Isaac moved up to Year 1 last month, and this week we had our first parents’ evening with his new teacher. We have much to be proud of. Academically he’s doing well – his reading and comprehension are both well ahead of average – and he received glowing praise in terms of his social skills too.

That’s terrific – and I told him as much when I picked him up from after-school club later that afternoon. But I also said to him that what makes me most proud is not how clever he is, but the fact that he embraces every new challenge with such enthusiasm and always tries his hardest.

I meant it too. Don’t get me wrong – I’m delighted he’s turning out to be a smart cookie. But, more than anything, I love the fact he simply enjoys school.

Like most parents, we were a little concerned when he stepped up from Foundation 2 to Year 1. It’s a significant shift into a more formal and structured learning environment, and children can find that transition a difficult one. However, our fears were unfounded. He has taken to it like a duck to water. Indeed, he was so excited when he received his first set of homework that he came home from school, immediately sat down at the table and didn’t stop until he had completed it.

I came down to breakfast yesterday morning to find him carefully drawing Vincent van Gogh’s ‘Starry Night’, from memory, on paper. Then I came home in the evening and watched him fire up Paint on the computer to reproduce it on the screen. There’s no stopping him at the moment.

His enthusiasm is, apparently, boundless. And that quality is – to quote the Mastercard adverts – priceless.

I love that. I hope he always stays that way. It’s not so much what he achieves that matters, it’s the way he does it that puts the biggest smile on my face.