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Waterloo Road is open again for a brand new term, repaired and restored following the devastating fire which gutted half the school.

Rachel Mason (Eva Pope), the Head Teacher, herself still suffering physically and emotionally from the fire's effects, is more determined than ever to get the school back on track.

Rachel's beaten her critics for the time being, including most of the school's governing body who wanted her out following the revelations about her scandalous past, but she finds herself again fighting tooth and nail to prove her worth.

She continues to spearhead the school's vocational education, and business and enterprise drive, and now she's bravely going to open the school to the community, much to the misgiving of her staff.

Rachel doggedly introduces challenging new initiatives, including a zero-exclusion policy, breakfast and after-school clubs, and adult evening classes – although some of the adults prove more of a problem than their own children. There's even a new creche for the next generation of pupils.

However, Rachel and her staff find themselves facing an even tougher problem in the new nightmarish "family from hell" – the Kellys.

Deputy Head, Eddie Lawson (Neil Morrissey), is hoping to build from where he left off with Rachel, they were becoming close weren't they?

Unfortunately, Rachel's not having any of it and it's not long before Eddie finds romance in the shape of Rachel's sister Melissa (Katy Carmichael), the newly appointed Head of External Services, but is this blossoming relationship all that it seems?

Following a gun incident in the school, Rachel appoints a new security guard Dave (Tim Healy), who takes a shine to French teacher Steph Haydock (Denise Welch). However, Steph rebuffs Dave's advances; he's not in her league.

Jasmine Koreshi (Shabana Bakhsh), however, finds love in the shape of the new PE teacher Rob Cleaver (Elyes Gabel).

Jasmine's not the only person in Waterloo Road to catch Rob's attention. Fired by his conviction that the boys can be kept out of trouble by diverting their energies he sets up a boxing class, and is especially impressed with Bolton Smilie (Tachia Newell), who's showing a real talent for the sport.

Grantly (Philip Martin Brown) is having a mid-life crisis and decides to improve his image although the way he tackles this doesn't get the reaction he intended.

Tom (Jason Done) and Davina's (Christine Tremarco) relationship is stronger than ever after the shock of the fire, and they're now happily living together in Tom's house. With Mika away at university, and Chlo and Donte reunited, and determined to find a place of their own – even if this means Donte maxing-out their credit cards – Tom and Davina are looking forward to a quiet life, but their peace is soon shattered, when they find they have new neighbours, the Kellys.

The dysfunctional Kellys wreak chaos wherever they go, and Rachel decides that she needs more than just zero tolerance to tame them.

Enter the return of Kim Campbell (Angela Griffin), to focus on pastoral care for all the pupils. With Kim firmly back in her old role, the school confronts the challenge of modern day pressures on today's kids.

The worlds of advertising, music, television, film, beauty, and obsession with the cult of the celebrity, exert pressure to conform, and although there are similar pressures on both boys and girls - everyone has to have the latest gear and gadgets - there are more demands for girls to fit into particular stereotypes.

Kim finds that her work is cut out for her when she learns that Janeece (Chelsee Healey), unhappy about her body, reacts to the images she sees in the lads' mags and makes plans to have a "boob job".

Janeece's decision divides the pupils and staff and Kim struggles to stem the tide of sexual innuendo, the proliferation of Page 3 "stunnas" and lads' mags as the school becomes a battleground of the boys versus the girls.

It's not all textbooks and white boards at this comprehensive – the personal lives and loves of the teachers and pupils are what make the drama of Waterloo Road.