Wendy Whitwell is the school secretary at Waterloo Road High School.
Wendy isn't afraid to take control of a situation and always talks straight with people, even Headteacher Kim Campbell. She takes care of Danny Lewis's dog Angel after he is discovered sleeping on school grounds and is unable to take her with him to his hostel.
Series 11[]
In Series 11 Episode 1, Wendy is first seen directing some delivery men into the school. She later brings Verity and Hannah King into Lindon King's office.
In Episode 2, she offers to show Tommy Charles "where she hides the good biscuits" after he runs away from home on the morning of his mother Chlo's funeral. She also reveals to Kim that Lindon has moved out of his and his wife's house. Kim claims not to care, denying having any feelings for Lindon, but Wendy doesn't believe her.
In Episode 3, Donte Charles comes into school asking Wendy how to put money onto his daughter Izzy's dinner money card. He snaps at Wendy but quickly apologises, explaining that Chlo used to do all the dinner money stuff.
In Episode 6, Samia Choudhry asks to see Kim but Wendy says that she is busy. Wendy is later seen receiving flowers for Coral Walker in front of Donte.
In Episode 7, Wendy is seen looking after Danny's dog Angel again. Joe says she is warming to the dog. Later, she tells Kim that she is brilliant with the kids, after Kim says she might not be the kind of headteacher that the school needs.
Series 12[]
In Series 12 Episode 1, Wendy tells Kim that the LEA are sending a representative from 'Schools against Knife Crime' to the school. Kim asks Wendy to try to move this to a different day, but she is unsuccessful, and later shows the representative into Kim's office - Andrew Treneman.
In Episode 3, while Val is covering a science class, Wendy comes into the classroom to tell Val that the science teacher she is covering for will be off sick all week. Wendy also mentions to the students that she once saw Val singing on stage at The Academy in 1996. Later in the episode, she offers to look after Val's Year 10s so that Val and the Year 9s can rehearse for the upcoming poetry competition.
In Episode 4, Wendy kits out a classroom for Kim to teach a mixed media class in on her return to classroom teaching.
In Episode 5, Wendy is seen nicking one of the cakes that are supposed to be for the knife crime meeting that Kim will be hosting later in the day. Lindon and Kim also end up nicking some cakes, before Wendy gets a phone call - Ofsted are coming.
In Episode 6, a desperate Nicky Walters begs Wendy to ask the school's finance department about an advance on her wages, but Wendy refuses, saying that Sheila in finances will likely refuse. Later, when Noel McManus asks Nicky to look after a tub of charity money until Wendy arrives to collect it, Nicky momentarily contemplates stealing it, but gives it to Wendy when she arrives.
Series 13[]
In Series 13 Episode 1, Wendy is seen taking names of the new intake of low-attendance pupils. She is seen again when Kim walks in on Andrew showing her some Microsoft Excel tips and tricks. Later in the episode, Neil Guthrie tries to give her some handwritten governor's meeting notes for her to transcribe into the agenda, but she rejects them, saying it's electronic submissions only (i.e. email). Neil then asks her for advice on how to "know when a lady is interested in you" after being flirted with online by 'Coral Walker', not knowing that he is actually talking to a fake profile set up in Coral's name by Noel McManus and Dean Weever. Wendy implies that 'Coral' is interested in him because he is now a teacher governor. She later reveals to Kim that she knows that her and Andrew are together. At the end of the episode, Wendy is seen at the pub attending the staff karaoke night with the rest of the staff.
In Episode 3, Wendy is seen when Libby Guthrie comes into the school for the day when she was initially only staying for one day, and Amy asks Wendy to print off some worksheets for Libby to work on, before telling Wendy about Libby running away from her mum's in New Zealand and getting a flight to the UK alone. Later in the episode, Wendy walks in on Kim crying in her office, and Kim says it is about Andrew breaking up with her. Kim says if she never sees Andrew again it'll be too soon, but in a twist of irony, Wendy says that Andrew is on his way to the school.
In Episode 4, Kim takes the day off to look after Andrew following the revelation that he has cancer. Wendy doesn't reveal this to Lindon and Joe, instead telling them that Kim said "something about a sick aunt". It is Jamaican culture day in this episode, and Noel, one of the students on cooking duty with Nicky, attempts to ask Wendy if there are any Mexican pupils at the school, wanting to put on a Mexican culture day to give him an excuse to cook nachos, but she sends him back to class without answering his query. Later, Wendy tells Joe that the staff have been complaining about the heating being on the blink.
In Episode 6 it is inset day, and while the rest of the staff go to St Clements Academy for teacher training sessions, Wendy stays at Waterloo Road to do "admin tasks" and Marc Todd stays to teach a GSCE maths revision class. When Marc goes to ask Wendy for some past papers, he catches her watching tennis on the TV in Kim's office, but she claims she was just checking the score.
In Episode 8, Wendy mans the post of collecting vouchers for the pupils who had at least 90% attendance to get free pizza to celebrate the end of term, but abandons it after being mobbed by pupils with fake vouchers. After Kim says she is turning a blind eye to the fake vouchers, Wendy wades back in.
Series 14[]
After Kim's departure, Wendy continues as secretary for new headteacher Steve Savage.
Series 15[]
Trivia[]
- Erica Thorne calls her Cindy when she visits the school to meet Kim about the riot on the first day.
Quotes[]
- "Clipboard. Can we have a little less phone action and a bit more stairs action, please?" (first line)
- "When you've finished flashing your pecs, you might wanna get down to the main entrance. Kim's off-site, and it's all kicking off. Go team!"
- "I'll take Coral home. Not in this, obviously."
- Wendy: "Kim, I've got Schools against Knife Crime."
- Kim: "Oh, no...just tell them that I'm busy, I need to reschedule-"
- Wendy: "Yeah - this is their representative, Andrew Treneman!"
- "It's fine. I saw you at The Academy in 1996. She was sick!"
- "Yep. I also know a smart alec when I see one. Off you pop, Stacey Neville."
- Wendy: "Headteacher of five schools, still finds time to check in on us commoners."
- Andrew: "It's six schools actually, and I'm CEO of the academy trust, not a headteacher."
- Wendy: "Stand corrected, m'lord."
- "Work talk can be sexy. Absence flow charts - grrr!"
- "I'm Wendy. I'm kind of a big deal round here."
- "Are you sure you're not taking your frustrations about a certain floppy-haired gentleman in hospital out on her just a little bit? Not my business, I know! I'm sure you did the right thing, you always do."
- "Oh, hey! I was just uh, checking the score. Briefly. While uh, undergoing lots of vital admin tasks which I'm woefully underpaid for. What can I do for you, anyway?"
- "Oh, he's quite dishy, isn't he? Steve Savage. Another headteacher from one of the academy schools. They've uh, got him in mentoring Joe. Why?"
- Wendy: "Here again, Nicky?"
- Nicky: "How'd you know it was me?"
- Wendy: "The smell of chip fat."
- "Obviously I couldn't care less about you or the kids, I'm just here for a night out."
- "So, are you more Jane Tennison, or Inspector Morse? I'd say more Morse. Strong, silent type. Like me."
- "I'm uh, considering a career change. DC Whitwell. Got a bit of a ring to it, hasn't it? Actually, will be like, DI Whitwell? Cos, like, I don't wanna do myself down, do I?"