Seventh episode of Series 1.
Synopsis[]
Jack is nervous as school inspector Heather Davenport is due to visit again, and he throws an open day. Gay pupil Rory is choreographing it, and is set upon by school bully Lewis Seddon. As a result, Seddon is sent to the Cooler, where he threatens Kim and terrifies her, Jack coming to her aid and expelling him. The school comes up with an anti-homophobic bullying campaign, which impresses Heather and ensures its continued running. Holly wakes from her coma and, though she cannot recall Chlo at the car crash, Chlo believes she should testify to help Donte. Lorna is given false hope by Tom and is thus shocked to see him kissing Izzie.
Plot[]
Jack, Andrew and Kim have organised an open day at Waterloo Road as a last-ditch attempt to impress the LEA. Jack's aware that any number of things could go wrong - and he's right to be worried. His problems start when school bully Lewis Seddon takes exception to the fact that Rory Brears, an openly gay pupil, is teaching some of the Year 11 girls a dance routine. Before things can get out of hand, Kim walks in. But although Rory has gained a reprieve this time, Lewis is lying in wait next time he goes to the bathroom and flushes his head down the toilet. Andrew is amazed when Steph Haydock brazenly swans into school in French fancy dress - he thought that Jack had decided to sack her. Andrew furiously quizzes Jack - how can they expect to change the school if they keep on teachers like Steph? Jack is forced to reveal how Steph threatened him with sexual harassment. Thanks to their brief fling, she's got him over a barrel and she knows it. Luckily though, Jack has thought of a way to turn the situation around - Steph needs an intensive refresher course on how to discipline her pupils, and Andrew's the man to teach her!
Chlo is terrified when she hears that Holly has woken from her coma, and in a panic, rushes straight to the hospital to find out what she can remember of the crash. Chlo heaves a huge sigh of relief when Holly reveals that her last memory is of Donte driving and Chlo sitting in the passenger seat. She can't remember that Chlo climbed onto Donte's lap. Meanwhile, Clarence tries his best to persuade Donte to sign a statement that implicates Chlo. Donte is reluctant – he loves Chlo, he doesn't want to get her into trouble – but in the end, he realises that he has no choice.
Openly gay pupil Rory Brears is incensed that homophobic bullying is allowed to go on at the school, and in an attempt to highlight the problem, he decides to start a petition. On a day when he's being scrutinised by the LEA, this is all Jack needs. After Grantly finds Lewis and his gang in possession of some of Rory's gay men's magazines, Jack decides that it's time to call Mrs Brears in to discuss the problem. However, any chance he had of quietly sweeping the issue under the carpet evaporates when Mrs Brears backs her son 100% and joins him in circulating his petition. Luckily for Jack, LEA inspector Heather Davenport thinks the petition is a marvellous idea and congratulates him for making an effort to battle homophobia. As he observes this, Lewis decides that it's time someone taught Rory a lesson and headbutts him in full view of Kim. She drags him straight off to the Cooler.
Grantly is supposed to be supervising the Cooler, but he's late, and this provides Lewis with the ideal opportunity to corner Kim. He's aggressive and suggestive and Kim begins to panic. Worried by her absence, Andrew sets off in search of her, eventually finding her in tears in her classroom. He immediately guesses that Lewis has done something to upset her, but he's completely unprepared when he discovers just how out of control the school bully is. Jack is incensed when he hears about what's happened and decides to give Lewis a dose of his own medicine. After throwing desks around the Cooler and frightening Lewis half to death, he orders him out of Waterloo Road for good.
At the pub, Heather congratulates Jack on all of the hard work he's done at Waterloo Road, but she's unable to put him out of his misery regarding the potential closure of the school because the decision is still being made. Jack's disappointed, but not for long. Heather has had enough of talking shop and decides that she and Jack should get to know each other on a personal level. Unfortunately for Jack, Steph disagrees and brings the rest of the teaching staff along to spoil the atmosphere.
Izzie is fed up with Tom's excuses and insists that he tell Lorna about their relationship. Tom decides to bite the bullet and asks Lorna out for lunch. Lorna has convinced herself that the lunch date could be the start of them getting back together, and she's stunned when Tom asks her for a divorce. Later, Tom and Izzie find that they are alone together in the drama room and are unable to resist their mutual passion any longer. But Lorna is just around the corner and about to get a terrible shock.
Main cast[]
Staff[]
- Jason Merrells as Jack Rimmer
- Angela Griffin as Kim Campbell
- Jill Halfpenny as Izzie Redpath
- Jamie Glover as Andrew Treneman
- Jason Done as Tom Clarkson
- Camilla Power as Lorna Clarkson
- Denise Welch as Steph Haydock
- Philip Martin Brown as Grantly Budgen
- Judith Barker as Estelle Cooper
- Craig Fitzpatrick as Lewis Seddon
Students[]
- Josh Hanlon as Rory Brears (First appearance)
- Katie Griffiths as Chlo Grainger
- Lauren Drummond as Mika Grainger
- Adam Thomas as Donte Charles
- Daisy Wignall as Holly Tattersall
- Chelsee Healey as Janeece Bryant
Others[]
- Anna Wilson-Jones as Heather Davenport
- Steve Money as Clarence Charles
- Sherry Baines as Brenda Brears (One-off appearance)
