I am just starting my last ever half term in primary and <whispers>... hurrah!

[SonorousBip]

I have had DC at the same primary school for the last 10 years and my last child is leaving at the end of this term. I think we are all ready to move on now . There are two teachers who have taught different dc of mine continuously for the last 5 years, meaning I feel I know them better than some members of my own family. Its nice, but there are only so many ways of saying the same thing at parents evenings and in reports.

Also ... I'll fess up ... I've stopped doing the detailed comb-through with conditioner when we get the nit letter, as we seem to three times a term - just have a bit of a poke around and see if anything is moving.

I will never have to make another sodding costume for World Book Day. Or sit with a forced smile listening to other people's children play the recorder badly (or, dear God, the cello).

The cool indifference of secondary beckons invitingly!

I've got a couple years to go....

I look forward to being a sweet memory.

Ah, you'll look back to some lovely memories, but you are right it's great to move on.
This is the nice time for y6 as well, no pressure just enjoying themselves and making their memories.
from what I can remember this is the emotional stage, saying goodbye to friends and scarily looking forward to their next transition.

No costumes but you may not have escaped the high school musical or other concerts. kids have an uncanny way of surprising us by signing themselves up for drama, music, sport clubs.

Oh Sonorous, you enjoy! I'm 9 years in sobs, DD leaves in 7 weeks, she's having a glorious time. And I still have 4 years to go with DS2, DS1 will be off to uni by the time my 'baby' leaves. And I'll be nearly 50. Bloody hell.

Ah, in a moment of "what fresh hell is this" I have just been reminded by dh that we have a last instrumental performance to go to... My dc's school is Very Big on participation so you have someone playing lighter pieces of Stravinsky, followed by someone else playing "Go and tell Aunt Nancy The Old Grey Goose is Dead" on the recorder (4 notes, for the uninitiated). My DC are usually somewhere down the back with some sleighbells. I have to take time off work to go and sit on a weeny chair and smile politely.

Well done those of you having joyful ends to Y6. We are gearing up for the thrills and spills of the Y6 production - its like living with a very small Norma Desmond.

I went through this last year - and it was wonderful! I really thought after 11 years I'd be tearful and miss the place - but no, just relief.
Now I did well up when my first born left infants, but primary was a relief with the last one.

Does help that she is much happier.

You'll still cry at the leaving assembly though

I was not at all sorry to see the back of it.

Is it bad that dd is only starting this year and l think this? I have dd2 to get through and she's yet to arrive!

I just don't like the small-town feel of primary school. My issue completely l know

I've seen two dc through primary and off to secondary school. Cried each time at the leavers assembly. Those pictures of them all so young and sweet.

Still have two more years until dd leaves primary but am so ready to finish with the school run and playground politics.

Just the lottery about which school dd will get into. Not looking forward to that bit.

6 years in so far, 6 more to go...!

LOL tumbletumble - your 12 continuous years will trump my 10! Actually, there is someone in my DC's class who has several older siblings and the family must have been at the school for a good 15 years. .

Actually, in the 30 terms we have done, I would say we have only had 2 or 3 where things were a bit rocky. I've only been up to see the Head once in crossness in all that time. We never had a properly duff teacher and have had a lot of fabulous ones.

My last half term too and I was thinking this just this morning.

We sat through the last instrumental evening just before half term. Ds had a suspected broken wrist and dh and I were actually fighting over who got to take him to A&E. What gets me is all the other parents saying "aren't they marvellous" as I sit there wondering if head phones would be really rude. I have actually banned my children from learning the violin because of the horrors I have suffered at these evenings

I was looking forward to no more dressing up but discovered with horror that ds's secondary school do world book day. Ds was none too pleased either.

I can't wait to never be asked to participate in anything ever again.

I didn't cry in ds's leavers assembly. In fact, I had to restrain myself from standing up and cheering.

First one about the leave and 5 years to go. Starting to feel the end is nigh though which is massive relief. DD1 is going to skip leavers assembly as she doesn't want to go - they whip them up into a Nuremberg-rally-esque emotional frenzy and spend the rest of the week weeping. Too much made of sadness of transition IMO instead of focusing on the postives of moving up and the excitement of a fresh start at Really Big School.

Just starting the last half term of reception here - not even one year in to primary school. Still another 10 years to go of having children at the school, as my two are four school years apart. Seems like an eternity stretching ahead! I can't quite imagine life in 10 years' time with a 15 year old and an 11 year old.

We seem to have two leavers assemblys, as far as I can tell. The first is an "everyone's a winner"-type, where they all get awards - a sort of citation for being "best at ...X" and celebrating their individual wonderfulness, followed by a pep talk from the head reminding them to always make good choices and then everyone gets a dictionary or similar. Yay!

A week later we have an actual awards assembly, where actual prizes are handed out and presumably the cruel reality of life dawns that, in fact, not everyone is a winner .

I am not sure which of these I will cry at, or either, or both. I think my older DC got an award for "having a lovely smile" in the first one. You will not be surprised that it did not translate into an actual academinc prize in the second one .

DD2 has 3 more years to go ...
I have a 6 yr age gap - had one year where DD1 and DD2 were in school together -so I think that means I will have had 13 years!
(I'm on first name terms with the HT cos I'm also on the PTA and have been for 8yrs!)
I'll miss some aspects...but others after 10 years no way.
We have 3 church services a year -like assemblies ... and you kind of have to go....but once they get to a certain age unless they are in the choir or one of the chosen popular ones who do the readings/run the service etc they are sitting in the main body of the church too facing the front so you can't actually even see them - but they will still have learned some songs etc ...so you still feel you should go - and it lasts 1.5 hrs - that's 58.5 hrs of my life, pretending to show an interest...losing the will to live.
(There is one child who plays a 'different' musical instrument and they have always played a solo in the church for the last 4 yrs. They do play well and their parent should be proud - but I'm not their parent - I've just realised they are about to leave this year and want to throw a party - except they will probably fill that slot with something else...)

Then there is a singing festival thing (more than one school takes part) - lasts 3hrs every year...and always a drive away so another 39 + travelling time hrs of my life.
(Only the senior choir take part...so you can encourage them to join -and face the music festival - or not and then sit in the church for 4.5hrs a year and not see them at all...tough call )
Secondary here is a bigger and a lot further away...so you can't be as involved...yipee!

I can completely understand the hurrah -but I know I will sob my way though DD2's leaving church service with extra poignancy...

Beware that concert statement, DS1 is in year 9 and is taking grade 7 violin this term with the same violin teacher he had in primary school. Since his school breaks up a week before the primary school she has invited him back to help out and play at the concert.......

Ah, lucky you! No such luck for me- Dd1 leaves in July, but dd2 starts in sept!

I veer between being sad my pfb is finishing primary and excited for him to move on. It's an exciting time as they are going away in a few weeks for the year 6 residential.

I have 3 younger dc (youngest is 2) so have about 9 years left of primary school!

pfb about to finish primary, second one in y3, and I am an anomaly: its been mostly a fantastic experience.

Not the making-things stage, the recorder group, or the helping on school trips with a splitting headache, admittedly - but the community I have had/have from it is wonderful, and best of all my girls have been happy and thriving 98% of the time.

That said, I admit I am secretly looking forward to NOT helping with fairs/fundraising/governance at the secondary school....on dd1's strict orders

Oh wow I have just worked out I have 15 years total of primary school between my 3..... I have done nearly 6 so nothing like half way even.... But my first hurdle will be achieved in 2 and a bit years when my youngest starts primary so at least I will be walking away from the school run on my own!! I think that the final 7 years will therefore fly by.... here's hoping....

But I do love primary school really - my favourite stage of parenting so far, pretty much the whole lot from reception to (so far) year 5. Agree that I love the community and have largely had happy children. It helps that I am on my 3rd primary between 2 children, probably breaks it up a bit!

The joys of only having one child (or I suppose twins!!) You get it done and dusted in 7 years

LOL to "the final 7 years flying by".

I have actually (mostly) enjoyed it. The school is about 10 mins walk from where we live and DH and I have made some genuinely good friends, including people who live in the surounding streets, which is great. We all have made some friendships that will certainly last beyond primary school.

BUT: no more chuffing bits of tupperware with sticky name labels on it; no more making costumes at one night's notice; no more letters home about the most minute health outbreak and no more (I assume!) worming tablets to be taken; no more rifling through the lost property bin; no more Star of the Week.

My DC at secondary does loose things (oh yes!) but they tend to (i) stay lost; (ii) come back; (iii) get found via the lost property system which I have no idea what it is.

And no secondary school, however vanted their pastoral care, ever bothers to tell you there are suspected outbreaks of nits/worms in the school and can everyone take the necessary action. I don't know what happens to nits between the end of Y6 and beginning of Y7 - maybe they have their own little leavers' assembly and then retire.

I've done 10 years and still have another 7 years to go.

(weeps)

The dressing up days just get swapped for theme days - Christmas jumper day, wear something spotty for Children in Need, wear something red for another charity.

The unbridled joy of trying to find something spotty for a 15yr-old boy...

Also started the final term of primary school after 13 years of runs. Very ready to move on and luckily so is dd3