Trouble At School

by Chris Higgins

  For Vinny, Zac, Ella, Jake, Bea, Louis and Anna

  CH

  For Linda, Euan, Blair, Conon, Albhie, Sorley and Marsaili

  EM

  Contents

  First Day

  Don’t Be Late

  Getting Lost

  Spin Around

  First Impressions

  Claudia Cleverley and Hetty Snoop

  Lunchtime

  Time for Tea

  Pancakes for Breakfast

  Late Again

  Who Forgot their Homework?

  Magic and Spells

  Making A Plan

  Walking to School

  The Famous Artist

  A Spot of Bother

  Putting Things Right

  True Colours

  In the Head’s Office

  And the Winner is...!

  Telling the Truth

  FIRST DAY

  Bella was too excited to eat her breakfast.

  Today was the day she was starting her new school. She’d been looking forward to it for weeks.

  Moving to an old cottage in the countryside had felt strange at first. Especially as it was the middle of the summer holidays.

  But then Bella and her little brother Sid had met Magda and they’d soon settled in. Magda was fun and it was nice having a best friend who lived next door.

  Now the holidays were over and it was time to start school. Bella loved school. She couldn’t wait to meet her teacher and make new friends.

  Magda would always be her very best friend though. Even if she did get Bella into trouble sometimes.

  Quite a lot of times actually.

  Like the time she climbed up the chimney and covered Bella’s living room in soot.

  Or the time Bella had fallen through the floor of the attic to her parents’ bedroom below and brought the ceiling tumbling down with her. That had been Magda’s fault too. She was the one who’d made Bella go up to the attic to look for ghosts. But it was Bella who’d got into trouble.

  Bella’s mum said Magda was a trouble magnet but Bella was glad she had Magda to stick close to. They were going to sit together in class.

  “Eat up your breakfast, Bella. You don’t want to be late on your first day. First impressions count,” said Mum. “Sid? Where’s your bag?”

  Bella gulped down her cereal, taking care not to drip milk on her spotless school uniform, while Sid wandered off in search of his backpack.

  She knew exactly where her bag was: ready and waiting by the front door, where she’d placed it last night.

  Inside it was her brand new rough book and her brand new pencil case – and inside that were brand new pens, pencils, felt tips, a rubber and a sharpener.

  Next to it was her PE kit, her swimming kit, her book bag and her lunch box.

  Bella liked to be prepared. Then she knew that nothing could go wrong.

  She took a look in the mirror and was pleased with what she saw. Mum had tied her unruly hair back neatly into pretty cornrows and the navy blue and yellow ribbons matched her navy blue and yellow uniform.

  Time to go. Bella picked up her bags, which was easier said than done. There were so many she kept dropping them.

  Mum scooped them up with the rest of Sid’s bags and chucked them all in the boot of the car. “We never had this much stuff when I was at school! Get in, Bella. Sid? Where have you got to?”

  Bella’s chest tightened. She didn’t want to be late on her first day.

  Sid came running out of the house with his backpack and jumped in the back of the car.

  Bella breathed a sigh of relief. She was glad Mum was taking them to school on their first day because then she knew that they’d get there on time.

  Like Mum said, it was important to make a good first impression.

  Mum started the car. Then Bella remembered.

  “Stop!” she shouted. “What about Magda?”

  DON’T BE LATE

  “What about Magda?” repeated Mum.

  “She asked for a lift!” said Bella.

  “Did she?” Mum looked surprised. “She never asked me!”

  Come to think of it, she hadn’t asked anyone, thought Bella. Magda had told her it was a good idea that her mum was taking them to school on the first day of term because it meant she could have a lift as well.

  “Go and get her then,” sighed Mum, and she switched off the engine.

  Bella jumped out and pressed the bell on Magda’s front door.

  It didn’t work. So she lifted the old iron knocker instead and banged it hard.

  No answer.

  She banged it again.

  And again.

  Bella lifted the letter box and peered inside. “Magda!” she shouted. “Come on! We’ll be late for school!”

  Above her, a bedroom window flew open and a head appeared. It belonged to Babcia.

  “Is school today?” she enquired.

  Babcia was Magda’s grandmother. Round and wrinkled like an old apple, her hair was still in its night-time curlers.

  “Yes,” said Bella.

  “One minute,” said Babcia politely, then she roared, “MAGDA! GET UP! IS SCHOOL!”

  Bella and Sid sat in the car and waited and waited, while Bella’s mum repeated words under her breath that they would get into BIG TROUBLE for saying.

  At last the door opened and Magda zoomed out, hair flying, shoes undone, clutching a paper bag.

  “Thanks, Mrs Button!” she said, squeezing in between Bella and Sid. “Mum and Dad left for work early this morning and Babcia and I slept in! She said I could eat my breakfast on the way so I wouldn’t keep you waiting, if that’s OK with you.”

  Without waiting for an answer, Magda opened the paper bag and peered inside. “Mmm! Yoghurt and toast.”

  She dumped the toast in Bella’s lap, saying, “Hold that while I eat my yoghurt,” and yanked the top off the yoghurt pot.

  “Oops! Sorry!” she said, as it shot all over Bella.

  Magda tried to clean it up, spooning and swallowing yoghurt as fast as she could, but she only made it worse. Bella’s new yellow polo shirt and navy cardigan were splattered with cherry-red yoghurt.

  Mum passed Bella a handful of tissues and, between them, Bella and Magda dabbed it dry.

  Dry but sticky.

  “Phew! That’s better,” said Magda. “Can I have my toast now?”

  Magda’s toast was stuck upside down to Bella’s skirt. Bella pulled it off and handed it to her friend without a word. Yellow butter, orange marmalade and brown toast crumbs clung to her navy school skirt in a smeary mess.

  Bella tried hard not to cry.

  GETTING LOST

  By the time they got to school and Mum had cleaned Bella up as best she could, everybody had gone in.

  “Hurry up!” said Magda, hopping about impatiently. “Mr Smart will tell us off if we’re late.”

  The three children dashed through the front door. Well, Magda dashed and Bella and Sid waddled, weighed down by their bags.

  “You’re cutting it fine,” said the lady on reception. “The bell’s about to go. Straight to your classrooms please.”

  Thank goodness I’m with Magda, thought Bella, or I wouldn’t know where to go.

  “Bella,” said Sid, “I don’t know where to go.”

  Bella’s heart sank. What should she do now? Luckily, Magda had the answer.

  “He’ll be in Year One. That’s Mrs Goodenough’s class, down there on the right. Her name’s on the door. You’d better take him in, Bella.”

  “Aren’t you coming with us?” asked Bella.

  “No,” said Magda. “I’ll go and tell Mr Smart what you’re doing and then you won’t get into trouble.”

  That sounded sensible.

&n
bsp; “Be quick!” warned Magda. “I’ve heard he goes bananas if you’re late.” And she dashed off to class before the bell went.

  Bella and Sid waddled down the corridor with their bags.

  They could hear the noise coming from Mrs Goodenough’s classroom long before they got there. A clash of children’s voices, rising and falling, talking and shouting, laughing and crying. And over it all, one much, much BIGGER voice, louder than all the others put together, directing, comforting, instructing.

  Bella took a deep breath and pushed open the door.

  Children were everywhere. Sitting on the tables, sprawling on the floor, climbing on the cupboards, drawing on the board.

  In the middle of it all a lady was kneeling, helping a small boy to tie his shoelaces. She was a big lady with a kind face, and a mass of black, curly hair not unlike Bella’s. She was wearing long, dangly earrings and a brightly coloured dress that flowed out around her.

  “Hello,” she boomed, looking up with a smile. “Who are you?”

  “I’m Sid and this is Bella,” announced Sid, looking around with interest. “I can tie my own shoelaces.”

  “Well, you’re a welcome addition to this classroom then. Maybe you’d like to show William how to do it,” said Mrs Goodenough.

  Sid sat down happily on the floor to help him.

  “Drop your bags in the corner by the pegs, Bella dear, and we’ll see to them afterwards,” said Mrs Goodenough. “Then find yourself somewhere to sit.”

  Bella opened her mouth to let Mrs Goodenough know that, actually, she wasn’t in her class, but the teacher had swung past her to rescue an adventurous child from the top of the filing cabinet.

  So Bella did what she nearly always did, which is what she was told. She placed her bags in the corner and sat down on a chair to wait till she could get the teacher’s attention.

  Only it wasn’t that easy. Mrs Goodenough was like a tornado, whirling and wheeling around her crazy classroom, wiping noses, breaking up fights, cuddling away tears, refereeing arguments and cleaning up all sorts of interesting spillages.

  Bella was far too polite to interrupt and not nearly brave enough to leave without permission.

  And because Bella was so quiet and good, and the much younger children in Year One were so loud and noisy, the teacher forgot all about her.

  So there she remained, watching the minutes tick by, slowly and surely, till playtime.

  SPIN AROUND

  Magda marched across to Bella, who was surrounded by Sid and the rest of Year One in the playground. “Where’ve you been?” she demanded.

  “I got stuck in Mrs Goodenough’s class,” explained Bella.

  “I wish I was stuck in Mrs Goodenough’s class,” said Magda with feeling.

  “Did you explain to Mr Smart where I was?” asked Bella.

  “No,” said Magda. “He wouldn’t let me. You’re not allowed to speak in Mr Smart’s classroom. Unless you’re Mr Smart.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because he’s strict. He’s got rules – loads of them. We’ve got to learn them off by heart. I know the first three already: be punctual, wear your uniform with pride, be prepared.”

  “Oh flip!” said Bella nervously. “What should we do?”

  “Let’s play Spin Around,” said Magda.

  And even though that’s not what Bella had meant, she found herself asking, “What’s Spin Around?”

  “I’ll show you. Hold my hand. Now, you take her hand.”

  Magda pointed to Sophie, the little girl who’d had to be rescued from the top of the filing cabinet. Bella did as she was told.

  “Now someone grab her other hand,” instructed Magda.

  Sid took it, then William took Sid’s and then everybody else wanted to join in too. And so it went on, until everyone from Year One was standing there in a long line, holding hands.

  Bella couldn’t help thinking that Magda would make a very good teacher. Better than Mrs Goodenough, actually. There was something about Magda that made you obey her orders.

  “Is that it?” she asked.

  “No,” said Magda. “Hold tight and don’t let go.”

  She started running round in a circle and everyone else had to follow because they were holding hands. The further down the chain you were, the bigger the circle was.

  It was fun.

  At first.

  Soon they were going faster and faster, and the smaller children started shrieking with excitement as their feet barely touched the ground. The ones on the end looked as though they were flying!

  But, as they spun out of control, they began to let go and fall over and the chain broke up.

  Before long, only Magda, Bella, Sophie, Sid and William were left, whirling around at top speed.

  Bella felt dizzy but Magda wouldn’t stop. Suddenly, to her horror, Bella saw William shooting off the end of the chain and flying up, up, up into the air.

  Bella screamed and at last Magda came to a halt.

  Fortunately, William was OK. He’d landed on a man with a toothbrush moustache, a tweed jacket and a squashy tummy, who sat down with a bump in the playground.

  “Who’s that?” asked Bella.

  “Mr Smart.”

  Bella gulped.

  Even Magda looked nervous.

  Mr Smart placed William on his feet and got up and dusted himself down.

  Then he turned to Magda and Bella and barked, “You two. My classroom.

  “NOW!”

  FIRST IMPRESSIONS

  Mr Smart folded his arms and glared down at Bella and Magda.

  “I used to be in the army, you know,” he announced in a BIG BOOMING voice. “Now this is my parade ground and you are my soldiers.”

  Bella looked around in surprise. It didn’t look like a parade ground. It looked like a classroom. A very tidy and organised one.

  “Order is what I like,” he continued. “Order and discipline.”

  Bella could see that. It was immaculate.

  The tables were arranged in rows of two and there wasn’t a chair out of place.

  On one wall, posters of times tables were pinned up with military precision.

  On another, poems and stories in perfect handwriting and carefully coloured-in pictures were displayed in straight lines. Bella couldn’t help noticing that most of them had been done by Claudia Cleverley or Hetty Snoop.

  “Eyes to the front!”

  Bella quickly swivelled her eyes back to Mr Smart.

  Mr Smart regarded Magda and Bella sternly.

  “Magda! What have you got to say for yourself?”

  “Sorry, sir. I was showing Bella how to play Spin Around.”

  Mr Smart turned his attention to Bella.

  Bella’s legs turned to jelly.

  “Whose class are you in?” he asked.

  “Yours, sir.”

  Mr Smart looked confused. “Really? I don’t remember you.”

  “I wasn’t there this morning,” admitted Bella bravely. “I was late.”

  “Late?” Mr Smart sucked in his breath and grew taller and straighter. “And why were you late?”

  “Because I got stuck in Mrs Goodenough’s classroom by mistake, sir.”

  “Mrs Goodenough.” Mr Smart shuddered and deflated to his normal size.

  “It’s not Bella’s fault, sir,” piped up Magda. “It’s her first day at school.”

  Magda is so brave, thought Bella as Mr Smart studied her with a frown. She could feel him taking in her yoghurt, toast, butter and marmalade-stained uniform.

  Mr Smart pointed to the whiteboard and intoned loudly, “Rule number one: be punctual. Broken! Rule number two: wear your uniform with pride. Broken!”

  He fixed Bella with his beady eyes. “Do you know what happens to pupils who break my rules?”

  Bella shook her head mutely as her mind ran through various terrifying possibilities.

  Sent to the Head?

  Expelled?

  Firing squad?

  Mr S
mart handed her two pieces of paper.

  “Write out both of those rules twenty times by tomorrow and learn them by heart.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Phew! Bella thought she’d got off lightly after all. Especially when Magda whispered to her, “I’ll help you!”

  CLAUDIA CLEVERLEY AND HETTY SNOOP

  The bell rang for the end of playtime and the class started to line up outside the door. Mr Smart sprang into action.

  “Right, young lady! We need to find you a seat.”

  “Can she sit with me?” asked Magda.

  “Magda, you know the rules in this classroom. Alphabetical order. What’s your surname, Bella?”

  “Button, sir.”

  “Typical.” Mr Smart looked cross and Bella wondered how her name could possibly annoy him. Then he explained. “That’s near the start of the alphabet so now I’ll have to move everyone up one. That means you’ll be next to …” Mr Smart did a quick calculation in his head. “… Claudia Cleverley.”

  “But that’s not fair!” said Magda. “That means I’ll be sitting next to Hetty Snoop!”

  “Enough, Magda,” barked Mr Smart. “Let everyone in. Bella, you sit here.”

  Magda opened the classroom door and the children walked in in single file.

  “That’s my seat!” said a cold, clear voice.

  Bella looked up to see a girl glaring down at her. She had straight fair hair cut into a neat bob, a pert little nose that stuck up at the end and a big bow in her hair that matched her ice-blue eyes.

  “Take the next one, Claudia,” said Mr Smart.

  “That’s Bella’s seat now. Everyone move up one.”

  Claudia flounced down next to Bella.

  “Time for your spelling test,” said Mr Smart, distributing pieces of paper. “Take out your pencils.”