A failing secondary school in working-class England, early 1990s.

The film opens in the chaotic assembly hall of Woodhouse Comprehensive, where Deputy Head Mr. Baron, a bitter ex-prison warden, announces that the school will be closing at the end of the academic year. With its crumbling walls, underfunded resources, and an infamous reputation, Woodhouse has been on its last legs for years. Mr. Baron, who openly despises the students, delivers the news with cold detachment. The pupils respond with apathy, gallows humour, or outright rebellion, setting the tone for a turbulent and bittersweet final year.

At the heart of the story is Ballard, a reserved, introspective teenager who feels like a ghost in his own life. Woodhouse is a microcosm of cliques—tough kids, bad girls, cool kids, and nerds—all of whom seem more defined than Ballard. His only real connection is with his best friend, Urban, but that bond is slipping away as Urban drifts toward the cool kids and pursues Tara, a rebellious “bad girl” whom Ballard secretly fancies. The growing distance between them leaves Ballard feeling more isolated, retreating into his art to make sense of his chaotic world.

Mrs. Fitch, Ballard’s eccentric art teacher, recognizes his talent and encourages him to push boundaries. However, to his frustration, she consistently fails him on assignments for not following the strict criteria set by the school. In a pivotal moment, Ballard confronts Mrs. Fitch, demanding to know why she has spent the year praising him only to mark him down. Her response is both infuriating and thought-provoking: she tells him that creativity isn’t about ticking boxes—it’s about fighting for individuality in a system designed to crush it. This exchange becomes a turning point for Ballard, forcing him to see his work, and himself, in a new light.

The school itself is as dysfunctional as its staff and pupils. Dr. Boz, the science teacher, is so incomprehensible that students often climb out of classroom windows to escape. Mr. Woodruff, the history teacher, spends more time showing off his flashy black Capri to impress female students. During an awkward sex education lesson, Woodruff finds a vibrator in his desk and assumes it’s a prank, only to later discover it belongs to a colleague. Meanwhile, Ms. Waines, the empathetic English teacher, becomes an unlikely confidant to troubled student Paul Fake, who becomes intensely attached to her following the death of another teacher, Mr. Glasgow, from a brain tumour.

The school’s closure brings chaos and absurdity. Cows from a nearby field often wander onto the grounds, peering through classroom windows. There's a pitbull dog constantly roaming the corridors. Window frames fall out of fourth floor classrooms. The swimming pool is perpetually littered with broken glass, forcing students to swim only at one end. Tensions rise when P.E. lessons are moved to a rival school, sparking fights and a heavily hyped inter-school brawl that never materializes.

As the year progresses, cracks deepen in Ballard’s world. Urban fully integrates into the cool crowd, kissing Tara at a party and leaving Ballard to stew in betrayal. In a rare moment of defiance, Ballard submits a portfolio of deeply personal art as his final project, even though he knows it won’t meet the school’s rigid standards.

The film climaxes with a teachers vs. pupils football match and the students sitting their GCSE exams, marking the end of their time at Woodhouse. After the final bell, Ballard walks home alone. On the way, one of the girls from school nervously asks him out. Still scarred by years of mockery and rejection, Ballard assumes it’s a joke and brushes her off.

The final scene shows Ballard disappearing down a quiet street, with his sketchbook tucked under his arm. The camera lingers on his figure as "Taste" by Ride begins to play. The energy of the song encapsulates the bittersweet reality of leaving behind a broken system, uncertain of what lies ahead but quietly determined to move forward.