Valerie Chambers

Valerie "Val" Chambers is a music teacher at Waterloo Road High School. She is also the school's union representative.

Val was previously a professional singer, having performed at Glastonbury. Wendy Whitwell said that she saw Val perform at The Academy in 1996.

Series 11[]

Val becomes concerned for Danny Lewis's welfare after another resident of the hostel he is staying at threatens him. After she and Joe Casey tell him that his mother is living in Birmingham and does not want contact with him, she finds him after school living out of his locker, being too afraid to keep his valuables at the hostel. Feeling sorry for him, she lets him stay at her house for the night despite knowing that it probably isn't allowed. In Series 11 Episode 4, she decides to let Danny stay with her permanently.

After Danny stabs his mother's boyfriend Vinny McCullen when Vinny comes into school to attack Danny in an attempt to get back the money Danny stole from him, Val risks everything when she takes the knife and hides it from the police as Danny is arrested.

Series 12[]

At the start of Series 12, Val is convinced that Danny is going to walk away scot-free after a visit to the solicitor, but later, after encouragement from Kim Campbell, Danny puts out a video message to everyone at the school in which he admits he is guilty and says he will confess everything to the police. Val is furious with Kim for this. Danny is given a youth conditional caution and sent to a prison-like Pupil Referral Unit (PRU).

In Series 12 Episode 3, Val is annoyed when she finds out that the school is making cuts to the arts departments in order to fund additions to the science and technology departments, and even more so when she is made to cover a science class when a science teacher calls in sick, and a video of Val snapping at the pupils ends up going viral.

In Series 12 Episode 4, after Shola Aku uncharacteristically acts up in Val's class and bruises are later spotted on her arm sparking fears that she is being abuse, Val goes round to Shola's house, where she finds her helping her mother Abena to her feet after a fall, with Abena gripping Shola's arms too tightly, which is what is causing the bruising. It is revealed that Abena has fibromyalgia and Shola has been taking on more and more carer duties as her father is away with work more. Val reports back to the school and they arrange a young carer's assessment for Shola.

Val is devastated when Danny dies in a fire at the end of the series.

Series 13[]

At the start of Series 13, Val is still struggling in the aftermath of Danny's death. She fails to properly support Samia Choudhry against Stace Neville winding her up in class, and later when Kim offers her the chance to run the school's new life skills curriculum, Val refuses.

Later in the series, Val braids Kelly Jo Rafferty's hair for Jamaican culture day.

Towards the end of the series, during inset day when the staff are at St Clements Academy for teacher training sessions, Val is shocked and concerned when she hears about the strictness of what pupils can get detention for at schools under Lowry Community Academies academy trust, which Waterloo Road is in the process of joining.

Series 14[]

In Series 14 Episode 1, Val is among the staff who react with dismay when now-acting headteacher Joe brings them into the new "staffroom", a tiny cupboard-like space with no seating, and tells them that the large fully-furnished staffroom that they saw when they first came to the new building is being refurbished into a charging hub for the students' tablets. When Amy lets slip to the staff that Joe offered to bump up her salary with a TLR payment, there is uproar and Joe is soon accused of cronyism. He abates the staff by telling them that all of them are being offered these payments, but later has to tell them that it is not viable as the school is already way over budget. There is further uproar among the staff when Joe suspends Neil for restraining Dean on the floor after Dean tried to punch him. As the staff protest at Joe again, he escapes into a lift, which promptly gets stuck between floors. Neil sarcastically labels this a 'serious access issue', and Val and the rest of the staff close the school 'for safety' and walk out, leaving Joe stuck in the lift. Steve Savage later chastises them all in the pub for contravening their conditions of service by allowing the children to go home without authorisation, and encourages them to find a peaceful resolution.

In Series 14 Episode 4 Val is lambasted by Steve Savage for giving her A-Level Music students crib sheets ahead of an important mock exam. He forces the students to retake the exam, telling Val that any students who fail will be taken out of the subject. Noel McManus, Val's most talented student, only gets 10%. Val protests that Music is the subject Noel cares the most about, and when Steve refuses to allow him to continue studying it, she leaves the school. However, her students rally and secretly change the venue of the Battle of the Bands concert to instead take place at a youth centre so she can attend. Steve arrives as his son Billy sings his late mother's favourite song. Seeing his son's performance and the students' dedication to their subject and to Val, Steve reconsiders his approach and offers to work with the Academy Trust to get BTECs and T-Levels implemented into the curriculum for less academically gifted students. Val agrees to come back to the school to help her students get the provisions they need to succeed.

Series 15[]

In Series 15 Val is seen to have a lot more responsibility in safeguarding and pastoral when Stella says to Amy that she will pass only the concerns to Val and not Joe, Thus meaning Val is seen as a Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead.

Personality[]

Val is a kind teacher who the students like and listen to, and she is able to control the kids in her care without much trouble. She is shown to care deeply about her students, and their welfare, showing an especially protective attitude towards Danny Lewis when he was having problems living in the hostel, and continuing to show this throughout the rest of the series. Val is a good listener and prefers to try talk to the child about any issues they are facing instead of shouting. She is good friends with Joe Casey and has helped him deal with troubled students in the past.

Trivia[]

Val began teaching Danny to play the guitar when he moved in, and gifted him a guitar in Series 11 Episode 4.
Val is seen to have undertaken Head of Department & Deputy Safeguarding Lead Duties when Amy reports a safeguarding concern and Stella says she will report it to Val.
Val's actress, Shauna Shim, also previously appeared in Waterloo Road in Rochdale in Series 7 Episode 1 as DS Mitchell, one of the police officers who dealt with the case of the baby abandoned in the changing rooms by Ali Redback.

Quotes[]

"There's traffic backing up on the road, Kim, apparently there's been some kinda shunt as well." (first line)

Neil: "Look, the conversation should be about historical context, not cancel culture!"
Val: "And you won't find a 'Jimmy Savile Secondary School' on my bus route."

"It just doesn't seem right, not when I've got two bedrooms doing nothing. No, this is stupid, grab your stuff, you can come and stay with me."

Val: "Danny. Uh, no complaints so far, he irons his uniform, and makes his bed. I'm even teaching him a bit of guitar."
Joe: "Val, I can't even get mine to flush the toilet. I know. You've struck gold, my friend."

"Danny! Danny, I do not run, on principle!"

"I'm not talking as a teacher, I'm talking as the closest thing he's got to a parent!"

"There is no GCSE in that, Samia Choudhry! I want you both dressed and downstairs in one minute!"

Val: "So it's not purely to justify what you've done to this school?"
Kim: "That is not fair. I did the right thing for Danny, the only thing!"
Val: "You keep telling yourself that."

Danny: "It's gonna be like a mini prison."
Val: "It's a PRU, not youth offenders'."

Val: "You're not, are you? You're cutting GCSE music?"
Kim: "Nothing's been decided yet, but we both know numbers are falling. It's not you. Right, you are a great teacher."
Val: "I heard you were once, an' all. An art teacher championing the kids to express themselves. What happened?"

Val: "What's lame is your entitled attitude! Why should me and Miss Spratt go to the effort to give you the chance to perform, when you just disappear as soon as things get a little bit difficult?"
Verity: "Maybe because it's your job and you get paid for it."
Val: "Oh do I?! Do I get paid for the evenings and weekends I spend putting together events and playlists to inspire you lot?! For the extra hours listening to you rehearse the same piece over and over, until it's exam gold standard?! Look at yourselves, man! Drama and music are a joy! A means of expression, a voice, an escape, a journey that lasts a lifetime! You wanna waste that opportunity, that's fine! Just don't waste my time!"

"When you're ready for lunch, just give me a text. You can't go anywhere on your own, so if you need the loo, Donte holds your hand."

"Here we go again. Me? The glorified supply teacher?"

"Can you be trusted with a pen, or shall I get you some crayons?"

"Sod the briefings! Where are we supposed to go for a gossip?! Have a cry?!"

"Wow. An actual staffroom, what a luxury!"

"I came into this job to support young people to do the best that they can do, not throw them on the scrapheap because they don't match up to some arbitrary marking scheme!"