Sex Education Gives Up All Pretense Of Being Like A Real School In Season 3

The fictional school in Sex Education has always been a bit unrealistic, but in season 3, Moordale Secondary School becomes even more wildly far-fetched. The Netflix Original series follows a group of British students as they navigate sex, friendship, and relationships. Season 3, which debuted in September 2021, introduced a variety of new Sex Education cast members, including Jemima Kirke as Hope Haddon, the new headmistress at Moordale.

Sex Education has always required audiences to suspend disbelief for Moordale Secondary School — after all, it was the birthplace of Otis and Maeve’s sex advice business in season 1 (something one wouldn’t expect a school would allow), and much of the show’s action takes place on campus. Furthermore, fans and critics of the show have pointed out that Moordale combines characteristics of British and American school systems. Dramatic sexual exploits are rampant at Moordale and it has earned a rather unorthodox reputation by season 3, even being dubbed the “sex school” by outsiders.

In the first two seasons of Sex Education, Moordale has seen a chlamydia-induced mass hysteria outbreak, an erotic alien-themed school play, and many more practically implausible scenarios. The actions of villain Headmaster Groff in Sex Education season 2 were also ridiculous and unlikely, such as when he leaked Jean’s counseling notes in an act of petty revenge. However, when Groff is replaced by Hope Haddon in season 3, the chaos at Moordale really takes off — and the show is no longer giving any pretense to being relatable to real schools whatsoever.

Moordale’s new headmistress is a strict and old-fashioned leader who plans to reform the school’s rebellious, racy reputation. Many of Hope’s changes make sense, such as her uniform policy and her decision to tear down the abandoned bathroom on Moordale’s campus — but others are so extreme that they are difficult to believe. Hope makes students wear humiliating signs when they misbehave, a punishment that feels like a relic of the past. She also harasses and belittles LGBTQ+ students at Moordale and pushes homophobia with a new sex education curriculum. One of Hope’s most unbelievable moments is when she locks new Sex Education season 3 character Cal in an empty classroom during Moordale’s open day, an act which would surely be illegal but which goes unaddressed in the show.

Hope’s drastic actions as headmistress further highlight the pre-existing pandemonium at Moordale, which only escalates in Sex Education season 3. Students are seen having sex in classrooms, Rahim throws a sock filled with excrement out the window of a bus during a school field trip to France, and at one point, a student runs around naked on school grounds with only a goat to cover his modesty. The streaking student is even filmed by reporters, who are also inexplicably ever-present at Moordale. After a chaotic open day at the end of Sex Education season 3, Moordale loses its funding and is condemned to be shut down. This adds a sobering note of realism to the school’s otherwise unrealistic portrayal; however, regardless of Moordale’s future, the absurd events that take place there in Sex Education undeniably make for good entertainment.

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