DS leaves school on Friday and I only realised today.

[Yellowbowlbanana]

My DS is in Year 11. His GCSE years have been a washout, not helped by the fact that his school have been a bit shit. The school have opted to do a formal assessment in the style of GCSEs but modified. These begin in ten days after a week of study leave and last for three weeks. He will be finished by May 23rd. I'm assuming that is then it. This hasn't been communicated by the school. We have had nothing to indicate that this Friday will be his last day at school except for a note in the weekly calendar saying there is a Leaver's assembly on that day. This is way earlier than GCSEs would normally finish and they would also usually do work experience which has been cancelled.
My DS is leaving the school to go elsewhere and I feel so sad that there has been literally nothing said or done to acknowledge this is the end of his, and many others, school journey. I didn't even realise it would be his last day until he mentioned that he'd had his last ever lesson of French.
AIBU to have expected more by way of communication?

Nith Amazing how on MN it's absolutely fine to slag off someone's parenting, housework and cleaning standards, driving, eating habits, taste in house decorations, dress sense, etc etc, but mildly suggesting that "would have" is preferable to "would of" is a criminal offence

Never had someone with dyslexia in your family have you? Or any other learning difficulty. SO ignorant. Of course it's not ok to knock someone's grammar!

With all that schools have had to cope with over the last year, and I know the quality of provision varied, I would imagine that Proms etc are not at the top of the to-do list. Surely keeping your children safe and educated trumps a missed night out. I honestly think that the youngsters are probably less bothered than their parents who seem to want to impose their own anxieties on their children. In 5 years time we'll look back and assess this period quite differently.

Yes, schools have had to cope with a lot.

Yes, proms/ leavers' events are not a top priority.

Doesn't make it any less shit for the kids.

Typical. “silly proms” and “safe”. And “in five years time”. great! Let’s lock up kids forever as that would keep them safe (from infecting other people).

Ours have finished their exams this week, yet they don’t leave until the 27th May. No idea what they’re supposed to do in that time?

When I left school in the 80's we we told after you finish your last exam, go to the office, get them to sign a form and off you go. As not every one had the same exams this happened over a 2 week period. To be honest I couldnt have cared less about and type of announcement, and TBH it hasnt scarred me for life.

Hi OP ,just to let you know its equally as crap at the other end of the school spectrum, I think this is more a rant for me than you but I hope you will forgive me! Last night my year 4 dd s teacher called as it was parents evening,In our 10 min allocated call I was told my dd was really needing to learn her times tables and tidy up her handwriting but on the plus side she could run fast in PE !!! Now I may be one of those parents but I laughed so hard, The call lasted 4 mins and that I swear was the extent of the call,nothing else, My dd has been top in maths etc for 3 years she knows her tables believe me! I hear so much about how much children have lost during the pandemic regarding education yet 2 full school days were lost last week due to the children having to glue in their homework sheets into their homework book,,,time well spent when so much has been lost..hardly in my opinion?! And they are shut next week as the school is a polling station too...someone is kidding someone here I think. I am so sorry for your son and the lack of communication you have found but at the other end things are in my view equally as shabby, Heaven help us,

He doesn't finish on Friday though. The last day will be when his exams finish. It doesn't seem much different to the usual years and better than last year. My DC found out the night before that the next day would be her last at school. I know things have been bad for this year's students but this doesn't seem the worst thing.

My DS is in year 11. Bless him, he only said to me last week - " I thought the last year of school was going to be the most exciting. It's absolutely rubbish' .

Anyway, they are doing assessment papers in each subject. With revision lessons in between. Some subjects have more than one paper. I don't know if they are using anything else to grade them. I'm hoping they use mock results as he did reasonably well. I think he leaves school on 28th May. However, his last assessment is on 26th May. There won't really be any reason for him to attend after that!

We still don't have a leaving date. It's bloody annoying as I've been trying to book a cheap off peak holiday for us. It's frustrating watching the holidays book up and prices rise meaning we won't be able to get away again this year as our budget won't stretch to it.
After a shit year with little work and only 6 weeks furlough for me and dh working 50 plus hours a week to keep us afloat the thought of a break has been keeping us going.
Just give us a date already.

I had a prom in 1992 albeit it was a glamorised school disco in the hall.

Other than that though, surely the leavers assembly is all there actually is? Everyone knows when their last day of school is but there’s generally no fuss except the assembly.

I'm surprised more schools aren't keeping them in school for as long as possible given how much time they've missed.
Similar happened last year to the year 11s. My D's school were really quick to arrange a farewell assembly as soon as school closure news was announced but I know of many others where it was just meeting as many teachers as they could and then saying their goodbyes over teams.

I think DS's school are doing optional lessons after they have finished tests etc to help them with transition to 6th Form and A-levels

Absolutely did not have some money flashing exercise or "prom" back in 1992, but we had a whole day of silly awards, leavers assembly, free reign to run around getting signatures on school shirts the day before we were released to "study leave" before exams. Our teachers made it an occaision. There were traditions and often tears from emotional students and teachers. It's a shame that a chance to reflect like that just isn't there for these students now.

At least he's getting exam leave.

Are you sure he's not known for a while? Kids at our school get emailed this sort of stuff.

Y13 dd finishes at half term. She's doing round 3 of mocks this year so would be very jealous of the schools doing as little as one test question per week. She's expected to go to lessons on between.

He is leaving school ! What do you want, a gilt edged card. Many many millions have left school and their parent(including your own i would imagine) didn't make a fuss.

We finally got told last Friday that year 13 DS leaves the last day of half term - this whole half term is constant testing on top of 2 sets of mocks he did at the end of last year and the beginning of this year. He also continues with other lessons until the end.

We've also been told to keep the week after half term free in case they are needed back in for anything. I've been very impressed at how their testing is happening, it's all been done in the best way that they could so whatever his grades are I'm satisfied that the school have done a good job. Obviously I can't speak for other schools.

No idea if there is any kind of leaving ceremony other than a leaver's hoodie.

And for all the miseries saying "this didn't happen in my day" we had a leavers dinner and assembly and that was 1986

If I recall correctly, my eldest ds wasn’t given notice of leaving several years ago. This was to try and avoid the annual ritual of pranks and the lap of honour!
Letters were sent home every year to leavers parents warning anyone that took part in this would be banned from going to prom (they never were) ds wasnt going to prom any way, so the students were told that morning that school was now over and to officially sign out by lunchtime.
They did sign out but not before two laps of honour and as many pranks they could fit in before they were kicked out!😂

I only knew my ds had finished when he text me at 11 am to say he was on his way home!

Utimately this past year has been shit for students. Ds2 finished uni last year but was given the option to leave early and continue online learning. We had a few days notice to do a 700 mile round trip and empty his flat to get him home, he didn’t get his graduation was originally moved to December, then again to January. But has been cancelled altogether now.

Although ds was disappointed It is what it is.

In our school the kids don't even get told it's their last day until the end of that day so they don't run amok and do silly things in school, it's been like this for the past 20 years or more.

It is really rubbish for students who aren't getting the normal leavers' events. The fact that it was worse last year doesn't make this year any less crap so I'm not sure why people keep bringing it up.

However, it is worth remembering OP that the school and teachers have far more work to do for yr11 this year than ever. It is more important that they get assessments and grades correct so that has to be the priority ahead of planning leavers' events.

No graduation for ds either. They were offered a virtual one. No takers.

Those muttering about no proms in my day: your grandparents probably left school at 14. Wouldn’t you inwardly groan if they were droning on about “kids hanging around at school till they’re adults?” I expect if you’d been your age in the 1960s you’d have with folded arms and pursed lips been huffing and puffing about young people with long hair showing no respect...

I have a year 11 and a year 13, different schools

year 11 school is doing a party on last afternoon before half term. Out on field if possible, sort of giant picnic, water fight if weather is fine. This seems like a nice way to round up.
They have a mix of informal and formal assessments between now and then, but are expected to be in school until half term.

year 13 is doing a formal garden party one afternoon. School finishes on Friday 21st May, after a week of formal assessments where they only need to be in for exams. Then Monday 24th they have the garden party. So (according to ds) pub first party at school (formal wear required as it is garden party) then pub afterwards.

Neither of these are a prom, but both provide a nice round up to the year and a way to say goodbye to all, and they and I am happy

The education of those who were due to take GCSEs and Alevels last year and this year and next year has been massively disrupted.

Grades are all over the place. Some grades higher some lower. Total inconsistency. Last year some schools self-moderated, others did not.

There seems to be no intention to try to rescue the pupils from the horrendous ordeal they are going through.

Government, media and general public are more interested and motivated to get pubs and holidays back to normal than to get education and schools back to normal.

These few years of students will be damaged in several ways, educationally, in university prospects, in long-term career prosects, mental health, social development. On a mass scale rather than individually.

Many schools try not to publicise a Last Day in order to prevent pranks, reprisals, revenge, damage etc.

Study Leave is pretty much a thing of the past, so I'm really surprised that students aren't expected in class during the "exam season".