In something of a remarkable turnaround from his attitude towards school earlier this year, the Elderbeast has decided to try out for a spot as Student Representative for 2018. In short, this means he’s gone from being someone who thinks that school is possibly the worst place in the universe, to being someone who wants to spend the next year actively contributing to that school. He’s wavered a little bit along the way, but I’ve done my best to help persuade him that simply getting up there and giving it a go is an achievement in itself and I will be immensely proud of him whether he gets one of the eight spots or not.

We’ve gone back and forth on the speech a few times, sometimes with a little resistance, but tonight he wrapped it up and it’s pretty darned good: funny in parts; humble and self-reflective where it needs to be; upbeat and positive in all the right places.

Tomorrow he gets up there, alongside 33 other candidates, in front of his school and all the teachers, and gives it his best shot.

(Spoiler: he didn’t get it BUT he came home the day after doing his speech absolutely brimming with delight at the response he got, and talking about all the other kids who had come up to him and said they had voted for him. Hopefully he’ll remember that feeling the next time an opportunity like this comes along).