When did leaving primary school become such a big thing?

I can't remember anything about leaving Primary School. It would have been in the early 90s.

Leaving Secondary School was equally flat. Literally the last day was normal lessons. I remember bunking the last lesson to speed time with my friends. We were leaving in 1 hour so there wasn't much risk of punishment.

There was no leavers party or prom. I actually feel a bit sad that the occasion was never marked by either school.

When my children left Primary School I really enjoyed their leavers assemblies, production and seeing them enjoy tbeir leavers party.

I think some proms go a bit OTT but on the whole it's a nice thing to do.

Same here!

We had first, middle and high schools. There wasn’t a great deal, I think an assembly (80s). We were almost all going to the same high school. Tee did visit the high school and get shown around.

It wasn't such a big deal when I left primary school in the 60s or when my daughter left in the early 90s. She did the shirt signing etc and there was a leavers' assembly and a barbecue but that's all.

FWIW I have four grandchildren and they have all preferred Secondary school to Primary.

I think you’ve really hit the nail on the head here! I hadn’t thought about that before but you’re right.

The headteacher on a unicycle! Made me giggle! WTF?!

I am very emotional and also autistic. I was dreading crying. I didn't cry. I couldn't wait to get home. Dd cried through the whole assembly. Lots of dads cried. My dh wasn't there but he isn't emotional. Never seen him
upset in 18 years.

We used to have middle school’s so you left primary at end of year 3. There were definitely leavers discos, shirt signings etc at end of middle school.

Re the crying from everyone
I see that as collective hysteria. One person starts crying and it becomes contagious.

I think having an assembly is nice. I know my dcs enjoyed that. Some of the children were actually quite emotional about it too.

Thank god for visiting the school. Some children will take it like duck to water but others are quite anxious about it. So a visit is doing a lot of good. (And yes that was one of my dcs - autism didn’t help)

But parents crying at the thought of their dcs leaving primary leaves me more . It’s like when parents cry when their dc starts nursery or primary etc… Yes they are growing up but surely that’s a good thing??
And yes for me, it’s the parents who are making a huge thing out of leaving primary.

Having said that, I remember my last day at primary very clearly (it felt like I was turning a page). I also remember my first day in secondary (big and scary and at the same time feeling grown up and keen). No assembly etc… for me but I think it is and WAS a big thing for children. (I’m over 50yo too)

If you left primary in 1974 that makes you around 60. How do you have a child that left primary 4 years ago?

I agree the drama and sheer number of events, and ‘things’ / gifts etc can be over the top and makes transition more difficult. In the last couple of weeks before the end of school this year they had about 8 events including days out, parties and everyone was shattered and most just wanted it to be over with. I think the children would have enjoyed it more if there were just a few things. Maybe limiting it to one party, one day out, and one leaver’s assembly would have been more enjoyable. (Apart from the few hundred quid spent!)

Never mind primary, my friend's daughter just graduated from nursery complete with cap and gown! Crazy. Even my friends thought it was ridiculous.

Our year 6 have a leavers disco and assembly which is perfectly normal and a guard of honour where the whole school clap which is weird. It's not an achievement worthy of great celebration by everyone just to reach the end of year 6. It's not optional is it. It doesn't take great dedication and lots of hard work. Just just naturally leave school at the end of primary school. Some kids will have struggled to get to that point but like I said, it's not optional to leave, you just do.

It's all become a ridiculous contant praise-fest for every little transition in life. Like getting a medal for taking part in sports day and kids wanting rewards for every little thing they do. Madness.

I was horrified collecting my DS on the last day of term - crying kids, teachers and parents everywhere. Confetti cannons, music, the head teacher on a bloody unicycle. Whilst a leavers assembly and a hoody are a lovely acknowledgement, I don't get the need for all this OTT nonsense. Any wonder we're raising successive generations of snowflakes.

We had a leavers concert in 1992 when I left primary. Last night my dd left brownies and I felt emotional but I'm an owl as well and four of them left so prob why

I left primary school in the 90s, we had an assembly, a disco and we signed each others' shirts. We also did end of year teacher presents.

We had a leavers' assembly/show, shirt signing and a transition day to visit our secondary school.
It was quite low key and looking back I think it was the right amount of acknowledgement and marking the milestone without going overboard.

Like PP I often think a lot of the hype is the adults transferring their emotions to the children. They need us to be calm and stable figures. What message do they get about moving to secondary school if their key adults are weeping and getting dramatic about the whole thing?

I left primary in 1980 in Glasgow. We had a "Qually Dance" which was even a thing back in the 1930s when my mum was at school (and we'd learnt and practised the dances - it was a ceilidh style event with food). People got asked to go with each other, we dressed up, got new outfits. It was a big deal.

We had a prize giving every year anyway so that was a bit special for all the P7s. Our school didn't have duxes - a few still did - but in my mum's day that was a common thing, someone effectively 'crowned' top of the school who would give a speech. My friend was dux of her school. There was shirt signing.

There was a transition day for the local secondary.

My kids had similar 5-10 years ago in England.

Left in 2007. We signed shirts and had a leavers assembly. It was enough, a prom would have been too much.

Our local school, where I am governor, had a leaver's concert in which the whole school from 3 year olds to year 6 took part. Whole school singing and playing their instruments (ocarina, recorder, banjo, violin, cello, saxophone - for a rural primary, the music is exceptional), and the year 6's, as per tradition, put on a skit of their own - it is always a secret and the staff have no idea what they might produce! - or whether they might be lampooned!

There were some tears - it is an emotional time saying goodbye to friends and teachers who have filled your life for so many years - but it was not allowed to get out of hand; and it was lovely to see the year 6s singing arm in arm with smiles on their faces.

It seemed entirely appropriate and was a joy to watch.

All the school then went up to picnic on the common and the woods and play on the playground there, and it was good to see them all letting their hair down and having fun together.

I left primary in the mid 80s and had a leavers disco and a transition week.

I was at a Catholic primary in the 80’s, and definitely remember a leaver’s mass and some sort of concert with prize-giving ceremony for Year 6, and presentations for the teachers who were leaving, which parents attended - it was on the last day right at the end, so everyone went home afterwards with their parents which felt very strange, since we’d been going home on our own for years!

I can’t remember a disco, but there may have been one - we had a school disco at the end of every year.

Some people were signing shirts. We definitely didn’t have leavers hoodies, but I’m sure I would have liked one.

I left in 1984 and I've just realised that I can't even remember leaving, no recollection of last day at all. So can't have been that momentous!

Whenever a normal event becomes a Big Occasion you can assume that someone, somewhere is making money out of it.