Alice started Reception this morning – for the uninitiated amongst you, this means proper School (or Big Girls’ School as Alice likes to call it). Alice was so excited – she couldn’t wait to get her uniform on and kept nagging me to drive more quickly on the way. And then that was it….off she went to her new classroom….new teacher….new life.

It got me thinking as to how far Alice has come since she started in the Nursery of her School two years ago. I remember in the days leading up to her start, telling Alice’s Mummy that I thought we should back out and delay her starting for six months. Lest we forget, back then Alice had about 15-20 basic words, was very shy with the little voice she did have and wasn’t potty-trained as yet (sorry Notre Dame, we lied about that….). But, as with everything in Alice’s world, she just got on with it and loved it from the off. The school have accepted Alice and adapted wonderfully. She has a close circle of friends and genuinely loves going there. It is testament to Alice’s maturity and the School’s wonderful attitude.

From 15-20 words to now….Alice was back at AV yesterday after the summer break. She had her new PLS-4 test done (the last being 7 months ago). Whilst this is only a guide and has its flaws, Alice is now 4 years and 5 months old…..her combined PLS score was 4 years and 8 months…..past age appropriate….85th percentile in the normal distribution. Wow!

What a difference two years makes. Well done you clever girl!

First day in nursery two years ago…

And now….