Year 6 end of school party cost

[yearsixparty]

£40 a ticket. The PTA, who do a grand job, have organised this.
There’s pizza, ice cream, fizzy pop, crisps and sweets, and a fairy cake to take home. Disco, games, photo opportunities. It’s in a hut in not quite the middle of nowhere but certainly not the most obvious choice and not the easiest place to get to.

AIBU in thinking £40 is a bit steep for what sounds like a standard birthday party type set up?

We are up north so not paying London prices or similar.

YANBU £40 is a bit steep
YABU £40 is about right

That's steep. We're paying £20/head for a bbq, inflatable obstacle course, music, decorations etc.

Our parent organised one is a fiver.
The PTA cover the cost of the hall hire and event insurance (they do it for every year six so it allowed under their constitution). There’s a DJ hired who does a disco for a couple of hours, some decorations and food and drinks. Typically our local Tesco will donate some of the food and often there’s one or two parents that have relevant businesses that will donate something (cupcakes, Photo Booth etc) so it’s a little different each year.

The only good thing about lockdown is that we didn’t have this leaving primary school shenanigans!

DS’s high school prom last summer didn’t even cost £40. Up north.

Our youngest dds school did a fantastic party in the local guide hut. Food, disco , all sorts.
Came out of PTA funds, same as every year.
Don't understand this extra party? Just decline!

It sounds a bit expensive! The biggest waste of money though is those leavers hoodies they wear about twice.

Do siblings need to pay too OP?

it does sounds steep!

someone up thread said cupcakes at £4. I really doubt that. They’ll get some multi packs from supermarkets.

I can’t imagine there’s an actual DJ if it’s in a small hut. Have they said there would be one?

Yes OP said above that siblings were welcome but would have to pay extra which seems very unreasonable given they are also expecting parents to supervise the year 6 children.

I bet if they bring snacks and food instead of having the pizza and crisps the price is no cheaper either.

Thank you. Sorry I missed that bit!

I don't know whether £40 is steep for what you will get, but it is a lot of money to a lot of people and could either mean some children won't be able to go or stress for families who try to find the money so their kids don't miss out.

Someone further up the thread said kids at their school had raised funds for a party which I think is a brilliant and much more inclusive idea.

I bet one of the parents has a cupcake business. Otherwise why have a cake to take home instead of cakes being part of the party food?

Most primary kids don’t even like those instagrammable cupcakes anyway. Give them a basic fairy cake with chocolate icing & sprinkles anyway rather than a ton of buttercream gooo on top.

Jesus

It does sound expensive for what it is.

i wonder how much the kids will even enjoy it the night after official party & being the end of term with such a big deal being made if 'leavers'

i don't think it's value for money, but if DC wanted to go & I could afford it, I'd let them. I'd also offer to take 3 others whose stents couldn't get them there. (Or 1 other parent & child)

as an aside I don't think siblings should be able to go.

DC lived in theirs! They ordered a size larger & they lived them for a long time.

Ours now get their hoodies in September so they get a full year's use (and wear throughout winter rather than have them only for the hottest term of the year!)

Very steep. My daughter’s 6th form prom at a local golf club is only £50.

That is very expensive. Are you friendly with any of the other parents? I’d be inclined to try and form a smaller group to do something else….

Ours is similarly priced for a similar thing. 50 kids attending. Pizzas delivered plus external UV Disco with Photo Booth. Hall hire. Decorations including balloon arch, a year book for each kid, drinks, ice creams and sweets.

Having look at the costings I’m happy to pay. Everything is expensive these days.

Sounds mad OP. My DD’s year 11 prom is costing that and it includes food and is at a country club, and this is a private school in the SE!

It sounds way OTT for year 6 leavers.

I do remember a mum organising go karting when my DS left primary and that cost about £30 but it was totally opt in, you didn’t have to go but in any case it was an activity that was worth paying for if your child enjoyed that sort of thing.

Could they not just organise a casual picnic and order some pizzas? We did this at the end of the summer term when DC were in primary and it was always fun.

What fresh hell? Is this even a thing? And prom? Wtf?! DC is in year 3 so I guess I have this to look forward to.

I'm running a prom for some year 11s including fireworks and it's less than 40 quid

Ours was either 10 or 15 quid. Class of 45. Parish centre. Pay bar. Parents told to come or arrange someone to be responsible (we weren't being free childcare for the night). 3d photobooth. Hotdogs for the party kids and £1 for siblings. DJ, party bags I think had popcorn sunglasses and sweets and some other tat. Last year. We had a fab time. Parents had a dance off!

£40 is a rip off.

Our PTA spends about this per leaver, but it's free to the leavers themselves, and parents and siblings are invited. The PTA year 6 committee raise the money throughout the year in other ways. And yes it's a wood fired pizza van, a Photo Booth, (capitalised again!) an ice cream van, various stalls and fun activities. I think the venue might be provided free through school connections, not sure. These things are expensive to run if you buy in providers rather than doing it on the cheap, tbh, and I doubt any mums are turning a profit. More likely to be making a loss if my brief experience of being on the PTA myself a few years ago is anything to go by!

However - it's different if you're charging families directly, and they maybe should have tried to be more inclusive with pricing especially if it's not an affluent area.

Those hoodies are so naff

It’s a bargain!! Our have a leavers disco. £36 each, go carting on last day £28 each, photobook £33, hoodies £25 and then a meal !!