The schooling of young boys is known to throw up its own challenges, but at a supersize school like Gascoigne with over 500 young lads, the issues are multiplied. Charismatic and cheeky, Year 5 pupil Cleyson regularly gets good grades, earning him a place on the ʻgifted and talentedʼ list. However, he battles with his ʻred mistʼ and is never far away from trouble, especially in the playground. He has recently been temporarily excluded for hurting another pupil, and Gascoigne is keen to help him avoid a repetition of bad behaviour that could jeopardise his education or even lead to exclusion. When he is asked to be part of the team entering a schoolsʼ poetry competition, will Cleyson finally start listening?