Last week my daughter’s science groups released the butterflies they had been hatching. I gather it was a really lovely event, watching these young insects, who the children had been studying and caring for, find their wings and fly off into the great unknown.

I’m told the adults were as excited as the children.

Sitting in the glorious sunshine, planning for the last couple of weeks of the school year, and for EKT’s holiday sessions (more of them in a moment) I realised what a perfect metaphor for teaching those butterflies were.

The last few weeks of a school year are a strange thing – for us tutors  just much as for class teachers. Over the course of a year you get to know these youngsters so well, and become really invested in their success, both academically and as people. Watching them fly off to the next stage of their education brings a strange mixture or pride and poignancy. Of course some pop back from time to time, some send messages and most phone up to let us know their results, all of which is lovely.

And there are new students to look forward to – which was what this post was actually meant to be about before the butterflies side-tracked me.

But thinking about all those lovely, funny, clever, challenging students that I have taught makes me think I’d like to keep this post especially for them. So that’s what I’ll do. New students and holiday sessions can have a new post.

But for now, to all our butterflies:  those waiting for results, those waiting to move on to new schools in September,  and those further along their journey, thank you. It’s been wonderful working with you.