First episode of Series 14.
Synopsis[]
Waterloo Road, now fully integrated into Lowry Community Academies trust, has been relocated to a new site, and Joe has become acting head under the mentorship of Steve Savage, the headteacher of another school in the trust. His first day in charge gets off to a difficult start when the staff realise they do not have a staff room.
Joe then attempts to help Amy financially through additional payments, but cannot follow through when the rest of the staff hear of his plan and he soon faces a rebellion. Nicky sees Steve on school grounds and recognises him, as they were in a relationship as teenagers.
She later learns that her mother has died, and Steve comforts her. Schuey and Portia have been sent to different foster placements, but plan to move to Blackpool and live in their uncle's caravan. Tonya convinces Portia not to go ahead with the plan.
Libby is being trolled by text message and suspects Dean, who has returned to the school with a troubling new attitude. Libby finds an unlikely confidante in Kelly Jo, who tricks Dean into confessing. Outsmarted, he loses control and takes a swing at Neil, who restrains him on the floor. Joe is compelled to suspend Neil, who suspects Joe is acting out of retaliation.
Dean's friends turn against him and he is permanently excluded. Led by Coral, the rest of the staff make it clear that they have no confidence in Joe's leadership, and when he finds himself stuck in an elevator, the staff use this as an excuse to shut the school on the grounds of safety.
Joe realises he cannot continue as headteacher. Steve tracks down the staff in the local pub and listens to their concerns, before revealing to Joe that the trust have approached him to step in as headteacher.
Cast[]
Staff[]
- Jason Manford as Steve Savage (first appearance)
- James Baxter as Joe Casey
- Saira Choudhry as Nisha Chandra (first appearance)
- Jo Coffey as Wendy Whitwell
- Neil Fitzmaurice as Neil Guthrie
- Rachel Leskovac as Coral Walker
- Kym Marsh as Nicky Walters
- Katherine Pearce as Amy Spratt
- Shauna Shim as Valerie Chambers
- Adam Thomas as Donte Charles
- Tom Wells as Marc Todd
Students[]
- Zak Sutcliffe as Schuey Weever
- Nathan Wood as Boz Osbourne (first appearance)
- Alicia Forde as Kelly Jo Rafferty
- Liam Scholes as Noel McManus
- Tillie Amartey as Stace Neville
- Miya Ocego as Lois Taylor-Brown (first appearance)
- Thapelo Ray as Dwayne Jackson
- Chiamaka Ulebor as Shola Aku
- Noah Valentine as Preston Walters
- Summer Bird as Tonya Walters
- Hattie Dynevor as Libby Guthrie
- Maisey Robinson as Portia Weever
- Sonya Nisa as Aleena Qureshi (first appearance)
- Lucy Begg as Caz Williams
- Randi Agyare as Millie Adebayo
- Francesco Piacentini-Smith as Dean Weever (final appearance)
- Aabay-Noor Ali as Mog Richardson
Others[]
- Marie Critchley as Barbara Rafferty (final appearance)
- Kerry Howard as Serena Michelle Davies (voice only)