Today is the day.
Today is the day that we have been waiting for.
Looking forward to? I’m not quite sure, actually.
Today is the day that news of the secondary school places are released.
We want to know what will be happening, my daughter wants to find out where she’ll be spending the next few years of her life, but then we also don’t want to wish away her remaining months with her friends. It’s a funny old day.
The day is made stranger as I am aware that this is always an exciting day for the kids. They rush to school to talk to their friends about it all and with remote learning, that won’t be happening today. At least they will be back together soon.
The email has come through, we now know where Boo will be going from September.
My daughter will be going to the local grammar school, her first choice.
She is happy.
I shared last year more about our secondary school decision, after we looked around several local schools. We were fortunate that we looked a little early so got to look around them all before the pandemic . We liked a couple of the schools in particular and are fortunate to have a few choices where we live. The grammar school stood out for us as it was the school that my girl felt happiest at when looking around, so that ticked the box for me.
How do I feel about all of this? Happy, emotional, like I have blinked and someone swapped my toddler for an eleven year old!
I still clearly remember choosing her primary school and getting that notification through, and now here we are. Off on a new adventure.
I think I would feel emotional in any year, but with the year that we have had, this one feels like a double whammy. She has missed out on so much time with her friends in these final months. She has only had one term in school with them since last March. She’s actually doing OK, ticking along with the remote learning and looking forward to getting back into school next week.
For now, I think she will enjoy today, get excited about her future today, and then I imagine her thoughts will be back on her current school, seeing out her school year with her friends. It’ll be me thinking about this next step, knowing how quickly it will zoom around.
My thoughts are turning to how she will get there each day, the independence that she will have, the logistics and the uniform and then arranging for her to have the phone in a few months time that she has been asking for. Repeatedly!
On the one hand I am excited for her. And on the other, I just want her to stay small.
Just over a term left to go. Just over a term left at a school that she has grown and thrived at.
So much of my life has been wrapped up at her school, so many friends made. I will still be going there each day, of course, but with one less hand to hold.
Today is the day that I get excited for my daughter about her new adventure, the day that I am happy for her, whilst a little bit of me mourns the imminent end of an era. Ah well, I suppose all good things must come to an end (why is this? Why can’t good things just keep on being good?!) and I will hope that just as we made the right choice for her primary school, we have made the right one for her secondary school.
Has your child received their secondary school place today? How are you feeling?
Aww! Congratulations. I am so pleased Boo got her first choice of school. I can’t believe your girl will be starting secondary school soon. Where has the time gone?! x
Thank you! I know, I can’t quite believe it! x
My daughter also got her first choice today and I feel just the same as you; happy, relieved & yet it is tinged with a sadness at knowing she is growing up & I have to start ‘letting go’.
It is so hard! We are happy and a bit sad all rolled into one. I’m pleased your daughter got her first choice too, I hope the transition goes smoothly.