01/09/2026
’Twas the Night Before School
‘Twas the night before school, and the house was a blur,
Uniforms waiting, new shoes, quite the stir.
Some children were groaning, some wide-eyed with glee,
Some counting the hours till their best friends they’d see.
Some packed their new bags for a first ever classroom day,
While others were starting in quite a new way.
Some heading to secondary with timetables tight,
Some excited that college was now in their sight.
Some carefully practising just taking a seat, Where entering the doorway feels bravely complete.
For school reintegration’s no race, let us say;
A hello. One room. That’s enough for today.
And elsewhere that evening, the paperwork lay,
EHCP battles filling the day.
A child would return to a placement that’s worn,
To a system that’s broken,
to parents forlorn.
Some children won’t go;
not stubborn, not bad.
Their trauma speaks louder than words;
They are sad.
Their bodies remember what language won’t tell,
That school wasn’t “safe”,
Their mind wasn’t well.
Some wait for EOTAS,
for tutors, for a plan,
For someone to finally say, “Yes. We understand.”
Some brilliant packages ready to roll: Learning what fits round the heart of the soul.
Some waiting for specialist schools with a space,
For gentler provision, a slower-paced place.
And some still are waiting. Still fighting. Still there.
Refreshing inboxes. Repeating a prayer.
Yet tonight, across the country, there’s hope mixed with fear,
As families prepare for what’s coming this year.
There are cheers and there’s grief, and there’s courage unseen.
Mainstreaming, SEND, EOTAS and everything in between.
So tomorrow, whatever the pathway may be,
A classroom or home or a tree-based marquee.
May each child be met where they genuinely stand,
Not dragged toward milestones that shouldn’t have been planned.
Your pathway is worthy.
Your pace is just right.
There is more than one way to learn, grow, and take flight.
Here’s to tomorrow,however it came.
Happy new school year, whatever your name.
