Your feelings about rthe whole leaving Primary School thing!

[vociferous]

Hi Folks.

I started to become a regular poster on here some months back. You may remeber that I adopted a young child and we are getting through life as a family. Im 26 and cannot have my own children for personal reasons. It's working great so far!

My sister has her own children and her eldest is in the dreaded Yr6 and is leaving today. She is extremely emotional and has been on the phone all morning.

I've never witnessed my sister in this way before, shes normally very happy go lucky, tough nut sort of lady.

For previous Yr6 Mums I was wondering what your experience was on the dreaded Leavers Day. I will have to face the music in a few years time and am now dreading it!

What sort of things do the children do apart from limos and such rediculous stuff.

Maybe I should be preparing myself for that moment. I'm such a little emotional bag of whatever. I cry at the sightest little thing.

It would be great to hear your experiences, wether your a Yr6 mother this year or previously.

My sister has now made me feel very nervous, I know it's a few years away but I tink it may dwell on my head for the enxt few years.

many Thanks.

Daniel

My kids are big. There was little of this then. Actually it was very much a yaay onwards and upwards moment!

I so relate to this.

For sure, it's the end of a chapter but it's also the start of a new one. Children were born to grow up - it's what they do.

It's our job to support our children towards independence. So where does all this emotion come from? Not from the children I hope - they are getting on with growing up - unless we undermine that by weeping at every developmental stage instead of encouraging.

So yes, new chapters are bitter-sweet. But steady on. There's a moment's sadness and there's self-indulgence.

DS2 left Middle School (Year 7) yesterday. I have been a wreck. It feels like all the fun education is over and it's nose to the grindstone time. I also have a DS just finishing Year 10, so I know what's to come IYKWIM.

I will have two DC at High School but it only seems like yesterday that DS1 was starting YR.

No more popping into school with forgotten kits, money for trips and suncream, rummaging through lost property. He's on his own now.

Our school didn't really do anything over the top.

Big leavers breakfast followed by an assembly.

They then all got on a coach and left for their 3 night residential

Sorry posted too soon,

Meant to add - the residential wasn't some big leavers thing, they always have a year 6 residential and that was the only time school could get a booking at the place they wanted to go

DS2 went on a trip yesterday for the last day. I think that the school do it to avoid last day shenanigans in school. It made it slightly less sad.

The three tier system is cruel in that we had the First School leaving sadness 3 years ago, and now we have to do more 'leaving'.

Right now, pretty awful as DS has just gone into meltdown about not being with any of his friends and has been crying for the last hour.

My ds left his primary school today, the same one I left 25 years ago this week.
He cried his eyes out as he came out of the doors, very special for me to see such emotion as my ds has asc and doesn't usually show much emotion.
He started everyone off, including me:)
My ds has been to nursery with most of his class so it really hit him today and he's been acting very quiet all day.

Instead of the usual day trip, their class went on a 5 day residential at the beginning of the month. Last Wednesday was the leavers mass at church, Saturday was their prom, complete with party bus/photo booth etc ( arranged by parents at £50 per child:( Monday was the leavers assembly where they performed "grease " so lots going on.
Today, year 6 were allowed to take their phone/tablet to school and they all came out with their shirts signed and with records of achievement and a class of 2014 pen.
Dd starts reception September 2015 so got it all to come again:)

DD(6) left her infant school today. I shed a tear or two at the lovely leavers assembly, and after the leavers party dd cried a lot. It's hard, as they're so little and they aren't all moving on to the same junior school . And we've got all this to come again in yr6........

Stinkle that song makes me cry every time....the ABBA people wrote it about their own daughter growing up I think so the sentiments are heart-felt. Naturally DD also thinks - she's still at the stage where she thinks she'll never want to leave home....

It was funny today, seeing them all come out in their primary uniforms, then they all got changed and went into town (in different groups), then all the parents and kids met up in the park. Seeing all of them out of uniform en masse was quite something - they look so grown up. Especially many of the girls, they suddenly seem much older when they are out of sensible school skirts and you can see how long their legs are! (I don't have a girl, btw.)

It does feel like the end of an era. I've been slogging up that hill for seven years. They were so little when they started, and now they are so big!

Ds's primary has been a big part of our life - it's a real community, we always helped out at events (and they have LOTS of events), I was a governor, dh has been the guy with the white beard at the Christmas fair for five years running... secondary school will be ds's world, not something we share with him. Which is right and proper, of course, he's more than ready to move on. But I think I'm allowed to be sentimental about it.

Btw, no limos round here, they had a disco a week ago in a church hall, the Year 6 play on Thurs, the Leaver's Assembly on Friday and a general assembly for five members of staff who are leaving yesterday.

The prom thing started 2 yrs ago at our school, normal primary in n/w.
It seems to be a bit of a competition to out do last years.
I was a bit shocked it was £50 but another local primary had theirs tonight at the cost of £90!

DS left on Friday after a week in which both he and DD had had stressful music exams, then the leavers party/prom (only £20 and not too over the top thankfully), leavers assembly x 2 (nicely celebratory rather than maudlin) and big end of term picnic, so he was feeling rather delicate, though no actual tears (he's going to a different school to all his friends). All the girls and teachers cried at the assembly and quite a few of the boys and parents. When they came out for the last time there were fewer tears than I expected and more from the parents than the kids. I however am trying not to get too demob happy as DD still has 2 years to go, but am looking forward to escaping from a school which is nearly impossible to work with. His year and the Year 6 teachers have been fab but it's time for the next adventure.

"For sure, it's the end of a chapter but it's also the start of a new one. Children were born to grow up - it's what they do"

Totally agree runningonwillpower, it's not helpful to the dc to build up this expectation that it's so sad to move on to the next chapter. A bit more briskness and positivity would be healthier. Having a moment is fine and natural but the full on emotional wringer not so much.

Definitely agree about briskness and positivity, aka, being a bit British about the whole thing.

It can and perhaps should feel emotional at moments, but doesn't need to turn into a big soppy puddle. Keep that upper lip firm!

Dd1 has just finished yr8 but when she left primary she was definitely ready for it and actually couldn't wait to leave

She was rather bemused by the group of girls crying and hugging like it was the end if the world -the children here go on to 1 of 2 high schools and all live on the same estate!

Dd2 is just about to start year 6 and is so nervous about starting high school I think it will be a very different final year for her

DS2 leaves today. I am not sad, it's a good thing, moving up and onwards etc. I do feel a little emotional though. he is not going to be with any of his friends who he has known since age 3/4 and looking back at old photos always makes me cry with pride and love. school do milk it a bit, they do a sideshow of their best bits and the song they choose normally sets me off, green day 'time of your life'. In assembly the air will be thick with so much emotion that it's catching.

We never had year 6 leavers as the girls' schools were age 4 - 18 and the boys' prep schools went from 4 - 13.
No proms, limos - that is a bit down market fat gypsy wedding kind of thing. Avoid schools that go in for that.

This thread makes me feel really old instead of only 60. When my two left primary school they just left - no fuss, I think there might have been a leavers' assembly but nothing like the elaborate affairs mentioned by other posters.

Me leaving primary school was even less of an event. Previously my twin had died on the way home from primary school so my Mother never visited the place again. I can remember getting home on the last day of term to find her crying in the back garden. It must have been a terribly sad time for her!

tbh I breathed a bit with relief yesterday when DD2 left Year 6. She is youngest of 3 and so I feel that I am 'moving on' as a mum, looking at unis with DD1 (17) and GCSE choices with DDS (14) and I'm not someone who 'looks back' wistfully The focus is always the future. Plus I have just about had enough of some of the cliquey mums and a couple of very unpleasant staff (non teaching - the teachers there are amazing). I promised myself I would not shed a tear, but found myself with wet eyes when I dropped her off in the morning and wanted to go and thank her teacher for being phenomenal.

It helped that DD2 had her bday party yesterday after school finished, so the day was fun and sun-filled. Glad that everyone can now have lie-ins and some proper child time.

DD had leavers' assembly (including Y6 play), then a water fight in the park after school [though she missed that for a dance exam] and an evening 'get together' - function room of local pub with great garden, some music, lots of home-made food, £10 per family.

Thery all go off to different secondaries (school literally on dividing line between multiple catchments) so she was sad to say goodbye to many of her friends. However she is SO ready for the next stage that it is hard to be sad for long.

Dd finished school on Friday, and I was trying to hold it together but failed when another girl came over to dd crying her eyes out on the way into school. So I was crying before the school day even started! Same girl set me off again at hometime, and I felt silly when I looked round and didn't notice any other Mums sniffling.

I think I was so emotional because dd has a serious medical condition that could make her very sick or could kill her. Her primary school has looked after her so well that she has got this far without serious incident. I have had meetings with the SENCO from her secondary school already, but I am still worried about how well she will cope when she is actually a pupil there.

I've been through it twice already but this 3rd time has been really hard my last baby is all grown up as a childminder I feel it with all the older children too! I am an emotional wreck!!