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Original poster

To think secondary pupils should not be told when their last day of school is?

66 replies

pointydog · 16/05/2009 18:08

The stunts that teenagers are doing now on their last ever day of school are becoming outrageous.

Last week, at dd1's school, other pupils and cars were egged and around 15 taxis were booked for 12pm, all as a hoax.

I remember that my nephew's school didn't tell their final year pupils when their last day would be until the day itself to avoid the chaos.

Quite right.

OP posts:
muggglewump · 16/05/2009 19:19

Can I just say that I didn't go to a rough school on a sink estate either.
Just a normal school with teens that liked to have fun!

AFAIK, at least in my group of friends there was no targetting anyone who didn't want to be involved and no touching cars. As I said the shops were but only as we were right outside so the windows will have got egg/flour/foam on them or it was dripping off the kids as they went in to buy something.

Kimi · 16/05/2009 19:24

DS! came home last week and said that the years 11s on there last day had been having a great time, some of them had these small paintball guns you can get in toy shops (not the full on paintball gaming guns) and they were going round the school shooting the "ginger haired" kids.

But mostly it was water fights and writing on each others shirts..

Dp would have been shot had he been a school child by the way....

TheFallenMadonna · 16/05/2009 19:27

We organise a water fight on the field. They'd do it anyway, or something similar. And any misbehaviour means exclusion from the prom - which is a significant deterrent, whatever you may think of imported American customs blah, blah...

GypsyMoth · 16/05/2009 19:30

well if thats the case why don't we extend it to primary schoolkids as well.....cos they do the water thing also!! why just single out teenagers?

TheCrackFox · 16/05/2009 19:32

We all just went to the pub.

wotulookinat · 16/05/2009 19:38

One school that I worked in told the year 11s what their last day was, when it was actually the day before. At the end of what the pupils thought was their penultimate day they were all told it was their last and to go They were so shocked that they left quietly and no harm was done.

katiestar · 16/05/2009 20:11

i don't think they have study leave at DS's school.They go until the exams start and study under the teacher's beady eye !

beautifulbubbles · 16/05/2009 20:14

So are year 11's finished now?

skramble · 16/05/2009 20:19

We never did anything, damm missed that didn't I.

Original poster
pointydog · 16/05/2009 23:05

shooting paint balls at the ginger kids?!

I'm still failing to see the Fun

OP posts:
2shoes · 16/05/2009 23:15

me neither
ne
next year no doubt they will do dress up as disabled kids

piecenharmoknee · 16/05/2009 23:56

What do you mean last day of term? Do you mean year 11's have broken up for study leave?

FAQinglovely · 16/05/2009 23:58

ermm and how exactly do you stop them knowing when the last day of term is??

My DS1 and 2 (8 and 5) look at the school dates calendars and compare with the calendar at home. and I'm pretty sure by the time they reach secondary age even if they were never shown the dates on paper they'd get on line and find out anyhow

piecenharmoknee · 16/05/2009 23:59

Oh they won't do that two shoes, that sort of thing would be reported in the local press if not the national press.

Don't you know that there are only certain groups that you are legimatlly allowed to take the piss out of now? Fat people spring to mind (Jimmy Carr's favouite group to take the piss out of) and it would seem ginger haired people are also fair game

lilolilmanchester · 17/05/2009 00:01

DS is in yr 11 and they knew they were going to be on study leave but weren't told exactly from when until the day. Exactly to avoid the high jinx already mentioned. The school has learnt how to manage it ever since a very expensive false alarm fire drill

FAQinglovely · 17/05/2009 00:02

lilo - don't the parents have to find out when it is though??? Or is it a surprise for them too

sayithowitis · 17/05/2009 00:05

Hi FAQ, at the school both DS's went to, they were not told they were leaving until they were on their way out of the door! Even the teachers were not told until the morning! only the senior management team knew the date in advance. because the year 11s get study leave, their 'last day' is not one of the dates that are published on the school calendar or website in advance.

It is different for primary as they do not generally get study leave and most y6 children are still collected by a parent or other adult on their final day. At least, thay are where I work.

lilolilmanchester · 17/05/2009 00:05

nope, we didn't know - other than it was coming. But they are 16/almost 16 so no big deal TBH

GypsyMoth · 17/05/2009 00:08

I'm sure the parents would be told of last day! And all it takes is one parent to spill........

lilolilmanchester · 17/05/2009 00:12

no we weren't - nor do we need to be really. We know it's coming, the exact day is neither here nor there. They are young adults, old enough to be married ,see themselves to and from school the rest of the time. We had to sign a form saying we were happy for them to be at home on study leave (no date specified). Thinking about it, I suppose it would be good for the school to notify you, even if the day after, to let you know study leave had started officially, but as an otherwise paranoid parent, am pretty relaxed about this.

sayithowitis · 17/05/2009 00:13

ILT, no, the parents do not know. First i knew was when I got a phone call at work from my DS saying ' I've left school', I didn't catch on and thought he just meant he'd finished for the day and was on his way home, then he said that they had been in the middle of a lesson and were told to get all their stuff together for assembly (always held at the end of the day in his school. At the end of the assembly, the headteacher told them all that "when you walk out of the school gates in a few minutes time, you will have left school and should only return to sit exams."
So, no, parents are not advised in advance.

KnickKnack · 17/05/2009 00:13

When I was at school (way back then), we were told, for example, that last day was Friday. Actual last day was the Wed or Thur or in fact any day that week. We didn't actually find out until near the end of that school day.
It cut down on a huge amount of egg/hose pipe etc related crap.

and no, parents did not know either.

lilolilmanchester · 17/05/2009 00:16

the thing that is interesting for me is that DS is still 15 - so actually, he should still be at school. Wonder what the legal situation would be if he got caught playing a game of squash to break up a day of studying (with our permission?) Blimey, just thinking, perhaps I could go to prison for that?

lilolilmanchester · 17/05/2009 00:17
GypsyMoth · 17/05/2009 00:23

It matters alright!!! Maybe I have 'activities' planned at home which I don't want my teen stumbling upon!!!!

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