Jack Rimmer was the first on-screen headteacher, previously serving as deputy head under Brian Vaisey. After Vaisey is sectioned under the mental health act, Jack takes the reigns as acting head until the LEA decides on a replacement.
In his first term as head Jack has to deal with rioting pupils, Donte Charles causing a car crash and eventually the antics of Lewis Seddon. Lewis tries to kill Jack by setting him on fire but is stopped by Steph Haydock. In his second term he butts heads with Roger Aspinall, finds love with Davina Shackleton and has to deal with a drugs problem at the school which leads to Jack facing off against Lewis’ uncle Jed in the school car park. Izzie Redpath tries to save him but she ends up dying in Jack’s arms, leaving him with survivor’s guilt.
Jack’s time as Head comes to an end the term after when it’s revealed he paid the parents of G&T (Gifted and Talented) children to place them at Waterloo Road covering it up with 'one-parent family' schemes from an already busted school budget. He also has to deal with backlash from Karla Bentham’s arrival, his engagement to Davina ending before it starts. Jack is eventually forced to account for past decisions and decides to resign, leaving the school in Eddie’s capable hands until his replacement is found. Jack eventually lines up Rachel to replace him, he then moves to Dubai shortly afterwards.
Jack briefly returns later in Series 3 to win back Davina but to no avail, returning to his headteacher’s post in Dubai.
Series 1
In the first series Jack is introduced when the previous headmaster, Brian Vaisey, has a mental breakdown. He is thrown into the seat immediately. He recruits Andrew Treneman as his deputy. Soon he finds himself a target of Steph Haydock's promiscuous naturue- she believes they share something special after a drunken adventure (in a restaurant toilet). However at the same time the 15-year old pregnant Zoe Ramsden appears at school, claiming him to be the father of the baby and demanding £10 000 for silence. Jack confesses to Andrew that he indeed has slept with Zoe in the past, but he believed her to be at least in her twenties as he met her while she worked behind the bar at a pub. Seeing no other way out, he makes a public announcment at the staff room. Zoe goes into labour during lessons, assisted by Tom and Kim. The truth about Zoe's baby becomes obvious when it turns out it's too large to be premature, and thus cannot be Jack's, as the apparent encounter between them happened 7 months earlier. Zoe comes clean- the real father of the baby is Crag Harris, whom Jack expelled sometime earlier. He forced Zoe to lie in order to get revenge. Jack ends up punching the youngster for relief.
Jack is surprised to see Steph's students' French marks suddenly improve (because of Ahmed and Janeece's twists). He finds himself run out of ideas when Izzie's ex-husband makes himself a hostage on the school's roof due to family crisis, however it was resolved. Later on in the day Jack, Kim and Andrew discuss what to do about Steph, as they get suspicious about the marks. She soon fakes a break-in at her classroom to avoid further persecution, but him and Andrew are not convinced. Jack forces her class to rewrite their coursework in exam conditions and under his supervision- as he speculated, the pupils did a rather dissappointing job. With the LEA visit incoming, he sent Steph and the risky students on a trip.
The LEA inspector, Heather Davenport, impresses Jack with her sympathy and attractivness- he makes his flirty intentions towards her clear, however she remains professional towards him. When she informs him that one of the schools in the district will be shut down, he does all he can to save Waterloo Road. He rallies up his staff and sends Kim to chaperone Heather. Meanwhile him and Andrew discuss what to do with Steph, as LEA knows very well the old trick of sending the worst teachers for trips when the inspectors are present. They decide that Steph needs to be sacked if they are to gain the board's trust. When she learns of this, Steph threatens to file Jack for sexual assault based on their previous encounters.
As a last resort, Jack, Kim and Andrew organize an Open Day for Waterloo Road to impress the LEA. The event turns out to be quite disasterous due to pupil quarells, such as the feud between Lewis and Rory Brears. Jack tells Rory he isn't prepared to have a debate over gay rights on the Open Day. Jack is forced to tell Andrew about Steph's threats when he confronts him about not sacking her, as she shows up at school. Jack, however, tries to slide out of the situation by persuading Andrew to train Steph into being a better teacher, rather than firing her. Meanwhile Lewis sexually harasses Kim, for which Jack expels him permanently from the school. Impressed with the headmaster's efforts Heather gives Waterloo Road a positive light, but cannot assure its safety. She decides to get to know him on a personal level, but Steph refuses to allow this and spoils their meeting by inviting all of the school staff.
A committee is called regarding Lewis' assault on Kim. She is put off by their attitude towards her, as it is obvious they believe she's the molester. At this point Jack is furious with the officials, as he greatly values Kim's skill and contribution to Waterloo Road and cannot see it functioning without her. In the end Heather informs him that while Kim's position is safe, Seddon is suspended only for 15 days, which means Kim is likely to resign by herself. He sends a letter home with every student, hoping to rally parents for Kim. He gets a massive support which is the evidence needed for the pupil's permanent suspension, and gives Lewis' mother an ultimatum- either she removes her son from Waterloo Road, or he reveals the truth about Lewis to the committee. The mother backs out. Heather informs Jack that the LEA will leave Waterloo Road open. However before the celebration party, Lewis assaults Jack in his office, with the intention of burning him down alive, but he is saved by Steph, who comes armed with a fire extinguisher. The two arrive at the pub, where the staff and Heather await. Heather is surprised and upset to see the two together.
Series 2
As the new term comes, Jack is facing losing his position as the Head because of Roger Aspinall's arrival in the governing body. He's finding it difficult to adjust to the changes in the school, such as the new sixth form. Roger is making this even more difficult, as he attempts to get him to fire Grantly, as he is Roger's former English teacher who gave him a hard time in his youth. At the same time Jack's new secretary, Davina Shackleton, arrives. She impresses him by organizing his disastrous office. Jack is then shocked to find out that Andrew has been made Acting Head of Waterloo Road, and that he knew about it, thus stabbing Jack in the back.
Andrew's actions as the Acting Head lead to many social problems, such as gang activity, involving the ex-pupil Lewis Seddon. His no-tolerance policy is not working for Waterloo Road, and Roger stood him up, thus he resigns as the Head. He informs Jack about this, when the latter is on a date with Davina, and Jack is confident that he can keep it permanently. He becomes conflicted with Roger's son, Brett. Davina is shocked to realize that Brett is a student at the school and that Roger is his father, as she had a fling with the youngster before she arrived at Waterloo Road. Things go even worse when Davina swings between Jack and Brett, unsure of what she wants to do. Jack realizes he has deeper feelings for her and wants something more than just the one-nights stand. However, she sets things clear with Brett, ending their relationship, and continues on to seduce Jack in the office. Brett still pursues her, while Jack is completely unaware of their past.
Soon financial issues begin to set in as Jack and Roger have troubles paying for the new school building. Brett pushes Jack's patience even further when he smashes the model of the building, but he cannot be expelled due to his excellent grades. When Jack realizes Roger will not take his son out, he decides to confront Davina about Roger's source of money, as he provided her to the school. It turns out that Roger cumulated the sums from porn productions. Just moments later he is forced into a fight with Roger, when the latter tries to drag his son out of school by force. In his office, Jack makes it clear to the sponsor that from now on he is the decision maker. While he attends a residential course, Davina is quick to give up to Brett's seduction, however is quickly reminded of why she broke up with him and leaves the teen. When Jack returns, him, Davina, Kim and Andrew go for a dinner. However, Steph calls him to notify him about Maxine Barlow's findings regarding latest rape attacks. Davina is furious with him for attending Steph. She turns to Brett, who has now moved on to Mika.
Jack keeps on falling further in for Davina, eventually asking her to move in with him. She, however, refused as she wants to keep her independence. Thing gets even more rough when Davina tells him she wants to become a teaching assistant. Jack does not like the idea- he wants her all to himself, but with no other good excuse he is forced to give in.
Soon Jack's temper is again put to the test when he finds out that the pupils he has sent to a fashion warehouse for work experience has caused trouble by stealing. The problem is resolved by Steph. However the stress is far from over for Jack, who is now facing the interview for permanent post of the Headmaster. He realizes he does not have Roger's support. On top of that, he is going against Lyndsay Woodham - an extremely determined, all-round-perfect rival for the position. Furthermore, as part of the process, they have to face the pupil board - Brett is participating, hoping to scrap Jack off the pages of Waterloo Road, however Chlo dismisses Lyndsay's smart words and suit, thus balancing out the rivalry. Jack is loosing hope, but just before the final interview Lyndsay realizes she would do no good at school - Jack stops the rampage of a desperate, depressed student, Dale when he attacks the two of them. Jack is quick to act by physically holding him down, as terrified Lyndsay stands by watching, unable to do anything. When it turns out the governors chose Lyndsay as the new Head, she refuses the position, leaving Jack victorious.
Soon Steph is unable to keep what she has found out from Brett's new targer, Mika, who has in anger told her about his and Davina's affair. Malcious, Steph goes right off to tell Jack about it. He does not believe her, especially after confronting Davina, who of course denied everything. Jack orders her to write a letter sacking Steph, but her conscience did not let her and she confessed to him about her past fling with Brett. Jack demands then that she packs her stuff and leaves his house. He apologizes to Steph for undermining her report, but cannot sack Davina as she suggests - the affair between her and Brett took place before they came to Waterloo Road and thus there are no grounds to expell them. Davina tries to win Jack back, but he gives her a cold shoulder the whole time. He tries to take his mind off the case by focusing on a healthy eating initiative for the school, but more trouble comes when Lewis Seddon and his aunt and cousin ride up to the building with their junk food van. He solves the problem by banning pupils from leaving the school grounds during breaks. He soon gives in to Davina's pleas and decides to have a talk over a drink. Although still hurt, he gives her another chance.
Jack is shocked when Andrew decides to resign after their conflict over Jerry's Creationist propaganda being freely at school, affecting students such as Janeece. Meanwhile, he still fights the burger squad outside of the school gates. Due to Courtney's confession to Kim about where she and Siobhan got the drugs that landed them with serious health problems, he calls the police, but it's not enough, as Jed hides the drugs before they find anything. However Lewis has a change of heart and tells Jack about the location of the Seddon drug lab. Him and Andrew head off to the location, Steph tries once more to destroy Davina by confronting Jerry about Jack and Davina's relationship. When the headmaster arrives back he finds Roger and Jerry marching her off, but he does nothing to save her, afraid for the school's reputation. But very soon he comes to a clear mind that he let the school life destroy his own too much. He reinstates Davina and fires Jerry and Roger. The celebration is destroyed when Jed walks into school, looking for a fight. Jack is ready to give it to him, but realizes Jed is armed with a knife. Unknowing Izzie rushes to Jack's aid, resulting in her death by getting stabbed.
Off screen, Jack puts a new management team in place at the school, with both Kim and Andrew on sabbatical (though Andrew decides to stay in Rwanda) he gives Steph the Head of Pastoral Care job and brings in Eddie Lawson as his new Deputy Head. The events of Jack's encounter with Jed lead to both him and Eddie promoting the school's new inclusion policy on the local radio. Although Jack received a National Bravery Award, he still blames himself for Izzie's death, and this leads to Jack having a feud with Tom Clarkson.
Series 3
As the next term comes, in order to improve the exam results, Jack lures in a group of talented pupils. He gets Eddie to see that the G&Ts (Gifted & Talented) are placed in top sets for every subject. What nobody knew is that Jack paid the parents of these children to place them at Waterloo Road, covering it up with 'one-parent family' schemes from an already busted school budget. Despite this he gives Karla Bentham, an Asperger's Syndrome affected student, a place at Waterloo Road, after some pressure from her mother about equality. He realized that she has been excluded from three previous schools, but with Steph in charge of Pastoral Care (as Kim left with Andrew) he gives her a shot. It takes only a few hours until trouble sets in, when Steph has no idea how to handle Karla, Grantly's temper towards the troubled girl snaps and G&T students Aleesha and Danielle phone their parents when she has a violent outburst in class. Jack is bombarded with enquiries from teachers who refuse to have her in their class without appropriate support- which he cannot afford as he spent his money on G&T. However, when Jack realizes that Davina has a language with Karla and knows how to care for her special needs, he promotes her into a full-time aid from teaching assistance.
Davina persuades Jack to go into therapy, where it becomes clear that he's still suffering from the effects of Izzie's death- 'survivor's guilt'. As she sets off from a two-day training away from town, Jack's frustration takes over. He asks broken Steph, who was turned down by the new (gay) teacher, Matt, for a drink. Soon things get out of control when Jack has a bit too much to drink and ends up spending a wild night with madame Haydock. The next morning however, he again gives her the cold shoulder when she's giving him her amorous attention and attempts to make it clear that it was just for fun and there will be no repeat. Feeling guilty about the fling, he decides to propose to Davina. They make the announcement about their engagement in the staffroom, to the dismay of Steph. She heads straight for Jack's office and orders him to confess his affair to Davina, but he cannot out of fear. However it doesn't take long, and soon Davina is informed about what happened with Steph. She hands the ring back to Jack and breaks off the relationship.
His financial G&T scam hits him back in the face when Bolton Smilie gets into trouble for graffiti on the school's wall. Furious Jack tells Bolton's mother (she works in the school canteen) to transfer him to another school. She goes to complain to Eddie, where she tells him that she didn't qualify for the £2000 bursary for single parents, but now will also have to transfer school. Confused Eddie questions Jack about the bursary, only to find out about the scam. He refuses to put up with Jack's methods and their argument spills to the corridor, where they get overheard by Steph, Janeece and Maxine.
A member of Schools Governing Body, Ria Cheetham arrives to solve the finance mystery. Jack confesses, but Eddie attempts to save him by persuading Ria to interview the G&T students. The kids show full support for Jack, stating that they are happy at the school. However, this does not stop her from calling an emergency SGB meeting, which ends in Jack being suspended. He, however, refuses and resigns completely instead, and lines up Rachel Mason to replace him.
Jack returns in Series 3 Episode 19, hoping to win Davina back after their split. Since leaving, Jack has been in Dubai and now is the headteacher of an international school there. Davina goes to dinner with Jack but they're interrupted by Tom. Davina chooses Tom and Jack presumably returns to Dubai shortly after. Davina later splits with Tom and leaves in Series 4 Episode 15.
Occupation
- Jack Rimmer had been a history teacher and the deputy head under Brian Vaisey; he started working at Waterloo Road in 1992.
Trivia
- Jack, along with Tom Clarkson were the first main characters to be shown on screen in Series 1 Episode 1.
- Jack was also the first main character to speak on screen.
- In Series 3 Episode 19 Jack appears as a guest. He is the only Headteacher to make an appearance in the show after leaving the school.
- Jack has two children from his previous marriage. He's the only headteacher to have children who were unseen characters.
Quotes
- "Get the hell up there and gag him." (first line)
- "I could kill the mad old sod, it's like taking charge of the Light Brigade mid gallop."
- "Andrew Treneman? Jack Rimmer. What can I get you?"
- "Go ahead, you piece of scum! While you're at it, I'll do you for extortion and threatening a school child! Now shove off! ...So er, do I unpack my boxes, or are you gonna report me for ABH?"
- "I've done more than that. I've expelled the evil little get."
- "All right, everyone back inside now. Come on, move it."
- "Kids, eh? They turn everything on its head, don't they? You give them a system and their first instinct is to cheat it."
- "A whole busload of kids has gone missing. It's like something out of bloody Doctor Who."
- "At Waterloo Road we have made it our sole objective to guarantee membership of this school to everyone. Irrespective of needs or disabilities, we have a strong ethos of pastoral care, working for the welfare of all students and against bullying and intimidation."
- "Of course we have an anti-bullying strategy! Police have anti-crime strategy, it doesn't stop it from happening!"
- "Give him a kick up the backside from me."
- "It's like someone up there likes giving me a kick up the backside."
- "Bloody 'ell!"
- "Flaming 'eck!"
- "Why don't you just say it! Say it! You blame me for Izzie."
- "None of you got homes to go to? I've resigned. With immediate effect. I won't be making a speech, you'll be glad to hear. I'll just say my goodbyes individually."
- "You OK?" (final line)