Some love it – but for kids and parents alike, the phrase ‘back to school’ can also inspire feelings of dread and chaos in equal measure. If you’re on the hunt for something great to watch in the midst of the madness, however, you’ll find that, ironically, schools provide the perfect setting for everything from top-tier comedies to quality crime dramas, movie classics and the most heartwarming of documentaries. Pack your bag, straighten your tie, and enjoy the selection of A+ content in the , now streaming at SBS On Demand.
The Swap
What happens when students from Australia’s largest Islamic school, local Catholic colleges, and a secular state high school switch their educational environments? That’s exactly what Ali Kadri, CEO of the Islamic College of Brisbane, wants to find out in three-part documentary The Swap. On a mission to break down the insularity of these communities and prepare young people for the wider world that awaits them, Ali explores what happens when different cultures, religions, and family backgrounds collide in this pioneering social experiment. The documentary series is not only an insightful reflection on the education system in contemporary Australia, but also highlights the transformative potential it offers in bringing us face to face with difference and forming connections based on shared experience.
The Swap is now streaming at SBS On Demand.
Stream free On Demand
The Swap
series • documentary
PG
series • documentary
PG
Prom Night
A masked killer is out for revenge at a school prom so be prepared for plenty of heart-stopping moments in 1980s cult slasher film Prom Night. A group of friends are preparing for the milestone occasion but a secret from their shared past is about to derail their plans for the evening. Though they believed their involvement in the accidental death of a ten-year-old girl more than a decade ago was a dark truth only they shared, a mysterious witness could be the reason that now they, and the victim’s siblings, find themselves in the path of the killer’s bloody trail. Will any of them make it out alive? Set to a disco soundtrack, and with Jamie Lee Curtis and Leslie Nielsen at the top of the cast roll call, get ready for some serious high school nostalgia with a generous side of jump scare horror.
Prom Night is now streaming at SBS On Demand.
Bad Education
As a society, we have high expectations of our teachers and schools, but in Brit sitcom Bad Education, Alfie Wickers, played by Jack Whitehall, is a long way from the sort of upstanding individual you’d imagine educating the younger generation. "The worst teacher ever to grace the British education system" in fact – but nonetheless loved by his students. The series originally ran from 2012-2014, before making a comeback in 2023, with two former pupils returning to teach at the school in a new, fourth season. The antics of staff and students alike continue at Abbey Grove in season five, which lands at SBS On Demand on 19 February.
Seasons 1-4, along with the Bad Education Reunion Special, released in 2022 to mark the show's tenth anniversary, are streaming now at SBS On Demand. All episodes of season 5 will be streaming at SBS On Demand from 19 February.
Stream free On Demand
Bad Education
series • sitcom
MA15+
series • sitcom
MA15+
Stream free On Demand
Bad Education Reunion Special
program • sitcom
M
program • sitcom
M
Stutter School
Learning doesn’t end when you finish school, and for the four Australians embarking on a once-in-a-lifetime journey to find their voice in documentary special Stutter School: Untold Australia, they are stepping inside a very different kind of classroom. Over four intense days, the participants, aged between 12 and 64, each courageously confront the speech disorder that has overshadowed their lives and coloured their past educational experiences. Though the program they are undertaking is not marketed as a cure, each is hopeful that it can finally give them control over their speech and revive their confidence to speak without fear. Prepare to be inspired and moved by their stories in this emotional account as you follow their progress every step of the way.
Stutter School is streaming at SBS On Demand until 3 February.
Bad Genius
Exams are a reality of school life, but whenever there are exams, someone will always be tempted to cheat. For Lynn, the protagonist in Thai-language thriller Bad Genius, however, her exam-cheating scheme goes beyond a few notes scrawled on her palm for personal benefit. With a scholarship under her belt, and as one of the school’s best performing students, there’s no doubt that Lynn is able to get by on academic ability alone, but an offer to help her struggling friend work the system soon goes global and puts her own future under threat. Lynn has a decision to make: confess and risk being known as a cheat forever, or let others take the fall. As the highest grossing movie at the Thai box office in the year of its release, and one of the most internationally successful Thai films ever, it’s a gripping addition to your school-themed viewing.
Bad Genius is streaming now at SBS On Demand.
Stream free On Demand
Bad Genius
thriller • 2017
thriller • 2017
A Class Apart
In Swedish drama A Class Apart, a school becomes the stage for mystery and murder when a student at elite boarding school Tuna Kvarn is found dead. It doesn’t take long for a disadvantaged student from nearby state school Holmeredskolan to find themselves at the top of the list of suspects. As police investigate what really happened on the night in question, they find that no one is willing to talk, but a leaked video from The Zebra Room Society at the prestigious school soon sees tensions rise and leads to unexpected consequences for all involved. With a vibrant young cast, including Valter Skarsgård of the Swedish acting dynasty, and inspired by the first-hand accounts of former boarding school students, the unexpected is around every corner of this dark and gritty tale.
A Class Apart is streaming now at SBS On Demand.
Stream free On Demand
A Class Apart
series • drama • Swedish
MA15+
series • drama • Swedish
MA15+
Off Country
Geelong Grammar School remains one of the oldest and most respected boarding schools in Australia, boasting a list of alumni that reads as a who’s who of influence and success. In four-part documentary series Off Country, a group of Indigenous students share their experience of life inside the walls of this highly respected institution across a school year. For most of them, it’s a world away from their families and homes. As they struggle with questions of identity and belonging in the midst of a global pandemic, and handle homesickness while attempting to reconcile their two worlds, the students find themselves reflecting on the unique challenges they face and grappling with a tough question that has no easy answer: is it all worth it?
Off Country is streaming now at SBS On Demand.
Bring It On
There is arguably no film that better captures the early 2000s American high school experience than comedy smash hit Bring It On. Kirsten Dunst is Torrance Shipman, a student at San Diego’s Rancho Carne High School who is on the precipice of her senior year. With her boyfriend already off to college, Torrance is more focused than ever in her quest to take her cheerleading squad, the Toros, to their sixth consecutive national title, but there’s a problem. When a competing school is found to be preparing an almost identical performance, Torrance and her squad must learn a new routine, but time isn’t on their side. Get your spirit fingers ready for an emotional rollercoaster of high school proportions complete with all the relationship drama, friendship woes, and Y2K fashion you could ever want.
Bring It On is streaming now at SBS On Demand.
No bus pass or backpack required for the , which ranges from home-grown drama such as and to Italian book adaptation and into-the-wilderness German drama .
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