Harry Starts School - Reception Class

This week Harry finally returned back to school, not the Nursery where he happily did just 3 full days but into Reception and within the main school building.

With him having a whole extra week at home after Emmy returned to school, it was lovely to spend a little quality time together doing what he wanted to do before I said goodbye to him all week, every single day. We got his favourite snacks for a picnic, played games and built towers, played shops, baked, painted and watched his favourite shows.

Having a little extra time alone with him was nice, I did miss it over the summer as I am used to having him around – Emmy had that one-on-one time when she was a baby/toddler but Harry has always had to share my attention, even when he was at Nursery on the days he was home I would be distracted by the shopping, trying to work and the housework and then of course the school runs that our time together wasn’t as fun as it could have been.

Before summer we got to meet Harry’s new teacher and he warmed to him straight away. A newly qualified male teacher and I couldn’t have been happier.

Harry will do very well with a male influence at school I am sure, he is boisterous and can be loud but he does listen to men and teachers in general.

He thrived in Nursery, only having a little wobble toward the end of the year when the teachers changed over and a few new children started.

All summer he has been a little dismissive about school, changing the subject if it was mentioned or saying he was going to stay home with me.

The extra week at home was a little confusing for him though as we had been taking Emmy and picking her up (and my two nephews) daily and he couldn’t work out why he wasn’t heading into school too.

It helped a little that during that week we had his teachers home visit, cue me madly cleaning the house for a 20 minute visit (funny how we all do this and just how messy it had gotten over the summer holidays). His teacher came along with the TA – Harry has the TA which Emmy had in reception and she is really nice so I’m happy about that. Harry went off to one side with his TA and they counted, played a few games and puzzles and chatted a little while I answered a few questions about Harry and voiced any worries I may have had – none really. I let them know what made him tick, what he liked and didn’t like and told them if he is unhappy or upset to let him in the garden/playground rain or shine and it will all be forgotten in minutes – oh and if they couldn’t find him in the playground to look up a tree!

Tuesday came around all too quickly and he was SO excited he was awake at 5am and wanted to get dressed at 5.50am. He was bouncing off the walls ready to go.

Once Emmy was dropped off he raced around to his class where 9 other children in his class were starting on the same day (another 10 started on Wednesday and 10 today), he grabbed his stuff – a bag of spare clothes, his PE bag, book bag, water bottle and welly boots and bounced through the door without a backwards glance.

My baby was no longer a baby but a happy school boy.

I choked and tears flowed a little.

He was so ready but perhaps I am not.

Can someone please stop time?

He’s been in for 3 full days now and he couldn’t be happier. He comes out beaming, telling me he has had an amazing day.

He is wearing most of his school dinner but he loves it. He tells me what he has had every day and who he sat with in the hall.

I’m not even allowed to take him to his door at school in the morning – for the first week parents are allowed to watch them go in but he doesn’t want me to. He wants to be dropped at the gate and walk round himself – so he does.

He is so independent and thriving already.

Of course we are only in week one BUT I don’t think he will have a problem with school at all. Other than being absolutely shattered when he comes home – that’s certainly not a bad thing though.

It turns out I shouldn’t have worried how he would cope, he as always amazes me and takes it all in his stride.