Friendships seem so much different at ds's new junior school

[chocaddict]

I feel a bit of a loon for saying it but I am missing the kind of friendships I used to see my ds enjoy at his old infant school.
My ds started the juniors at a new school last September he was the only new boy in class and although it did take him a while he has made some freinds but things don,t seem how they were at his old infant school.

He was very popular in his old infant school and he used to run and join his mates to run off onto the playground on route to school.
It was the same at home time they would always have a laugh together and a run around before eventually making thier way home with their moms.
There doesn,t appear to any of this at the new junior school things seem so much more subdued and coming out of school I have noticed that children just simply go off home with no interaction with mates etc.
My ds would always call out to his mates at his old infant school and they would join up and have a laugh a lark around not naughtiness but just children having fun.
I miss seeing all of this.
Is this because they are getting older and becoming more settled just wondering if anyone else has ever felt like this.
I suppose I miss his old school dreadfully.
Sorry I know this post has probably made me look like a loon.
However I have noticed usch a difference and I am not sure if its because my ds doesn,t really have any real freinds or its just how it is on talking to him he is certainly playing with a mixture of people at playtime.
But I just don,t seem to have seen the same zest and excitment of having that little bit of fun on coming and going from school.
Can anyone relate to what I say.
Do things become like this in the juniors as they get older.