Season 3 serves as a farewell for several original main characters:

: The season begins with the shocking death of Missy Booth, one of the show's primary protagonists. Following a car accident, she passes away in the hospital, leaving her best friend Nasreen "Nas" Paracha to navigate her final year of school alone.

: Left the series at the end of the season to join the cast of the BBC drama Our Girl .

: Transferred away from Ackley Bridge College due to the trust takeover.

: Nas faces the pressure of applying to Oxford University while grieving. Despite being accepted, she ultimately decides to leave school to pursue her own path.

: Alya and Riz Mohammed discover devastating secrets regarding their father, Sadiq, which disrupts their family dynamic.

The season was filmed on location in Halifax , West Yorkshire, supported by the local council and Screen Yorkshire.