Breadline Britain: pawnshops and private schools | Guardian Investigations 

She should be the poster child for social mobility. Great attitude

Where is she now??? I want to follow her journey.

That young lady is amazing to have gotten in there all on her own.

ENGLAND'S POOR WORKING PEOPLE' TAXES TAKE CARE OF THE ROYALS BUT,CANT AFFORD TO TAKE CARE OF THEMSELVES AND THEIR FAMILIES THATS SO SAD AND WRONG

Well done girl!! Go to Oxford, study law, enjoy your life, help your mum that loves you!! Well done!!

I wonder what's happened to this young woman? She has so much drive, and I hope she goes far. This was a tear jerker.

Both mother and child are fantastic advocates for women. Doing everything they can for each other - that's what life should be about. I also loved the way that the mother never forgot where her family came from. This country was born out of the blood sweat and tears of the working class. I am confident that Niamph (pretty name btw) will be successful. I just feel sad that she was ostracized so badly that she felt she had to leave. I hope that winning the bursary will stand her in good stead in the future.

This woman does not know how blessed she is to have this child! I had a very supportive mother, so although we were rural poor people in Jamaica, I was able to excel at school. I thank God everyday for the mother He gave me. Without Jesus and my mother I would never have been able to go as far as I have academically. I pray that this young lady will excel in school and life so that she can be the hope and prosperity for her family. :-)

To watch this and then to find out at the very end that she ended up feeling she had to leave? What a let-down and what a waste of a very clever and hardworking young girl's dreams--and her mum's sacrifices for her. I understand the Guardian is trying to make this little girl a poster child for many others in a similar situation, but it isn't very creditable. If you go to the trouble of making a film about her, at least make the school aware of the problem, maybe help with some peer counselling, have a word with the guidance counsellor. And buy her a damn laptop.

I was really affected by this documentary that gave the family the platform to speak so eloquently. Although it is clear that her daughter is her jewel,this lady has a lot to be proud of. I hope that the country gets Niamh as a future Prime Minister. Or at least that she stands in Parliament. This country needs a Parliament of equilibrium, intelligence, bravery and understanding comprising more women. There is still much to change.

When I was in secondary school I was awarded a scholarship for Wells Cathedral School. Fortunately there was a local community group which would fundraise and give out grants to people in need of certain things, such as if someone needs a new suit to attend job interviews or, like recently, they bought a young girl a violin as she was accepted to a music school but couldn't afford her own violin. They paid for my uniform every year and now I donate money each year to pay for a couple of uniforms for other kids on scholarships. I wouldn't have been able to attend without their help.

I'm a dyslexic failure who managed to get into a private school by sheer luck and personal circumstance....yet so many of my classmates blew away opportunities to achieve good grades by partying, once more the parents hosted these events.

Niamh is a real credit. Hope she keeps pushing to get on in life xx

I loved this young girl's attitude about school...she didn't see the dark only what she COULD do..I hope she can find her way back to that. I wish them all the best in the future.

I guess the perceived social class barrier is hindering their chance for social mobility. In Singapore, all our public schools are good schools, so most of us 'commoners' have a pretty good chance of finding success on my own merits, not through a privileged birth. Yes we do have some elite schools for the really smart (and some for the rich), but the disparity is no near what I've seen in the UK. I think British citizens should force their MPs and Ministers to send their kids to public schools. If the country's leaders do not trust their own education system, what gives them the right to advocate all their great policies and ideas, it would just be a great big bunch of hypocrisies.

What a shame she had to leave the school! I really hope she got into Oxford, she deserves it 100%. You don't get to see many kids with her attitude towards school :(

Her mums heart was obviously in the right place, but I wonder if her continuous highlighting of the social class differences between her daughter and her classmates eventually contributed to her feeling like an outsider.

I can relate to Fran. I was a single Mum and managed to get one of my daughters into private school. Getting uniforms and books was expensive. I was happy to sacrifice for my daughter. Frans doing her best.

it was at the point she said she would like to get her mum a new home . what a lovely girl

WE NEED AN UPDATE. I pray she made it.

"Thats not for the like of us" is the kind of mentality that has destroyed social mobility in this country.

This was so inspiring. A complete mind opener, more people should watch this. What a great mum and what a great child. Bless her. Things need to change, she’s too right.

Great young lady! I wish her and her mum the very best!

Oh Niamh, what a shame you felt you had to leave your school, the end if this video brought a tear to my eye. I'm sure you will achieve your goals and dreams whatever school you attend. What an amazing young lady you are, you can tell your mum is very proud of you and rightly so.

I am so very very proud of these lovely people and wish them the very best for the future. What has happened to us ? Why can't genuine people like this get the help they deserve ? It leaves me speechless...............

Lovely people ! What a lovely mum! No grudges ! Just a good living person 🌹🌷

Amazing child, brilliant mind, beautiful attitude and clearly the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. The school must have realised what a gem they had in this girl and its just a shame the bursary doesn't go further than the cost of schooling but I suppose that's worth thousands alone. I hope all her dreams come true, she deserves them.

My son, got a 75% scholarship to go to a private school which is the highest award anyone can get at this particular school. However, we still had to find the 25% which was only made possible by a charity. So we were very lucky ! We still also had to get all the different types of uniform, sports kits and sports equipment and we haven't had to pay for the expensive trips that they go on yet due to covid which I'm dreading ! I must say though, my son is getting the most amazing school experiences, has made lots of lovely friends and has access to some of the best teaching staff that I've ever had the pleasure to meet ! It was well worth the worry about financing it all and the borrowing from Peter to pay Paul too. I was deeply saddened to see that this young lasses experience at grammar school was a negative one and I think the school should of helped more to rectify the bullying she received !

I wonder what became of this wonderful child. Heartbreaking ending. I hope all is going well for her now.

What an amazing young girl, so much respect for her. Never give up and keep pushing yourself x

I endured similar when my sons attended a Surrey school, however, they excelled and ended up at Uni, despite having been brought up on council estates. If you have faith and love your children, they will be a credit to you.

this young lady is amazing, no matter which school she attends she will succeed, she has what it takes wishing her all the very best

What a great little girl, well done her. Mum should get more help. Well done both of them.

Such a clever girl, i wish her all the best.

Good for her, she is one of the few kids that I've seen on shows about Britton's youth that has a positive attitude of wanting to learn and get out of where she is now. Hope her Mum keeps seeing the benefit of her daughter making something of herself.

good on the girl and her mother, break this pathetic social class system in the UK

What a shit end to a nice story, feel sorry for her !

The sacrifices her mother's had to make is mind boggling. As I'm probably never having kids I'd like to help kids like this, financially. Maybe if the mother had a gofundme or something?

This beautiful young lady is going to go very far. What a truly wonderful and amazing mum.

what a fab girl. well done on taking it upon yourself to apply. I hope you have a succesful life. you deserve it babes x

Wow. This is one of the most powerful videos I've ever seen.

You are an amazing little girl, your determination brought tears to my eyes. Your are an absolute credit to your mum. The mum did her best to the extent she even went to loan sharks and paid back triple of what she borrowed. More fool them lil brat children that made her feel like an outsider, that is just scare tac tics because the young girl was smart. Keep your head held high darling & continue to look after your mum just as she looks after you .

I love the idea that the girl is always thinking of her Mum. Get her a granny flat and stuff. What a beautiful family.

this girl is a winner she will succeed against all odds ......

She is a very clever girl and her mum is loving with lots of amazing support. I used to work as a teacher and I did my degree in North Wales. Some of the schools I went to for practice were different, one didn't make the children wear school uniform. Her mum had to spend around 1000 pounds on the school uniform. I am upset she had to leave the posh school. I think that the other children should have been kind to her. Every child has feelings. One school I taught in was a village in an expensive area. I lived in a caravan to teach there. In the end I found more local teaching work so I went back to live in my cottage.

Thank you for your video. Stay positive and healthy, I have asthma, I know exactly what you are going through. Love to you and your beautiful family!.

What an amazing and inspiring young lady! She figured out how to get into that school all on her own which is amazing. With that determination she will make it out of poverty and into the middle or upper class.

I hope she done really well. I would love to know how they are now. They should do a follow up programme. Hope you are both doing well xx

does the (guardien) not remunerate the people they interview?And why was there no social service follow up ,when the child had problems of adaptation.Are there no associations in leeds? I am shocked ,what budget does the Council control to let this area look so unkempt and desolate .shame on you Cameron what a way to run a country.

she sounds a decent girl, i really hopes she achieves what she wants too!

Part of me feels that the.mother is to blame for Niamh not settling.. She kept the division between the classes alive.. It's so sad

Oh my HAT!! What an absolutely outstanding young lady! You can't keep a good man down but you certainly can't a young lady either🎓🎓 she will grow up and be such an example to the girls struggling. Bless you all really amazing to watch.

This young girl is amazing and so is her mum reminding her to never forget where she came from. Shame it didn't work out at her grammer school, she can do well without going there

How verry verry sad,I'm sure she will achieve great things though,it's almost a mirror image of my daughter,we moved from a sink council estate in Manchester to Devon,my daughter worked hard and won a place in one of the top five grammars in the country,I must admit we felt slightly intimidated but my daughter went on to gain a degree in bio medicine and a degree in pure medicine,,she has worked hard in London as a doctor,and is now moving back to Devon,to live and work with her family.

this is so moving

My friend got into Cambridge from a comprehensive he did it without school help got great job in Banking

Heartbreaking

Oh no...so dissapointed. ..she should have stayed there, and people should mind their own business. they did everyrhing they possibly could for her to be there, and she proved that she deserved it...i hope someone from that school saw it and made her come back!

That attitude has nothing to do with being rich or poor, rather a lower middle-class attitude - the sort of attitude one would expect at a low-end fee-paying school like Leeds. At my first (a public) school, there was a wide range of incomes - often, boys would attend because their family had attended for generations. The school would foot the bill, as, despite having titles and huge houses, the upkeep on the properties meant the boys were always poor. I remember visiting one of my friend's estates in winter - he would sit on one of the hot plates on the Aga, I on the other, as it was the warmest place in the house. There were also lots of children with bursaries, choir or sport scholarships etc who came from low income families. No one was looked down upon, because we all lived and studied together.

Is there an update on these two? It's such a shame she felt like she had to leave. I've always felt like a bit of an outsider. But I dont let that stop me any more. Stuff what others think! It would be nice to know how shes getting on a few years down the line!

This is such a lovely story I know Niamh is going to do great things, her mum should be very proud. ❤

Apply as a foreign student in Canada, We would love to have this student.

I would love to know how she’s getting on now ?

So glad she is going to a better school. I know you are proud of her mom. You both are lovely and i adore your hair and beautiful eyes. You will both come out of this in the end.

This was 8 years ago… this video just randomly showed up on my feed. I wonder what happened to this family😢

really nice to see that poor lass getting on in life i hope she really does well in life.

lovely caring mother.its nice to see

She deserves this for taking the initiative on her own. She has a great attitude. Surely they school can provide a grant for uniform & travel.

I cannot believe the lovely intelligent girl left the school!! Why didn’t the guardian step in and buy or donate a laptop to her? I’m so upset about he outcome i was so proud of her ambition and determination… 9 years on where is she now?

Amazing amazing mother!

sad that she felt left out

Great mom great daughter never give up

her mother is doing what she can to support her daughter. Hard for her at the moment, but it will pay off it time x

What a lovely girl wanting to look after her mam like that so so nice

You go girl !xx

Good people rite here I just hope she's doing better in 2016 with her schooling.

Good on you girl for having a good go

And her mam god love her borrowing to get her child through so so good of her

I am so proud of you and hope all your dreams come true.

That's insane! Why would she leave!?

what a shame she left x

Great mom and daughter love them

Beautiful. Nothing else

That's ashame she had to leave the school 😟

Thats very short sighted of the school. They should be more aware of the students financial situation and recognise that they may be unlikely to afford the extras and that by not providing these the bursaried students are more likely to drop out and then the money they DO invest is wasted

The system is the problem along with the help of the chosen few who think they're above those from 'poorer' areas, this rubbish has been ongoing since state grammar schools were turned into so called comprehensives, it gives our supposed 'lower class' nothing to strive for as they see class after class 'graduating' to then languish on the dole or take up some rubbish minimum wage job and as usual the political class are behind it all. We had a good grammar school in this town with a decent proportion of those leaving going on to universities and into good jobs, all sons and daughters of miners, seamen etc, the jobs were destroyed by the Tories and the place, once proud and hard working, has evolved into a dole wallas paradise because without those educational bits of paper there is no longer any work for the masses, a disgrace for a country which classes itself 'first world'.

@theguardian any way I could donate to this family?

We left England in 1977 to live in the USA. We saw no future for our two grade school children even then. The enormous comprehensive school available to us seemed to produce unruly and ignorant kids. I used to buy clothes for the children from Oxfam. The country was on a 3 day week with miners strikes. I used to apportion out food daily for the week sorting through pennies. This story is not as uprise, but the whole country seems to have deteriorated so badly. It is heartbreaking to see this struggle. As another writer suggested, professional help is required. On another note we visited Yorkshire this year. What really shook me was the huge tracts of endowed land and large houses. The inequity of wealth still continues, the class system in the UK I strangling growth and innovation.

I feel sorry that she had to leave the school. I wonder what happened to her?

How are the 2 ladies doing now? I hope much better 🙂

Such a shame she left. She'll be ok because her attitude shone through.

It's in Leeds were I live dint think it wo that bad

So proud of you both.....well done! Follow your dreams!

I loved this video and the mum made me laugh but the ending was sad (she got top marks ) yet honestly it didn't surprise me that she left kids can be very cruel right . Is there an update on this situation and hey girl you can still go to Oxford after working hard at a regular school hard work pays off as I tell my kids

Would love to see where she is now

I hope someone watching this was in a position to help pay for these expenses related to this young girls education.

this breaks my heart. no one should have to live like this. there is so much money in the world to go around. this is where capitalism and years of austerity has failed us.

I wonder what has happened since

I worked long hard unsociable hours and put my daughter through private school. No regrets when I see the well balanced self motivated young person that she is today.

😢