Sometimes the road to doing well at school goes through surprising places, like hip hop. In 2015, the Lycée Turgot in Paris pioneered a programme for 15- to 18-year-olds that combines regular academic classes with hip hop dance. The brainchild of teacher David Bérillon, Hip Hop Turgot now has students from all over the country, as well as the city’s less privileged catchment areas. Diversity is just as important as dancing in this small programme, along with academic excellence, and the social-emotional qualities of determination, social ease, self-confidence, and the belief that one can always do better – whether at break battles, math class, or in life. The OECD’s international Survey on Social and Emotional Skills tells us that students who think of themselves as highly creative also report high levels of intellectual curiosity and persistence. At this school, dance is the key to unlocking those qualities. Hip Hop Turgot is the subject of a documentary, Allons enfants. Pascale Guy, who is an English teacher at Lycée Turgot, is one of the main teachers involved in the programme. Hosted by Clara Young and produced by Stephen Flynn.

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