Gary drove through the main gates to where Donny was standing in the car park waiting for the bus to arrive. He checked his watch, yep, bang on time. School started at ten and finished at two – not a full day’s learning, but enough to keep these kids in the education system. As the students jumped out, the noise was deafening; no wonder the residents complained.

‘Good morning, campers.’ Donny had a big smile spread across his face and was almost as loud as the kids. ‘Where’s the smiley faces? You should be happy to see my beautiful face at this time of the morning. Liam, with a bit of effort, when you’re older you might even look this good if you’re lucky.’ And there it was, the start of the school day. Nancy was the last person to emerge from the bus and Donny walked to her side and spoke in a soft voice. ‘So, you’ve met some of the kids then? I told you it would be fine. They’re an alright bunch when you get to know them.’

Nancy plodded to the entrance, in no rush to get inside. You could see she was a bit apprehensive at the thought of staying here all day; Donny knew her file, she was well-known for running away. Last time it’d been five days before the police finally found her in Liverpool. Reading up on her record, no one seemed to have got to the bottom of why she was always on her toes She’d never say, not at first, Donny knew that much. But given enough time, the kids often opened up to him. They’d come to realise he was different to all the other case workers and social services teams they’d usually met by the time children got to Second Chance.

‘Coats off, phones need to be put away or hand them in. Anyone found on their phones during lesson time will have them removed and they won’t get them back until the end of the day. We all know the rules.’ Donny shouted at the top of his voice to make himself heard.

Chelsea was stood with a few other girls, having none of it. ‘Like he’s going to take my phone from me. I’d like to see him try it. I’ll smash his face in,’ she whispered.

Everyone was gathered in the main hall and around twenty students sat facing Donny and his staff. Every day started this way and any problems were brought to the table at this time. But before the morning could start properly, the hall doors banged and everyone’s eyes turned.