Leaving primary - no celebration

[Lailalily]

It was talking with another mum and it make me think about our children finishing primary school.

They worked so hard all these years and grow up together, making lovely friendships and memories. For many of them they been together since Reception and now they are all going separate ways for secondary school.

I feel a little sad that our school do not really do a big celebration for them. They have hoodies and do a play. It is such an important moment in their lives and I think they deserve a nice ending to their primary education after all their hard work.

Please let me know what your schools do? Do they have leavers party, prom, disco, special trip or something else? Any ideas are welcome.

Maybe it is just me, but I feel they deserve something special to celebrate this milestone before they move on.

Parents arrange it. Whole year group invited. Teachers have enough to arrange

My daughters school are having a leavers assembly/graduation and a prom in the evening. They will also get a whole class treat on the last day, usually it’s a McDonalds. How sad not to mark such a special occasion!

If you want a disco the parents need to organise it not the school. School does an assembly and the play. That’s their bit done. If it’s a state school there’s no money so you need to pay for and organise anything above the basics yourselves as parents .

So our primary go all out, almost to the point where it was getting a bit ridiculous towards the end! My son is just finished year seven. This time last year they did

day trip with year 5 to an adventure retreat type place (they had been a mixed class multiple
tomes through school so it was their “goodbye”)

week at an outdoor pursuit residential

pottery painting where they all painted a “school” plate (paid for by school friends association)

lock in at school Friday after school they stayed til 9, had chippy chips, huge water fight and watched a movie

leavers assembly with parents

leavees assembly with rest of school

think that’s it?! They also did a play at Xmas x

Oh, leavers hoodies, leavers photo of them all on the climbing frame

they were 7 boys and 9 girls in their year, small rural primary school with quite a affluent demographic mainly- school is fed mostly by a very wealthy housing estate and area, some farm kids (us!) and only one or two working class families - so I feel like the one down side of the school is the kids are wuite
Privileged.. secondary is a wake up call!!!

The piper! That’s gorgeous! I’d bawl my eyes out!!!

When my eldest left, there was a play, a leaver's service in church (CofE school), hoodies and school took the kids bowling. On the last day, parents organised an afterschool picnic at the local park, which ended up going on late into the evening. It was lovely, without being too overstated.

They parade around the school and the other classes clap them out. I think it’s all the schools here actually. Quite a flurry of piper bookings in the spring!

School do leavers hoodies and a leavers assembly. Parents arrange a leavers party. Has been the same with all my 3.

Leavers Hoodies
Leavers ceremony (show photos from P1 to P7, sing a song etc )
Beach BBQ (coastal village)
Piper pipes them from school to beach on the last day (Scotland) all the locals come out and cheer.

The P7s fundraise all year and fund it themselves. Parents contribute small amount per child towards BBQ.

School has the hoodirs and leavers assembly. Its normally the parent council and the rest of the parents of thr year that artange prom or disco. Thats how it is in every school i know of. Schools dont have the funds. The parent council also oraganise the xmas disco, summer fun fayrr with carnival rides etc.

With all due respect, you clearly have no idea about the logistics of organising a school trip. It's just "gather everyone up for a jolly out"...

Staff need to be found to attend; timetables are already jammed full; everything is insanely expensive at the moment and schools have no money for glue, never mind trips; if parents are asked to fund it, there are complaints, etc.

If you feel the children need something more special, why don't you organise a party after school on the last day? Or a trip in the holidays?

It’s normally parent-run, through PTA. You could always volunteer?

A leavers party is generally organised by parents.
Our school do the hoodies, a play and an assembly. They also have a fun trip (all year groups have a trip this term).
We do then have a party but this was organised (as it is each year) by the parents. We have paid £25 each plus done some cake sales to raise money towards it. I think this has only crept in over the last few years and due to siblings there is now usually some parent who instigates having one.

Our school do a play and a leavers' service. A group of parents have sorted hoodies, a year book, a disco, a laser tag event and a cinema trip! Which I personally think is completely over the top but the kids are enjoying it

Both my 2 had a primary leavers “Prom”. Some of the parents/PTA organised it. Is there a hall you could rent locally to have a disco?

The year 6 parents are mostly responsible for the celebrations for year 6. We fund raise all year in various different ways. Some fundraisers are supported by/in affiliation with the school (yr 6 talent show, yr 6 school fair where they all design games and run their own stalls) but also individual fundraisers (bagged good at supermarkets, held yard sales, kids have car washed etc) all the money goes towards a leavers book (which is made by a parent volunteer from yr 6) a leavers disco, and towards a last day celebration. 3 of mine have gone through yr 6 and I’ve got more involved with each one (having learnt from previous years) we have done well enough in the past that the leavers disco had a hired photo booth, candyfloss and popcorn machines, a free pick n mix stand, neon facepainting, a dj and all the decorations. The disco has never been a thing to do with the school it’s parent organised, off school premises and parent ran completely. The leavers last day festival is something the school has always done but we fundraised and got a bouncy obstacle course and goodie bags to give out. The school do a celebration assembly one day in the last week where the kids do performances (they act out a favourite school memory), sing a few songs (the music teacher makes a song relevant to them each year, with anecdotes and names included) and they give out awards for various different things with trophies etc. it’s also where we give flowers and gifts to the teachers (part of the parent fundraising). Plus leavers hoodies after Christmas term and signing shirts on the last day. They really are lucky and get a lot but it’s also a lot of hard work and organising on a small group of parents who put the effort.

Hoody - paid for by PTA
Drayton Manor - paid by parents
Residential - paid by parents (but all kids go so I think school must fund some)
Yearbook - created by the kids, paid for by PTA
Play - sponsored skip for costumes and props
Graduation - run by school
Last day party - funded by Y6 Enterprise Day

It’s loads and I keep losing track of what is happening when. It creates great memories though, and I’m especially fond of the bits that give the kids ownership.

I gave my children their own set of house keys the day they left primary School. They were growing up and off to secondary school where they would be walking to and from without me. I told them don’t be sad about what you’re leaving behind, be excited about what’s to come. To always look forward and not to spend too much time looking back.

Mine did a play and a leavers assembly and had the hoodies but the parents arranged a disco for them

Leavers play
leavers assembly
residential trip - parents paid
school trip - parents paid
leavers party - parents and PTA paid
leavers hoody’s - PTA paid

Our school goes quite big on yr 6 celebrations. There is a residential at the start of yr 6. Then the yr 6 show at the end of the year, leavers hoodies, a year book, and a leavers party.
The yr 6 students and parents fundraise to cover the costs of the hoodies and party. The psa covers the cost of the year book.

Our school has a year 6 farewell, organised by the school, at either the local ur club or local bowling club. The kids get dressed up and they do a nice dinner and speeches. You might get a couple that go all out with outfits and limos, but mostly it’s just smart casual.

We buy a ticket but the kids also fundraise by hosting the year 6 mini fete, they get in small groups and organise stalls and games and put on a mini fete for the younger grades.

We do leavers polo shirts that they get at the start of the year so they can wear them to school.

Theres also presentation day where they do awards and class party day, which is usually a trip to either the movies, ice skating or another activity. Parents pay for this.

On the last day they do a farewell arch with all the students and parents, lots of tears from the kids as they make their way through!

Then when the final bell rings, because our school backs onto the beach, the entire year group of 100 kids sprints down to the beach and goes swimming in their uniforms 😁 It’s the most anticipated of all the leavers events.

It's normally just a photo and each kid writes a line about a nice quality they have. Unlike at my sons private senior school where they say where they THINK they are heading off to pre results day. I'm sure that's a bit traumatising to look back on if you don't get your predicted grades

My oldest doesnt leave for 2 years but what they do for the p7s (scotland) is leavers hoodies which they all seemed glued into from the minute they get them. A leavers assembly (my 5yo nursery done the same) and I think a pizza tea night. Then they are piped out on the last day.

I remember my ex sil having a p7 prom but my 9yo started p1 in 2021 so covid rules were still in place so it could be why that school stopped it or never done it in the first place.