The starting school set is up and ready, and this year it has a new addition that I may have got slightly carried away with.
I saw a giant pencil on Pinterest. That was really all it took. A length of ducting pipe, some maths I had to ask for help with, a lot of filler and three coats of paint later, here it is. It stands taller than most of the children who will be photographed next to it, which is exactly the point.
The rest of the set is the one you might recognise. The old school desk and chair, the height chart, the globe and the wooden blocks, the jar of colouring pencils and the stack of dictionaries. It is built to look like a proper classroom corner rather than a backdrop, so there is plenty for children to sit at, lean on and hold.
Starting school is a strange milestone for parents. It arrives quickly, it feels enormous, and the day itself usually involves a rushed photo by the front door before everyone leaves the house. These sessions are the calmer version of that. Uniform on, no hurry, and a set of photos that show your child exactly as they were in the week everything changed.
Sessions suit anyone starting reception, moving up to a new school, or heading into a new year group. Bring the uniform, the book bag and the shoes that will not be that clean for long.
