The main hall at assembly: rows of students facing a yellow banner and the founder’s portrait.

Classroom Warfare

Flolone Secondary School takes its students to an island and ranks every one of them.

Read Chapter OneMeet the students

An island school that ranks every one of its students.

Every morning at 6.30, the students of Flolone file into the same cold, grey hall, under a yellow banner and a portrait of the school’s founder, Jackson Tusk. This year a new principal arrives, and he brings a demerit points system.

“In ten years, you’ll be laughing at this.”

Cam’s father · Chapter 1

Confidential

Institution
Flolone Secondary School
Location
Offshore island, Singapore
Motto
“Listen and be Heard, Follow and You Shall Lead.”
Mission statement
“Adequacy Equals Mediocrity.”
System
Demerit points. A rank for every student in every level.

“Don’t even bother trying to follow all the rules.”

Miles · Chapter 2

A new demerit point system

“She shouldn’t be wearing that hair clip. It’s against our school’s attire. I’ll have to give her a demerit.”

Natalie · Chapter 13

122 of 211

Cam’s rank in his level. The rank decides who attends supplementary lessons, and how the teachers treat you.

“That will have to be one demerit point. For your untucked shirt.”

The school day.

  1. 6.30 a.m.

    Assembly in the main hall.

  2. 7.30 a.m.

    Classes begin.

  3. 9.00 p.m.

    Remedials, chores and CCAs end.

  4. 10.30 p.m.

    Lights out.

Rows of beds in a dark dormitory after lights out.

One building, nine floors and a basement.

  1. 9Floor 9“But those cases are very rare.” Gael, when a junior asks.
  2. 8Teachers and staffStaff rooms and the teachers’ living quarters.
  3. 7Girls’ dormitoriesTen to fourteen students to a room.
  4. 6Boys’ dormitoriesTen to fourteen students to a room.
  5. 5Study and meeting roomsHomework and revision, every evening.
  6. 4Library, labs and clinicThree science labs, three spare classrooms and the CCA rooms.
  7. 2-3ClassroomsBathrooms at either end of each floor.
  8. 1Canteen and hallMeals and assembly.
  9. B1BasementIndoor sports hall, kitchen, storage and the Engineering room.

“Staircases B and C are to the east. The lift is only for teachers.” Gael · Chapter 3

A carrot and a steak on a canteen tray.

“In life, you always have to choose between the carrot and the steak. Steaks are always tasty, but they are unhealthy. While carrots are not as pleasant to eat, they are good for you.”

Principal Cole · Welcome Address · Chapter 1

The students.

Every student is ranked within their level. The rank decides which lessons they attend and how the teachers treat them. Select a student to open their school record.

Seven students standing among the desks of a dark classroom.

Seniors

Juniors

Staff

The staff live and work on Floor 8, above the dormitories. They set the schedule, mark the rankings and carry out the punishments. Miles warns every newcomer: “The teachers pick favourites.”

“Whatever home was, it was not here.”

Gael · Chapter 3

Students working at desks in a dark study room, rain on the windows.A student cooking at a steel counter in the school kitchen.A boy leaning against a pillar, watching the rain on the school grounds.A student hiding in a dark storeroom, lit by a phone screen.Students revising at long desks under a wall clock.Girls playing cards on a dormitory floor after lights out.A student standing alone in a dim corridor.

Release dates.

Book One is released in seven parts. A new part goes out every Sunday at 6.30 a.m., Singapore time, from 27 September.

  1. The Timetable27 September
  2. The Quarters4 October
  3. Gone by Morning11 October
  4. School Day18 October
  5. Predicted Careers25 October
  6. We Will Solve All This1 November
  7. The Rain Was Nice8 November

Enrolment.

Enrol to receive each new part by email on the Sunday it is released.

One email a week. Your address is never shared.