It's the start of a new school year!

It's the start of a new school year!
It's the start of a new school year!

It’s the start of a new school year at Waterloo Road, which means it’s all change in the staffroom. But for new headmaster Michael Byrne, getting back into school life is making for a tough time. It transpires that at his previous school, Mr Byrne was involved in an incident with pupils which has led to him having to appear in court. Meanwhile, the students are all struggling with going back to school after Sambuca’s death – especially her boyfriend Finn. However, when he spots new girl Trudi, he immediately takes a shine to her. Back with the teachers, and newlyweds Sian and Jez Diamond are settling into their new roles as teachers of science and PE at Waterloo Road. But word soon gets round that Sian has a romantic history with Michael Byrne – something Jez is finding very uncomfortable. Plus when the Taylor boys Phoenix and Harley start acting up at school, all of the teachers are trying to get to the bottom of what’s wrong. Struggling with the loss of their grandmother that very morning, both boys are distraught at the thought of now having to go and live with their father. Taking matters into his own hands, Mr Byrne tracks down the boys’ dad and tries to build bridges between this broken family.

Patrick McLennan

Patrick McLennan is a London-based journalist and documentary maker who has worked as a writer, sub-editor, digital editor and TV producer in the UK and New Zealand. His CV includes spells as a news producer at the BBC and TVNZ, as well as web editor for Time Inc UK. He has produced TV news and entertainment features on personalities as diverse as Nick Cave, Tom Hardy, Clive James, Jodie Marsh and Kevin Bacon and he co-produced and directed The Ponds, which has screened in UK cinemas, BBC Four and is currently available on Netflix. 

An entertainment writer with a diverse taste in TV and film, he lists Seinfeld, The Sopranos, The Chase, The Thick of It and Detectorists among his favourite shows, but steers well clear of most sci-fi.