Year 6 end of school party cost

My DD's was about £75 in total.

It included the class driving around in a novelty themed party bus (think stag/hen type thing but with soft drinks obviously!). A laser quest game, a posh buffet, a bespoke celebration cake and gift bags for each child.

We could have hired the parish hall for free (church school) and the deacon has a deal with a local pizza shop for events. They would have supplied food at low cost. The parish centre provides free juice for the children. Someone else has a relative who provides daft party games and music, like inflatable sumo wrestling costumes and tug of war ropes and would have done it at cost. No transport needed as it's just up the road. That would have cost around £20 each.

Insta-mothers pushed for the expensive party as it would look better on social media(?!)

Thing is, the themed bus was a total waste of money IMO as it was themed from a film aimed at teens and adults so I doubt any of the children would have got it.

The food was a waste of money as it was all fancy stuff you'd serve to adults, like posh dogs in brioche with caramelised onion chutney, whereas kids would be just as happy with tinned hot dogs in a bog standard white roll.

No idea why a big cake with all their names on was needed, or why they needed gift bags.

My child didn't go as I'm on a low income and I thought spending £75 on a kids party was a stupid waste of money. We don't normally have takeaway due to the cost, so I let her order takeaway instead and she was pleased with that.

I do think thats an awful lot yes.I assume this is to raise some funds ,however does seen excessive to me TBH.

Yeah it sounds like that to me. Someone's got a yen for balloon arches and wants to use the supplier they fell in love with on Instagram rather than questioning whether any of the kids would notice and if something suitable could be assembled from B and Ms finest. That sort of thing.

Its very expensive!

However, since the kids have a free party at school, that all will be able to attend, I think the PTA can organise this as they want.

I'd think differently if there wasn't a party that is free for all the day before for them to all celebrate together.

Though in fairness, the whole thing is an extravagance - why do the kids need TWO parties one the day after the other anyway?! Maybe that’s why they’re going wild, to make it memorable and ‘more than’ the school offering….

I think they’re spending money on things that they feel are worth it but others probably wouldn’t agree.

I find it hard to believe someone would be brazenly (and so obviously) profiting from something like this - I think it’s far more likely that they’ve arranged things that could have been done much cheaper.

As an example I once spent at least £400 on home birthday balloon decorations. Now I could do the lot for £30 from SHEIN, but back then I really didn’t know any better and would have said that was ‘the cost’. I’m mortified thinking back at how much I wasted.

Likewise cupcakes - they may be getting bespoke personalised themed cupcakes that cost £6 per child. The issue is does that actually have value, either to the kids or to the rest of the parents? Who knows, you haven’t seen the proposed cupcake design. They might be utterly amazing, personalised with names and a model of each individual on their cake, costing £10 and you might think actually that’s totally worth it. They also might be from the Lidl bakery and costing 70p each.

The big issue is that there is no transparency over what the money is going on, or options to make it cheaper.

I find it truly unbelievable that they’d spend £200 and pocket £1000 because it would be totally obvious on the day.

I think they’ve just set a really high budget and have big plans, and that should be reigned in. Has nobody queried on the WhatsApp group why it’s actually so much? We are private school parents, all very affluent, but I honestly can’t imagine being in this situation and nobody querying why the price was so steep - someone absolutely would.

I think you are right but it’s loopy isn’t it. Some of those cupcakes will be half eaten. You only pay that amount for a cupcake if you have to, like at a theme park, in Central London, or somewhere where they know they have you over a barrel.

I suspect it's probably not a bespoke cupcake at all. The price may be high per ticket but they don't seem to be spending much of that money or sharing what the £40 per child is being spent on.

So far all the OP knows is there's some pizza, nibbles, a disco (maybe a DJ), they've spent £50 on a small venue and the kids get a fairy cake.

I'm thinking that these mums may have ordered bespoke, boujie cupcakes. Not your bog standard Tesco party platter. They are obviously not doing it on the cheap!

£4 each for a cupcake? For year 6 children? Are you on crack?

I’ve catered for loads of school fairs and your estimate costs are way too high.

Ah. When my daughter was in year 6, I think the PTA were looking at a cost of several hundred pounds for the party, which included families and siblings. The main cost was hiring the inflatables. The party was in someone’s large garden (rural area) and the kids ran stalls at the school fete and after school and raised the money for the party themselves. People lent tents and gazebos, thankfully the weather was fine. One of the dads DJ ed and we all brought food from home. Pizzas, jacket potatoes, salads. Someone made cake. It was a great evening.

DD’s Y6 leavers’ party was in a local cricket club. Pretty affluent area and included: a buffet, bouncy castle, balloon arch and decorations, music etc.

A couple of parents organised it and it was £20! Each cost and breakdown was explained on the year 6 parents’ WhatsApp group along the way and they did a poll to ask what would be acceptable/wanted.

Most of the kids spent their time running around and the parents chatting with a pint or two outside as it was lovely weather.

£40 sounds a rip off and with no transparency. We’re up north too.

My guess is a lot of it depends how luxe they want to go for things. So for example are the cupcakes going to be Aldi cheapo for 30p each or a handmade, exquisitely decorated job that runs you closer to a fiver per bun. By photo opportunities, do they mean they're hiring a couple of those selfie pod things?

Our Year 6 leavers do last year actually cost more than this, and a lot of that seemed to be because they were splurging on things I personally wouldn't have bothered with. But I hadn't done any of the labour involved, so it reflected the tastes of the people organising rather than mine.

Yes, someone is making a bit of money here……

What is wrong with just the end of year party at school ?
Give it a year or two and they will be organising an overseas trip.

I think the whole thing is ridiculous.

We’re in the north too, and DD’s leavers’ party is being organised by parents, although with total transparency through a WhatsApp group, so there isn’t a committee or unilateral decisions being made.

The function room at a local Conservative Club has been booked, which isn’t the most remarkable of venues, but the room is fine, and more importantly we have exclusive use, and room hire is next to nothing. Between us, we’re organising balloons, a “Class of 2026” banner, a Photo Booth with props (Photo Booth keeps capitalising automatically, I can’t make it stop!), a small buffet (sandwiches, crisps, sausage rolls etc. rather than hot food) and a PowerPoint of photos from their seven years at school together which will scroll automatically throughout the evening. We have been lucky with the DJ, as he isn’t charging us as he’s a relative of one of the families attending, so that does bring the cost down. Total cost is £20 each, plus whatever each family spends at the bar.

There would have been an outcry if the tickets had been £40 each!

If not they've definitely got their calculations a bit Pete Tong 🤣

Those of you saying just don’t go if you think it’s too expensive. I was the parent whose child was the only one who couldn’t go to their year 6 leaver’s party due to the type of event & cost & it was horrible.

Pizza delivery is pretty expensive for what it is. Could be even more if they've gone down the van hire, wood fired route.

If it's a small hut I bet they don't have much in the way of cooking facilities so that does limit the cheaper options. I wouldn't personally have picked somewhere fairly isolated, but suppose we don't know if there was anything else on offer for that date. Venues probably get booked up quickly.

That’s crazy!
especially when school are doing a party anyway. Why are the PTA doing another one????
year 6’s round here have a residential to like a PGL place but it’s some crazy amount of money for the week - my eldest didn’t want to go which was a relief but dd year5 is talking about it. They also have a day out somewhere like Doncaster some or something and an end of term discount but in the hall free and everyone takes party food to share.

You're also forgetting that any siblings attending will also be charged.

The OP has said they get a fairy cake, some pizza and general snacks such as crisps and fizzy pop. I strongly suspect the food will not take up such a huge portion of the budget. Even pizza ordered in won't be £10 per child, it won't be a whole pizza each.

It's also unclear if the disco will even be a DJ as the OP has said the hut isn't very large so it could just be some music from a phone linked to a speaker.

I'd be surprised if they spent even half the cost of tickets on supplies.

My son’s year 6 leavers party was actually held whilst they were away on a residential. They had an entire evening, disco, a massive bonfire, s’mores, the works and it was all included in their final residential - they went the last 4 days before the Friday they broke up.

There was also a prom (my son refused to go) which a lot of parents grouped together and hired the local “community hall” (read cold- spider infested hut which needs to be condemned) overnight and for the day of prom. The girls all got ready there together in one room and the boys in another, and they had a massive after prom party and sleepover which was spoken about for 3 weeks after. But parents paid for the hire of the hall, their own hairdressers and makeup people and limos etc, it was just them (and by them I mean the parents of the super popular kids - there were certain parents who weren’t even told about it) clubbing together.
£40 sounds super expensive.

What?
40 x 30 =1,200
pizza £10 per head
other refreshments £10 per head
DJ £150 = £5 per head
decorations etc £5 per head
hut hire £1.50 per head
Total cost per pupil £31.50 x 30 =£945.00
£1200 - £945 =£255.00 left

£40 x 30 is over a grand. So let's break it down, approximately...

Hall hire £50
DJ £300
Pizza say £10pp = £300
Cupcakes £4 each = £ 120
Ice cream, drinks, sweets, crisps etc £150
Decor £100
Photo props and games £50

It expensive but when you look at it like that, not overly ridiculous.

Good point! My DDs leavers (16) prom is the same price as that. Marquee, food, music and professional photographer. £40 is a bit silly. Why are they running another party when school has arranged.