This post was very kindly supplied by Jancis Fenton.

Please get in contact Jancis, so I can thank you properly!

1. The Breakfast Club
Probably one of the greatest films ever made.
“They were five students with nothing in common, faced with spending a Saturday detention together in their high school library. At 7 a.m., they had nothing to say, but by 4 p.m., they had bared their souls to each other and become good friends. To the outside world they were simply the Jock, the Brain, the Criminal, the Princess and the Basket Case, but to each other, they would always be the Breakfast Club”.

2. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
High school senior Ferris Bueller (Matthew Broderick) decides to skip school on a spring day by faking an illness with his parents (Lyman Ward and Cindy Pickett), then encourages his girlfriend Sloane (Mia Sara) and his pessimistic best friend Cameron (Alan Ruck) to spend the day in Chicago as one of their last flings before they graduate and head off to different colleges. Ferris persuades Cameron to let them use his father’s restored 1961 Ferrari 250 GT California to pick up Sloane (as part of their cover) travel into the city. The rest of the school and many residents learn of Ferris’ exaggerated illness and offer donations to help “Save Ferris”. However, only two people are not convinced by Ferris’ deception: his sister Jeanie (Jennifer Grey), outraged at Ferris’ ability to defy authority easily, and the school’s Principal, Edward Rooney (Jeffrey Jones), believing Ferris to be truant.

3. The Perks Of Being A Wallflower
A much more recent film, but what seems set to be considered a classic among the ranks of the likes above. In this film, we follow fifteen year old Charlie as he faces his social fears as he begins high school. As the year progresses, he quickly gets accepted into a loving and understanding group of friends, Charlie realises that to come to terms with his difficult past, he must first let himself be embraced into the whirlwind that are the lives of everybody around him. The Perks Of Being A Wallflower has a fantastic soundtrack, so you’ll probably be buying more music soon too!

4. Easy A
This movie tackles the neverending pressures on teens when it comes to sexuality, friendship, popularity, honesty and individuality. Olive’s best friend gets the wrong idea on what Olive is trying to say, so the whole school suddenly finds out about her supposedly losing her virginity. Chaos follows as the rumour mill is cranked into life, whilst Olive plays up to this in order to protect her gay friend. Jam packed full of hilarious moments where you’ll find yourself rooting for Olive .

5. Clueless
A parody of Jane Austen’s novel Emma, about Cher, a popular girl who spends her days playing matchmaker, helping friends with fashion choices, advising the new girl at school on a makeover, and looking for a boyfriend. You can’t help but fall in love with all the characters in this movie, especially as very few actually seem to have a bad bone in their body.

6. Grease
Good girl Sandy and greaser Danny fell in love over the summer. But when they unexpectedly discover they’re now in the same high school, will they be able to rekindle their romance? Bloomin’ good songs too!

7. Bring It On
A champion high school cheerleading squad discovers its previous captain stole all their best routines from an inner-city school and must scramble to compete at this year’s championships. Unfortunately, this is one of those films where only the first one is worth watching; the many many sequels released after this really aren’t worth the effort.

8. 10 Things I Hate About You
A new kid must find a guy to date the meanest girl in school, the older sister of the girl he has a crush on, who cannot date until her older sister does.

9. St Trinian’s
Not technically a high school film, but still feel it deserves a mention. St Trinian’s, a school for “young ladies” with its anarchic doctrine of free expression, brings together a motley crew of ungovernable girls who, using their wit and ingenuity, save the school from bankruptcy. The guys will want these girls, and the girls will want to be them!

10. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire OR Harry Potter and the Order Of the Phoenix
Again, not technically a high school movie, especially as these ones are complete fantasy, but both tackle many realistic issues faced by teenagers all over the world.

I should make one point about these films; many of them do contain rather wonderful one off musical numbers, so just enjoy!