Totally OTT primary school 'leavers' celebrations

[irritatedandhotandsweaty]

Am I a crap mother because I really don't see this as an amazing achievement?

I just feel like for the last two weeks the whole class have been totally hyped up and there's been far too much talk of 'their journey' and 'being soooo emotional' and all of this nonsense of the prom. Thankfully we could afford it but it was ludicrous! Some of the girls had full make up and tans.

I think it's a lovely thing in secondary school but absolutely not in P7.

Having a full scale prom or "graduation" is ridiculous. I don't mind hoodies, a trip, even a party or disco though. My daughter's school also do a Leavers Service at the church.

Even if many of them may go onto the same secondary (actually that won't be the case for my DD's school, there are only 25 per year and there are at least 5 or 6 schools kids regularly move onto) it's still a rite of passage that feels big to them so it's worth celebrating.

I don't even remember my last day of primary, in 1992. We didn't sign t-shirts or anything. There may well have been a disco but it would have been the whole of the juniors invited. And we did do a production of sorts. I recited a poem that I can still remember to this day, inflections and all!

I dislike the bigger it's become. A friend's child about 10 years ago arrived to their "prom" in a limo, but it was only because many other kids were grouping up and sharing limo costs. About 8 kids in the year (of 60) didn't want or couldn't afford a limo, but they ended up getting one to share anyway (I think as some were upset at being the only 8 not arriving in a limo). It sounded awful to me at the time. I really hope it's not like that when my son reaches Year 6.

I do think the word Prom invites a whole layer of madness and £££. Call it a party or a disco and it's a relatively normal event for children.

Pull it back what is a Prom vs a Disco vs Party?
What they have in common, drink, food(maybe sweets/ crisps) music and dancing,

Disco just happens without any reason to have a Disco, schools sometimes use them as money raising events.

Party designed to celebrate a life event, Leaving, birthday, engagement, retirement etc etc. Gathering of invited guests.

Prom, I actually looked this one up Oxford dictionary, ball or formal dance at school or college.

So going by that a Prom is more formal than a Party. Why do children need or want a formal party? Formal uncomfortable clothes that cost £££

My DS left primary last year, they had a leavers assembly where awards were given out. He won one and I still well up at the thought of the speech the head gave about him (asd in mainstream) school gave leavers tshirts. The traditional year 6 waterfight that he'd looked forward to all year. Parents organised leavers hoodies and a party at a local cricket club and given it was a warm summer night they messed around on the pitch and has fun

I'm keeping an eye on this at our school. Hoping we're at the limit! Leavers hoodies (really don't see the pint of these myself), say trip to a local attraction which they all go to regularly anyway, and a leavers assembly. It's nice to send them off with good wishes, but it really is more than enough!
Thankfully the preschool never did graduations, I think I'd have refused to go! They always did a lovely family bbq to mark the end of year and would present the leavers with a pencil case and certificates (most likely to be a footballer, artist etc. Based on their interests or obsessions at the time! Sweet but not OTT.

The year 6s where I am have a leavers assembly and a gift paid for by the PTA and leavers dinner the day before the last day with music etc and they often sign eachothers stuff. It's more than enough I think and there isn't an expectation for parents to pay loads for stuff the children probably don't even want.

I tend to agree! We've had:

Y6 Camp
Leader's hoodies
Y6 prom (with photo booth and tearful parents - not me👹)
Reception/Y6 photos display
Y6 Leavers Service

It's OTT but lovely, the teachers are really going above and beyond for these kids. I feel sorry for those who lost out during the pandemic, it really wasn't fair on them.

When DD left primary in 2001 the class had a day out at the zoo a week before leaving. On the actual leaving day the class had a non-uniform day and stayed out at morning break for an extra 15 minutes. There was a whole school assembly after lunch at the end of which the leavers were allowed to go home.

I forgot the Y6 play! That too.

Our school does the residential trip right at the start of the school year, so it doesn't really form part of the end of year leavers celebrations.

I don't think we can compare what happens now to 20 years or 30 years ago. 30 years ago it was a complete non-event, leavers service with school only, paper certificate, which your classmates signed the back off.

Our child is going bowling with her class.

Each year, at the end of term the yr 6 have leavers assembly, then at home time, they are the last class out into the playground. The rest of the children from reception up to yr 5 line up in 2 rows as a guard of honour and year 6 go through while all the the children clap and cheer.

Absolutely.

We are actively feeding the MH issues of this generation from such a young age.

And it isnt done for the kids, it is adults doing it for their own validation.

I left primary in 1990, we signed tshirts, had an assembly and a disco at local country house hotel. Sounds similar to me.

Prom - No
Disco - Yes

My son didn’t want to go to the leavers prom (he’s quite reserved ). Agree leaving primary that the full tuxedo, make up, limo, days out, special hoodie etc is OTT especially today when cost of living leaves parents having to make hard choices - pay bills or do the prom. The leavers book and hoodie costs enough. Seems everything has to be a massive emotional ‘do’, leavers, starters, gender reveals, week long stag and hen things, weddings abroad followed by wedding at home and on and on. I am not a party pooper (honestly!) but the need to be showy and out-do everyone is too much. Geesh, maybe I am getting old

I thought the DC's elementary school leaving celebration was at about the right level.

It was called 'the bridging ceremony' and a small bridge was put on the school stage, the children shook hands with the principal of the elementary school and crossed the bridge to shake hands with the principal of the middle school. Then we had cake and capri Sun. Then for some bizarre reason the children danced around five maypoles set up outside. DD obviously didn't care for that as she stalked around it, just holding the ribbon between her fingertips, with an icy and disgusted expression on her face like an 60 something 18th century duchess asked to dance the minuet with an acknowledged rake.

One of the parents had been collecting short videos and photos of the children throughout the year and put together a CD of them and their teachers with background music of all the major top of the charts that year. It was a really nice souvenir.

Y6 play really isn't a leavers' celebration - it's essentially part of the English curriculum. In smaller schools it's Y5/6 or even Y3-6.

Our school do a play at Christmas - no other!

My kids aren't at that stage yet (P1 and P4) but I'm overwhelmed just watching it all unfold on FB. There seems to be a trend with photos of first day and last day of whatever primary year they're in too. I hate all the fuss but I think I'm in the minority speaking to parents who all seem to happily go along with it, ordering limos for prom etc and enjoying the fuss. It seems everything needs to be hyped up these days but maybe I'm just boring🤔

I overheard some parents at my primary school chatting about the graduation thos week. I assumed they were talking about someone at uni but turns out they were chatting about their 11 year old

🙈

I've never heard of school graduations, just nursery which is really a bit of dress up fun, and uni obviously.
Primaries do leavers services and I have a vague recollection of attending a leavers service at secondary.

It's all Americanised, OTT ridiculousness. We had none of this as kids and haven't suffered because of it.

I left primary school in 1974. At the end of the last day our class teacher opened a big bag of fun size Milky Ways and we got one each. (And we thought that was great, to be honest). 😊

I blame the Americans for thus coarsening our culture and flogging us junk food. My daughter paid over £100 for a pair of shoes for her daughter’s prom. It must be really horrible for parents who can’t afford to cough up for fancy outfits. Proms put pressure on girls to “glam up” and boys to find a suit to wear.

Sorry, dopey me, I misread the post and didn’t realise the reference to primary school proms.