And btw, you have to research something in order to criticise it otherwise you’d have nothing to back up your points; so everyone who’s saying “like omg why do you watch it if you don’t like it?”, shut up, you need to know your enemy.

The things that get my goat the most are the fact that the teachers never seem to be actually doing any teaching – they always seem to be either sat behind their desk marking while the kids work, or leaning over some poor kid and having a go at them. You never see the teacher actively supporting the kids with their work or working the room! This is so unrealistic of what really goes on in the classroom.

The other thing that makes me laugh is that the teachers always seem to have time to go for a drink (or three) in the local pub at the end of the school day. Last night’s episode was the first day back at term so was therefore a school night, and we are shown teachers getting legless on double spirits in the pub, having slurred conversations. Personally, I would never risk getting drunk on a school night as having a clear head every morning is very important. Also, I never get time to go out during the week because I have so much school related work to do when I get home on a night. You never seem to see these teachers doing any work at home (but I guess that would be quite boring)!

However, the series does have its merits. I think the portrayals of the students and the different lives they lead is very good and often very sensitively handled. It is for this reason I like to watch it. The young actors who play the pupils often outshine the adult actors and they should be commended for the way they deal with what are often very difficult and grown-up issues. The way this is then interwoven with daily school life is very well done, and makes me think more about why some of the pupils in my own school may behave in the ways that they do – it can sometimes be difficult to step back and think ‘what is happening in their lives to make them behave like this?’ Waterloo Road can serve as a good reminder to stop and think before applying sanctions which may only serve to make the problem worse, not better.