenlit for a six-part series by Channel 4.

The series was commissioned as part of Channel 4 and GroupM Motion Entertainment’s Diverse Indies Fund, a ring-fenced fund set up to support small and medium sized ethnically diverse-led production companies to produce new projects.

Based on Delia’s real experiences in pastoral care at a London Academy, Schooled is a comedic love letter to school support staff and teachers across the UK.

The series follows Kayleigh Clarke, a newly appointed pastoral Head of Year 10 with zero teaching experience and little patience for teenagers as she faces off with everything from Ofsted inspections and AI-generated scandals to riotous Parent’s Evenings. Despite the lack of resources, overworked staff and relentless students, Kayleigh is determined to turn her lack of credentials into a strength as she forms unexpected bonds and discovers that sometimes empathy (and maybe a bit of bribery) is the best tool for survival.

Afolabi Kuti serves as Executive Producer and the writing team includes Yemi Oyefuwa (Smothered, Dreaming Whilst Black), Tyrell Williams (Time Bandits, Hoodocumentary), and script editor Jeremy Dyson (We Are Lady Parts, The Curse, Bad Education). The series will be produced by Broedmachine and Group M Motion Entertainment.

Delia-René Donaldson said: "I created Schooled to celebrate the joy, chaos, and beauty of being a Head of Year — with Caribbean essence, a sharp sense of humour, and a lot of heart. It's bold, funny, and unapologetically us! Partnering with Afolabi Kuti who has been championing my show since the beginning, we have now found a home with Channel 4, it has been equal parts laughter and magic. We've cooked up something special — and now it's time to serve it hot!"

Schooled was commissioned by Charlie Perkins, Head of Comedy and Andy Brereton, Senior Commissioning Editor, Comedy at Channel 4. It is produced by Broedmachine and GroupM Motion Entertainment and funded by Channel 4 and Motion’s Diverse Indies Fund which is overseen by Vivienne Molokwu, Senior Commissioning Editor at Channel 4 and Deep Sehgal, Head of Creative Diversity at GroupM Motion Entertainment.

Casting will be announced in due course.

channel4.com