It's the first day of term and six graduate trainees who have never taught before are thrown in at the deep end. Oxford graduate Charles is teaching at the Archbishop Lanfranc School in Croydon, a rundown and overcrowded comprehensive. Charles faces a huge workload of 500 students a week to teach, some of whom have only just arrived in the country and cannot speak English. Nick and Meryl are both teaching at the Harefield Academy, a school in a traditional working class community. Meryl teaches English and is shocked to discover that some of her Year 9 pupils cannot spell even four-letter words. Maths teacher Nick faces an uphill battle with apathy as some students admit they simply can't be bothered to learn. Oliver is on a mission to inspire his charges with poetry and music, if only he could remember the words. Claudenia's first science lesson goes with a bang, but it's not long before she's reduced to tears at Crown Woods College in Eltham.

The trainees are approaching the end of the academic year and, for some, the momentous decision of whether to stay in teaching. Chloe is in the second year of the Teach First programme, her two- year commitment is nearly up and she faces the dilemma of whether to continue at the school or follow her ambition to go travelling. Maths teacher Nick has been balancing a long-distance relationship with his job at the Harefield Academy, and with his wedding looming he too must make important decisions about his future. Claudenia receives a surprise invitation for her and a pupil which will change the way she thinks about her job. The end of term also means exams - and results. The teachers finally find out if they've made an impact in the classrooms and affected the lives of the kids they teach.