Well that about wraps it up for primary school in the Orm household

[IrianofWay]

DS2 is leaving today. Went in for his leaver's assembly and he's going home with a friend after school so I won't be going there again. A bit nostalgic I guess.... but no tears.

DS2 is completely indifferent as he's going with the two people he got on really well with to secondary school. No-one else ins his class impinged much on his life. I think that is why I'm not upset. There were children sobbing and parents in tears too. I think I was more like that with DS1 and DD.

Just feels odd that after 13 years I won't be going there again.

[Meglet]

I struggled after my youngest finished nursery last year .

At least I've got another 6yrs to prepare for end of primary.

[Pagwatch]

I'm having an odd time too.
DD just finished primary so that's that.
Ds1 just graduated having turned 21 last month. Ds2 is turning 18 in a couple of months and is now in FE.
I'm old.

[IrianofWay]

pag - that's just it. I feel old too. DS1 left school last year and is busy doing eff all (and not listening to me about anything!). DD is flying at school and has so much drive and determination - she doesn't need me. And now DS2 has left primary. It seems like a lifetime since I had little ones it doesn't seem real anymore.

[Spottybra]

I'm at the other end. Ds1 is finishing his reception yr today. Come September he goes into yr 1 and dd starts nursery I'm distraught at the thought of being child free for 5 afternoons a week. No tantrums, no one to entertain, no mess, able to get the housework done without a little helper.....I may be volunteering in school, they need parents for reading practice.

[BackforGood]

It is odd. My youngest has been in Yr7 this year, but when she was in Yr6 I was up at the Primary school regularly as she played so much sport and I used to take her to away matches and watch her at home matches, plus things like helping out at the fetes, going in to celebaration assemblies, etc.
This year really has been weird, without any of that contact with the school - similar to you, 15 yrs after dc1 started Nursery!

[IrianofWay]

bask - agree that as a parent you are far more semi-detached at secondary school. Perfomances only involve people who want to be involved not the whole class, sports days aren't open to parents, you don't need to drop off and pick up. Only time I go to the secondary school is for parents evenings and end of year acheivement assemblies.

I think that maybe I did all my crying about it when DD left as in those days I was quite closely involved with the school and with other parents. DS2 was a 'surprise' who arrived when DD was 4 and I seemed to run out of steam a bit with him with regards to school.

[pointythings]

DD2 doesn't finish until Wednesday, she has her leavers' assembly on Monday. DH is going.

Tonight is the Yr6 leaving party - emphatically not a prom, thank goodness, though there will be sparkly dresses.

We're all seeing it as positive. DD2 has just had two transition days at her new secondary and has absolutely loved it. She's met her teachers, starter learning her way around, done activities with her house and has already made new friends. She's ready to move on so it isn't a sad time. Mind you, DH and I were never that engaged with the school because we both work full time, it was just not possible. I think that makes it easier.

[IrianofWay]

" DH and I were never that engaged with the school because we both work full time, it was just not possible" That does make a difference. I worked full-time too (apart from a few years) rarely was able to help but as I usually did the school pick ups thanks to flexible working, I could always talk to the teachers and chat to the other parents.

I am really looking forward to next year - I honestly beleive DS will be happier in the new school. More opportunities for him to do the things he is interested in.

[fortifiedwithtea]

Last day for my youngest at primary. It will seem odd. I've been going to that school for 9 years. I will be meeting her from school today even though she has been walking on her own since Easter.

I've explained, it's a special day for me too.

[RaspberryLemonPavlova]

Last day for us here too. Feels very odd after 12 years.

However DS2 is being invited back for a project in September, so its not good-bye completely.

[insanityscratching]

Dd2 leaves primary on Wednesday, it will the first time in 22 years that I haven't had a child in primary. I'm sad dd is leaving her most lovely school, my others are adults so it feels a bit like another step on the road to an empty nest which seems a daunting prospect when you have 5 dc.

[Sparklingbrook]

DS2 leaves Middle School on Tuesday. I can't help feeling the fun years in Education are over for the Sparklings.

[year3onuke]

DS1's class did a big countdown and came out with their shirts written on.

The highlight of the day was seeing an onscreen photo of 5 year old DS holding up his train to a reception photographer. This was in the leavers' assembly. I miss that unguarded face.

One of his classmates' mothers died when we were in year 1. It would have been nice to have seen a photo of her too.

[IrianofWay]

year3 - that must have been lovely!

Funnily enough there was nothing personal about the assembly. There is a new head, new deputy head, many of the old teachers have left over the last few years, so none of the staff really had memories of the last 7 years, of this year group. When DD left 4 years ago the deputy head who had been there for about 15 years, handed out a gift to all the kids and when he did so he gave a little speech about each child, something funny or special about them that showed he knew they quite well. This time they got handed their gift with a brief handshake and that was it. It just have the feeling that our children had left no impression on the school as a whole. DS2 was my last child at that school and it just felt like he might as well not have been there.

[IrianofWay]

And I whinged about the way that the school has changed a week or so ago and couldn't really put my finger on it - I think my post above has done it. The school used to be a real community - head knew all the kids by name, remembered their older siblings and their parents - that continuity has gone now.

[PastSellByDate]

DD2 is at a new primary - so I'm not completely done - but I did bid a very happy adieu to St. Mediocre yesterday.

The relief is palpable - all day Friday I was thinking HURRAH! We're free!

I've no idea what 'issues' the new secondary school may bring - but I hope I can have some academic ambitions for my child and not be treated like I'm a horrible mother - that would be a lovely and very welcome change.

[PastSellByDate]

by the way I'm not insisting my child is a rocket scientist - I am talking about being told in extremely insulting terms that teaching a child long multiplication/ division was unnecessary at this stage (KS2 upper) and best left for secondary school.

[Hassled]

It's sad that you feel the school's lost that community feel - but that might actually make leaving less upsetting for that year group. When my DC4 left primary there was a lovely "we all know you really well and care about you" feeling to the Leavers' Assembly, which was great - but it made leaving more of a wrench.

But it is a big deal to many parents when their youngest leaves Primary - I wasn't upset as much as disconcerted; a big chapter of my life was over. It was an odd feeling.

[Sparklingbrook]

It's even more weird in these parts. Year 7 done at Middle School. I will be having a blub at DS2's Leavers' Assembly on Monday. But if we lived elsewhere he would have just finished the first year at High School.

[spudmasher]

Very emotional leaver's assembly yesterday....this is from the other side of the fence.....It's always the most unlikely children that cry the most. Out roughest, toughest boy left a little pile of tissues behind on the assembly floor and refused to leave the school at the end of the day until he'd hugged every last teacher and TA. A lot of the children had been in my care since Nursery, so I get very emotional too! Sad so say goodbye to lots of our lovely mums too. (Managed to sign a couple up as volunteers!) it's an emotionally draining time for some.

[Sparklingbrook]

I think Leavers' Assemblies should be banned. I will be all emotional, and probably DS as well and he's 12!

When he left First School we were v strong on the last day then got in the car at hometime and both sobbed for about ten minutes.

[insanityscratching]

I'm going to be rubbish at dd's leaver's assembly She's already told me to sit at the back, because I cried at her older sibling's leavers assemblies. What's worse is I have dc that don't cry and are embarrassed by me so can't even blame my tears on theirs.

[Artus]

My youngest child left primary school in 1998 and I still can't hear "One more step along the world I go" withoug welling up.

[WhispersOfWickedness]

Really feel for all of you. I'm at the beginning of the journey, DC1 has his 'graduation' from preschool on Tuesday and starts school in September. DC2 starts preschool in September.
I went to the leavers assembly at the school this week as a friend whose son is leaving asked me to, I welled up and they weren't even my children!!

[WhispersOfWickedness]

Really feel for all of you. I'm at the beginning of the journey, DC1 has his 'graduation' from preschool on Tuesday and starts school in September. DC2 starts preschool in September.
I went to the leavers assembly at the school this week as a friend whose son is leaving asked me to, I welled up and they weren't even my children!!