Summer’s over, days are shorter and much colder. Time to.start taking notice of those back to school signs that have been in your face since the beginning of the summer holidays.

A time of transition for many; start of primary school, secondary school, sixth form, university etc. An anxious time for parents experiencing separation of varying degrees. Will they be Happy? Will they fit in? Will they be safe?

The obligatory photograph at the doorway in pristine uniform circulated on social media hoping for likes and comments like, ‘really! Where has the time gone?

All teachers up and down the country have wasted their last week counting down the days before their return to the classroom. What’s on my timetable? I hope I have my own classroom. I should have written that scheme of work earlier.

Prepare for that sleepless night tossing and turning having anxiety dreams, about clothes, teeth and falling – all perfectly normal. You are entering an extreme sport where you are challenged on a daily basis to entertain, challenge and get results. Like a gladiator you must enter the arena and battle with the mobile phone, the hat, the coat and the disengagement.

How many weeks to Christmas?