Ms Halsey

Bad Teacher, available now in Sky Cinema on demand. Cert 15. Also available in HD

Drinking, smoking, swearing, sleeping in class… no, we’re not talking about a student with a one-way ticket to detention. Cameron Diaz stars as a misbehaving Miss in this riotous comedy about a teacher who returns to the classroom after her retirement plans go awry. Here’s hoping Ofsted don’t do a surprise inspection anytime soon!

Dr Jones

Raiders Of The Lost Ark

With all his whip-cracking, boulder-dodging, Nazi-thwarting adventures, it’s easy to forget Indiana Jones (or Henry Walton Jones Jr, to give him his full name) has a day job as a Professor of Archaeology. He’s basically that teacher you had who surprised everyone when he revealed he did a spot of abseiling on the weekends.

Ms Norbury

Mean Girls, available now in Sky Cinema on demand. Cert 12. Also available in HD

“Ms Norbury, you’re a successful, intelligent, caring, graceful woman,” Principal Duvall tells Tina Fey’s calculus teacher in this classic teen flick. And although Ms Norbury doesn’t quite believe it, it’s true. But for all her empathy and emotional acuity, let’s get one thing straight: she’s more than capable of delivering some absolute zingers when required.

Mr Keating

Dead Poets Society

The late Robin Williams earned a Best Actor Oscar nomination for his towering performance as a passionate English teacher who shows his buttoned-up students how to live life to the full. Full of vim and vigour, Keating is one of those rare, inspirational educators few are lucky enough to have during their school years. “O Captain! My Captain!” (Now get off the tables, please.)

Mr Finn

School Of Rock, available now in Sky Cinema on demand. Cert PG. Also available in HD

So what if he’s not technically not supposed to be anywhere near a school? Lessons would be positively awesome with Mr Finn at the helm. Jack Black is at his zany, aorta-straining best in this hit comedy about a substitute teacher’s attempts to transform his stuffy students into rock stars.

Mr Dunne

Half Nelson

This edgy indie drama turns the inspirational teacher trope on its head. Ryan Gosling’s Mr Dunne works at a Brooklyn school, but his personal life is spinning dangerously out of control due to his drug habit. Can a platonic relationship with a student help pull him out of the darkness? A critical hit, Gosling’s performance saw him receive a Best Actor nomination at the 2006 Oscars.

Mr Thackeray

To Sir, With Love, available now in Sky Cinema on demand. Cert PG. Also available in HD

Sidney Poitier teaching at a tough East London school? It happened! Well, on film. The arrival of Poitier’s Mr Thackeray at North Quay Secondary School doesn’t go down too well in this acclaimed social drama, with the students going out of their way to make his life a misery. But things soon change when he insists on treating them like adults.

Mr McAllister

Election

When the overachieving Tracy Flick (Reese Witherspoon) announces she’s running for student body president, popular teacher Jim McAllister (Matthew Broderick) feels compelled to quell her rise to power. The question is, how dirty is he willing to fight to stop everyone from picking Flick? This sharply satirical comedy is as relevant now as it was 20 years ago.

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