Stepping Up

Alfie and Dylan are best friends and the sole members of the Cloudwatch Club,watching cloud formations from their roof-top hut. However when they start secondary school Alfie shocks Dylan by adopting a supposedly cool attitude and hanging out with the Wallee gang. Alfie tries to join in but his efforts only end in his getting detention so he joins the Bookbods,who spend their time reading in the library. The two groups do not see eye to eye and the boys prepare for an after school showdown. But suddenly something attracts their attention which makes them recall the basis of their original friendship and provides reconciliation.

Like his stepfather Ellis Jack supports Everton football club and,when set a school assignment on a subject close to his heart,opts to speak about Everton legend Ian Rush. However Tim,Jack's natural father reappears and he supports rival team Liverpool,taking a reluctant Jack to watch them play. Furthermore he believes that Jack should change the topic of his presentation to focus on former Liverpool manager Bill Shankley. Jack feels under tremendous pressure to do the right thing without offending anybody but fortunately his younger sister Joy comes up with a solution.

Becky Jones is a sport-loving tomboy who finds herself in the minority when she starts her new, all girl, school where her contemporaries are all into fashion accessories and even her best friend Dol has started wearing a bra. Feeling isolated Becky throws the bag which contains her roller derby skates into a pond and buys a new, fashionable, animal bag, only to find that trends have changed yet again. After a pep talk from her older sister Mel, Becky understands that things will get better and some compromises must be made. Furthermore Becky herself starts a trend when orange Dayglo boot-laces, as sported on her roller derby skates, become the latest fashion.

Polly Smith lives with her widowed father Pete and is mad about using her camera. on her first day at secondary school she plans to film a diary of her progress but accidentally films pupil Serena extorting money from classmate Charlie. Polly confronts Serena in front of Serena's boyfriend Luca but ends up humiliated and later Serena attacks Polly and breaks her camera. Fortunately Luca and Charlie have filmed the attack and Serena is punished whilst Polly returns home to find that Pete has restored his old Super 8 camera. They settle down together to watch their old home movies.

Owain Jones moves from Colwyn Bay to Manchester with his family and hates it,his only friend - to his parents' consternation - being Bronwen,his pet hen. He does however befriend new school-mate Zana, a Kurdish refugee and they agree to jointly presenting a school project on each other's backgrounds. When Bronwen disappears Owain assumes she has flown back to Wales and persuades Zana to travel with him by train but they are caught without a ticket and Mohammed, Zana's father's job is at risk when he has to collect them. However Owain helps out to ensure Mohammed keeps his job and,after the boys have made up and made their presentation,they discover that Bronwen has come home.