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Sue Lowsley (née Spark) is a Science Teacher at Waterloo Road. She is the daughter of Robert Bain, the Head of Education for the council, and has a sister named Vix. Sue was a hopeless teacher, only in the profession because her father dissaproved of her being a flight attendant. Sue resigned after she had an affair with Hector Reid, causing the end of her marriage.

Personality

Emotional, neurotic, conceited and self-righteous, Sue appears to be more vulnerable than her husband, Simon Lowsley, and can be extremely naive at times. In some ways, she appears just as selfish as her father, and appears to care incredibly little about the education of the pupils at Waterloo Road, as seen in Series 9 Episode 9, when she lets the supply teacher take over her classes whilst she prepares the wedding list for her engagement with Simon.

She shows genuine love for her husband, Simon Lowsley , and has a brief friendship with Grantly Budgen, before his death in Series Nine, Episode Six. She was tactless in gossiping insultingly about Gabriella Wark, and also showed how she can be pathologically sycophantic, shown by her feud against Christine Mulgrew simply on account of the fact that it meant Simon would become Head Teacher in her place.

In addition, she can be self-focused to the point of insensitively insulting other teachers' methods of teaching simply because they disagree with the smallest of her opinions. Sue was also an arrogant hypocrite, shown by the fact that she turned on Nikki Boston for having an affair with Hector Reid behind Vix's back. Not long after that very incident, she had an affair with the exact same man behind Simon's back.

Series 9 Autumn Term

Sue arrives as an NQT Science Teacher under the name Sue Spark. From the start she is targeted by pupils, and they soon discover she used to be a 'trolley dolly' nicknaming her 'sick bag'. At the end of the first episode it is revealed she is engaged to Simon Lowsley, something they keep quiet about to Christine. Christine finds out about their relationship in episode two, feeling Sue is Robert Bain's spy in her school.

The true breakout of her bad day began when she arrogantly insulted Rhiannon Salt's weight, causing Rhiannon to experience a mood-swing, then get her own back by locking Sue in the chemistry cupboard, inadvertently leaving a flammable experiment to go out of control. After the disasters that followed that day, Barry Barry persuaded Sue to let him control her classes, to avoid her being sacked. This extortion was led up to by Barry sticking up for Sue throughout the whole day. Barry then started charging Sue, more and more money until Sue revealed this to Simon Lowsley who soon confronted Barry.

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Sue and Barry

Sue soon after starts taking tranqueliser pills in order to deal with the pupils. One again, Simon found out and was livid with Sue, who could have put both their careers in jepoardy.

In episode six, Connor Mulgrew, Imogen Stewart, Kevin Chalk and Dynasty Barry make a formal complaint against Sue, Christine investigates but due to Grantly Budgen's input Sue comes through it

Relationships

Simon Lowsley

Simon and Sue kept their relationship a secret from the rest of the school, until Barry Barry took Sue's phone whilst she was in the cupboard and saw that she last rang "Twinkle". As a result of Sue leaving the classroom during a Chemistry experiment, Rhiannon Salt then places a Jelly Baby into the test tube, causing it to smoulder and triggering the school's fire alarms. Barry takes Sue's phone along with him during the evacuation and once at the assembly point dials the number. This resulted in Simon Lowsley answering him phone.

In Series 9 Episode 10, Sue and Simon eloped from their wedding, deciding to marry by themselves.

During Series 10 Simon applies for a Headship down in a rural area of Wales. Successfully gaining the position, the plan was to move to Wales and start a family.

Sue and Simon divorce in Series 10 episode 9 after finding out Sue was having an affair with his best friend Hector Reid (a PE teacher at Waterloo Rad).

Hector Reid

Hector is Simon's best friend at the school, therefore Sue spends a lot of time with him. In Series 9 Episode 20, Sue and Hector kiss, due to Hector pulling Sue towards him using her phone, which he had took from her. Sue ends her relationship with Hector, abd later resigns from Waterloo Road.

Vix Spark

Vix is Sue's sister. Sue is not willing to accept the fact that Vix is gay, saying to her "You're not really gay, just confused", despite her being open about it for 10 years. When Vix's relationship with her fiancée, Nikki Boston (who also happens to be Sue's colleague), ends, Sue is her shoulder to cry on and is bitter towards Nikki, refusing to help her get into contact with her sister, thinking that it's what's best for Vix. 

Trivia

Sue's actor Vanessa Hehir is married to Hector Reid's actor Leon Ockenden. Leon and Vanessa have a three year old daughter together, called Lyla Ockenden.

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