Bad Education S3E1 - "Strike" Recap

It's summer term and Alfie's pupils have gone through a great many changes. Rem Dogg has gone emo, Jing is having a teenage existential crisis brought on by reading a great deal of French literature. Joe turns up with his head shaved because his mother was concerned about lice.

Alfie's father Martin has been appointed as the new deputy head following the end of his marriage to professor Green, who ended up running out with all his money. Alfie briefly tries getting Rosie to let his father move in with them in their new flat but she refuses. Martin's first job is to increase class sizes and fire a member of staff after Fraser invested the twenty grand raised at the fundraiser in his own clothing range, Dolce and Go-Banter. The worst performing teacher is set to lose their job and Rosie reacts by organising a strike.

Alfie ends up with a new pupil in his class, Cleopatra. She's tough, no-nonsense, and confrontational. She clashes with all the new pupils and Alfie. She gets into a bit of a tousle with Mitchell and it only breaks up when Alfie threatens to begin spelling out the name of a character that will die in season 5 of Game of Thrones.

The teachers begin their evaluations by Martin and other board members. Rosie storms in to tell Alfie that she has organised a strike for the teachers and he heads outside to join them. Mitchell develops a romantic interest in Cleopatra, she nicknames him "salad," Stephen basks in the opportunity to speak to the press, and Jing is still working her eccentric existential crisis. Later, some supply teachers roll up to the class. The journalist that writes a story based on Stephen's interview spins it into painting the pupils as being the stupidest in Britain. Chantelle is stressed about potentially failing her GSCEs after learning that she would need them in order to go to beauty school.

Alfie's concern for his pupils reaches a breaking point where he says he will quit so that his students get back to work. Mitchell tries to impress Cleopatra by tossing a roasted pig off the roof with Jing. It nearly hits Alfie but Joe pushes him out of the way and takes the brunt of the impact. She berates him for his stunt and Joe seriously considers eating the pig, having grown tired from his mother's imposing a vegan diet on him and the hunger strike he had been on while the teachers were striking.

Fraser comes bursting out to say that he has sold his flat and therefore, Alfie will not have to lose his job. He then asks Martin if he can move into his car with him. Alfie then warns Martin that his car will look different but that he was really angry at the time. Martin then finds that his car has been covered in a collage of pornography. Cleopatra finds it hilarious and Alfie causally mentions that Mitchell was responsible, thus giving him a boost to her opinion of him. Mitchell later thanks Alfie for the gesture.

The episode concludes with the class all playing foosball together, Alfie telling his pupils they are like his family, and then becoming horrified to realise he has left Rem Dogg outside this whole time, still chained up to the gate to try to keep the temporary teachers out during the strike.

Bad Education airs on Tuesdays on BBC Three at 10PM.