Another Sarah Ockwell-Smith book here. With my eldest rapidly coming up on starting school, I found this one a handy guide on the months ahead as we prepare. I don't always gel with Ockwell-Smith but this book felt different to a lot of her others because it was more advice on processes rather than on parenting philosophies. It was interesting for me as a former teacher to read her perspectives. I have my own baggage about the education system which I am doing my best to park at the door but it was thought-provoking to realise how little I will know about my child's day when September rolls around. After over three years of nursery updates and then the days that I have always had him at home, this is going to be a big step change for me as well as him. The Starting School Book also has some useful checklists on skills for school readiness and recommended kit lists. I had been blithely ignoring this milestone as we are pretty set in a lot of areas but Ockwell-Smith had some useful observations as an experienced parent of schoolchildren which I will definitely be taking into consideration. I would recommend this to all parents preparing their children for school.