Last Updated on 2 September 2025 by Colette
For a long time now, once the kids are safely back at school, I’ve sat down and rattled off a post about where we are up to, how I feel about the kids being back at school and the new term – I guess it is a little bit of a mental reset as I dust off the keyboard (and my brain cells) and get back to it. So here it is, your standard back to school, back to routine post . . .
Typically by the time we get to the last few days of the summer holidays, I find myself ready to send the kids back – ready for some routine, some peace and some time to work but this year I’m not feeling that at all. I could have easily had another week or two with them. It has been a very different summer in lots of ways with Ben working a lot which really impacted our ability to plan ahead. We’ve done a lot less this summer – festival plans were thin on the ground, we didn’t go camping as much as usually might and of course our days out have changed dramatically (I’ve actually just cancelled our National Trust membership!) which I think has left me feeling that we perhaps didn’t make the most of it when really it’s just that everyone’s needs have changed and I need to give myself time to catch up with that.
For the first time in years, all three kids are back to school on the same day. This is in fact the first time ever that they will all be on the same school site – their primary school was split site so Ben and Amy have never properly been at school together! Ben was fuming this morning – he claims he wasn’t bothered about being out of bed but just didn’t want to go back to school – who would after 11 weeks off? Hopefully 6th Form will feel sufficiently different for him – I think only having to study the subjects he’s passionate about (Maths, Computing, Engineering and Physics!!) will really make a big difference! Chloe was up bright and early, and being very nice to Amy – I don’t expect either of these things to last. Amy? Honestly I was expecting an anxious mess over the last few days but she’s been really chill and I think she’s just really excited to get on with it now. Having two older siblings to hold your hand (at least metaphorically) does make a big difference I think! And me…. I’ve got 9 hours in the house on my own now and I don’t know how I feel about that!
After five years of predominantly working from home, Dave is now out of the house most days. This has been a steady, incremental change and to be honest not one any of us welcome. He works away from home regularly so the days he was able to work from home gave us back a little time with him, they saved him two hours of driving, and of course fuel costs – none of us would choose for him to be working back in the office five days a week.
And after a solid six months of being back in class three days a week doing the most ‘proper’ teaching job I’ve done in many years, I’m now back at home and finding myself wondering what next. Supply is notoriously thin on the ground in the first couple of months of the school year – now more so than ever with school budgets stretched to breaking point. I’ve loved teaching on supply for the past 13 years but I do wonder if it’s time for a change.
Things are changing fast here – and sometimes it’s struggle to keep up.
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