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.

The parents arrange the party and each child pays a set amount. So if you want this to happen, we did ours pretty quickly and on limited budget (first year after Covid) so you may still have time.

The PTA arranged the hoodies, the school did the leavers assembly and inflatable assault course on the last day. They also had a trip bowling paid for by the entrepreneur task they did Christmas. So they did have lots of fuss, but not all arranged from one source. I was heavily involved in the school so helped out as governor, PTA and parent.

I can assure you the schools that seem to get the most will have a large PTA, we really struggled to get parents to join, but those of us that helped out (all full time workers which made it difficult) put a lot of time and effort into getting the children as much as we could. So if you feel your school is missing out, I strongly recommend you get involved to fix that.

I've been a bit staggered by this thread. As if there isn't enough teacher-bashing around, I can't quite believe that there are parents out there feeling aggrieved that their child hasn't had enough year 6 events, not realising that they are the responsibility of the parents / PTA in virtually every school. I really hope OP has taken this on board.

Leaves party at my daughter’s school are organised and fundraiser by the parents.

This is when parents who likely would criticise and whine about the PTA realise what happens when there isn’t one ! Ie nothing!

I had one leave during Covid so zero celebration other than an outdoor assembly parents could attend just for that class where they were given their leavers book - the school start a book from reception and each year the class teacher adds some select photos. Parents sorted leavers hoodies.

second left 3 years ago. Same assembly for book presentations. Parents sorted levers hoodies. Parents told if they wanted a party they had to organise. Pretty small class of 18 kids and most parents too busy so one organise a trampoline park party and about half attended so 9/10 max. Previous years some parents did organise prom style parties but that was before Covid.

Other primaries in the area so different things from residential, days out, prom style parties, inflatable days at school etc. seems to vary.

It's actually not at all through the PTA at my kids' school - it's a group of P7 parents. Usually some random parent sets up a WhatsApp group at the start of the year. What always drives the PTA volunteers (me included!) crazy is that it's parents who have never bothered to help with anything else but have 'all' the energy to bicker about limos and sweet carts. Just to say it can be organised in different ways so if there are parents who don't like how it happens, feel free to change it!

I didn't really care about the qually and absolutely no positive opinions about 11 year olds riding a mile in a limo, but I am super active on the PTA and in the school library. So anyone with the energy or interest to change the school in other ways would be very welcome I'm sure!

When my DD left primary last year, it was like this:

• Ice cream van at the end of SATS week - funded by the PTA
• Leavers Hoodies - organised by parents
• Leavers' Assembly - arranged by the school
• Y6 play - arranged by the school, also something to do those last few weeks.
• Y6 celebration day - the PTA funds it and the school arranges it. Activities in the morning, they did zorbing; in past years, they have had inflatables or laser tag. There was then a colour run in the afternoon that parents were invited to, and a balloon arch where you could take photos.
• Meet up in the park on the last day of school - a few of us agreed to meet up and put it on the class WhatsApp. It was lovely, lots of people came along. It was v casual, bring a picnic blanket and your own food if you wanted to.

There were the usual end-of-year discos for all Y1-6, organised by the PTA, but not specific to Y6.

I think that was plenty, a lot actually, reading it back. When I finished primary school, we just finished, and I don't recall any celebrations.

I agree with some PPs that these things can get over the top, a lot of focus on milestone memories for social media these days.

However, it is nice to mark the end of Y6 in some way. I think my DD probably enjoyed the celebration day the most. As a parent, I really enjoyed the last day in the park - the kids did too - I would have been sad to leave the school community on the last day, by just heading home after the early finish.

At our school the parents organise and pay for the kids to have a dinner out followed by a disco.

I don’t expect the school to provide anything - if parents want it, they need to organise

My eldest left primary last year they had a performance for the school and then a year 6 performance for parents in the evening. They also had an assembly with their reception buddies where they have them a gift and said goodbye to them. A leavers assembly just for year 6 was straight afterwards, which was lovely and left plenty of us parents crying.
They had a prom, which was organised by parents and not on school grounds, we had to pay a small amount towards it.
Why don't you and some of the other parents organise a prom, just hire the local village hall/community centre.

I'd rather the teachers and staff focused on teaching my kids rather than organising a party. I am very grateful that my children when they reach year 6 get a leavers assembly and to put on a play, which is a lovely experience. Added bonus that the PTA pay for a leavers hoody for each of them so that it's equal. You want a party, you organise it.

Ours have hoodies and are having a leavers service and then assembly. Also had a trip last week and fun day yesterday with bouncy castles etc.

I would be an absolute puddle on the floor if we had a piper piping them out, getting emotional just thinking about it.

Most schools around me (including my children’s) expect the parents to sort something out.
My children had hoodies and did a play. The PTA did a disco for my youngest but not eldest. Then parents sorted out a big party.

My eldest will be in Year 11 next year and we’ve discovered that the pupils are responsible for sorting out a prom. The teachers have no involvement with it.

Ours did a play and had hoodies. The parents organize everything extra each year which includes a party, leavers mugs and year book. All parents put money towards the organization of the extras.

Most of what happens at my DC’s primary was arranged by parents - a big picnic in the park at the end of the last day, the levers hoodies, a book with photos from throughout their time at the school )all the parents sent through the photos and one heroic mum put the book together and arranged for it to be printed). The school did an assembly, but for the rest, parents stepped up. If you’d like something more, seize the nettle and arrange it

It's even more emotional than you're picturing. I cried.

Though honestly, my daughter got quite upset too and I'm not entirely sure that was a great end to what was a pretty great primary school experience. She is autistic and was so hyped up in the last few weeks that there were a 'lot' of meltdowns. Everyone was super overwhelmed all the time and all the kids kept falling out. I think probably less would have been better!

our p7s have been raising money themselves all year to support end of term activities. They do a few trip type things I think.
School organise a play which the p7s put on for the rest of the school then the parents
the PTA organise a ‘qualy’ essentially a prom - quite low key just in the school hall
hoodies - also organised by pta
Hoody signing and water fight on last day
Piped round the school and out on the last day. I cry at this part every year.
Parents organise a trip to a local eaterie for the afternoon open to all - people just pay for themselves

i think it’s great to mark this moment, it is a big deal, everything changes at high school, some kids go their separate ways, but also parental involvement kind of stops, no more school gates etc. it’s a big change for everyone

also they’ve already been up to spend 3 days at the high school, they’ve checked out now, may as well just spend the last week having fun (we finish up on Friday)

Ours have:

An awards ceremony (evening)
Leavers disco and bbq
Trip to theme park
Leavers play
A ‘hat toss’ on the last day
Leavers party on the last day of term after school (organised by parents, not the school)
Hoodies

it’s an independent prep.

Have yours done much work since half term? Mine hasn’t, it’s been a complete jolly! I don’t mind though, they’ve worked hard the rest of the year.

Ours have quite a big celebration, they go to a theme park, do a school show, leaving assembly with parents in the evening and then a huge summer party on the field with disco dome, bouncy castles, fish n chips delivered, ice cream van and huge water fight. The PTA organise it but us parents do the fundraising to pay for it all. It seems sad to not do something special for them.

Our primary arranged a leavers assembly - the kids had a lot of input into it, and a trip to the cinema.

parents organised leavers hoodies (which school agreed could be worn for the last half term) and a ‘prom’ - I.e. a disco in a local community hall with a Photo Booth. Parents arranged a buffet

If you think there should be more @Lailalily, then parents should be organising it ime as staff have more than enough to do.

Mine had leavers' hoodies and a Y6 leavers assembly with a slide show of photographs and an awards ceremony. They also had their residential trip earlier in the year to London.
No party or disco, but only four of them in the year group, so wouldn't have been much of an event!

I feel our school does fair bit. There are fundraising events throughout the year to fund this so cost to parents wasn't huge. Pretty much every Friday once SATS were done there was some sort of small event to celebrate y6. Film and ice cream, mcdonalds in the field, inflatable water slides etc. They did leavers assembly with play that left no dry eye in the room. They were gifted small teddy with school logo, keychain and "silly" class photo where they all wore leavers hoodies. They had prom at school with photo booth etc. Last day at school it's always early finish and they put speakers out play music and staff walks them out, with everyone clapping. They sign shirts too. It makes me emotional just writing this! My DD was unmoved haha, she loved her primary school but was too excited for high school to be sad.

Parents pay. Plus what is stopping you organising something? We celebrated by hiring a hall and having dominos delivered.

Id find it bizarre school investing in children who are leaving the school.

To add there was a contribution from parents towards all of these but not huge, maybe £20? School and PTA organised prom. Hoodies were paid for us via school uniform shop. They can wear them instead of jumper/cardigan starting January and all kids look forward to this x