The show follows the lives of staff and pupils of the eponymous secondary academy in Greater Manchester while tackling a range of social issues.
[3] Additionally, Kerry Howard, Hollie-Jay Bowes, and Ryan Clayton reprised their roles from the fourteenth series as recurring characters Serena-Michelle Davies, Debs Rafferty, and Mike Rutherford.
[3] Lindsey Coulson joined the cast as Dame Stella Drake, the new Headteacher of Waterloo Road, replacing Steve Savage (Jason Manford) following his arrest.
[4] The return of Jason Merrells as Jack Rimmer, a former headteacher of Waterloo Road, was announced via a BBC press release in December 2024.
[2] In January 2025, it was confirmed that Lauren Patel would join the cast as Jas Sharma, a new teacher at Waterloo Road, as well as being the daughter of established character, Nisha Chandra (Saira Choudhry), alongside new pupils Agnes Eccleston (Niamh Blackshaw), and Cat Guthrie (Lucy Chambers).