This one’s a special episode. I sat down with my daughter Serena, just before she started secondary school, to chat through how she’s feeling about the big change — from nerves and new uniforms to favourite teachers and Tiny Tim the turtle. A real coming-of-age moment.

👀 If you're a parent, a teacher, or just someone who remembers that moment of growing up... this one will hit home.

Let us know in the comments what your first day of secondary school was like!

Timestamps:

00:00 – Starting secondary school soon
01:20 – Reflecting on primary school memories
02:50 – SATs pressure and support from teachers
04:50 – Fun stories from year 5 and 6
06:00 – The nerves around “big school”
07:15 – Summer school and navigating a bigger building
08:40 – Making new friends and first impressions
10:00 – New uniform, expensive blazers & growing up
12:00 – Sports, Hyrox and dodgeball dreams
15:30 – What Serena will never forget from primary
17:45 – Shoutout to her teachers and first podcast wrap-up!