Rydal Penrhos Prep School head Lucy Davies returns with her weekly thoughts after another busy few days across the site.

Children do tend to set a great score on how old they are…birthdays are huge milestones in so many ways. It’s been an interesting aspect of the whole Rydal Penrhos Prep School doing a daily challenge in the past few weeks – how much should we adapt the challenge to allow for age difference?

The photograph shows a Year 4 class attempting one of the challenge balances earlier this week, a couple of wobbles but all managed fine.

The situation was quite different with pupils in Reception who are four years younger! Let’s just say that we needed quite a bit of space to accommodate the wobbling!

An age-related conversation overheard in the corridor outside my office earlier this week:

• 4 year old: Stop running (shouted whilst running)
• 3 year old: You stop running (shouted whilst running)
• 4 year old: I’m allowed to run (hands on hips, stopped by my open door)
• 3 year old: I’m allowed to run too (copying hands on hips and general ‘I know better than you’ stance)
• 4 year old: No you’re not (wagging finger, going a bit red, could be because of the running, might be in anger)
• 3 year old: Why? (looking pensive)
• 4 year old: Because you’re not four (looking triumphant)

Pause in conversation, the rest of the class catch up…

• Teacher: Oh, there you are, did you two run down this corridor?
• 4 year old and 3 year old: No (spoken very loudly, without hesitation)
• Teacher: How did you get down here so quickly? (stern look)
• 3 year old: He ran because he’s allowed (innocent look)
• Teacher: Oh, why’s that? (genuinely interested)
• 3 year old: Because he’s four!

The four-year-old looked slightly puzzled, realising that he may have scored a metaphorical own goal (or been ‘busted’ in four-year-old language!)

Somehow the difference between 25 and 26 or 42 and 43 doesn’t seem to hold quite the same gravitas as that between a three and four year old.

Does that mean that we mark the passage of time more or less as we grow older? When exactly do we stop looking forward to getting one year older?

Maybe we shouldn’t stop, maybe we should value the wisdom, experience and permission to run down the corridor!

Mrs L Davies 

Head of Rydal Penrhos Prep School

Stars of the week

• Reception – Albert
• Year 1 – Vihaan
• Year 2 – Hania
• Year 3 – Eglantine
• Year 4 – Oscar
• Year 5 – Jensen
• Year 6 – Felix

Artist of the Week

Archie-Glyn