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!

Ah dh is a sucker for punishment as this term he will go to dc1' s graduation and dc4' s induction day to reception. How many years will that be by the time dc4 leaves primary? 26?

Depressingly this thread has prompted me to calculate I will have 14 continuous years with a child at primary and am only 3 years in, dd1 is year 2, dd3 isn't due for a few weeks and won't start til 2019....

My first is in her last half term, my 4th hasn't even started yet so the nits will be with us for years to come. Number 3 even ate one the other day. (Note to self: must feed them tea earlier.) But am sad they won't all be neatly and safely in the same place. Only 50 kids in their school and very family atmosphere. Easy to talk to teachers and parents but no pressure to do stuff - lots of very busy parents so not being able to join in with everything understood. So will miss that a lot. The secondary school is miles away so already worried about logistics of getting one to school if others are ill etc. Or I am. But I'm not allowed to be. DH not always here due to his career as an international man of mystery. But very happy to do the school run when he is . Still - number 2 at a different secondary in a year's time and then who knows what the hell we'll do....

Youngest two coming to the end of Y6.

Things I'll miss:
Nativity plays
Knowing the teachers
Socialising with other parents

Things I'll be glad to see the back of:
Homework/projects requiring parental input
Bloody reading records which nearly put all of my children off reading for pleasure.

I totally get were you're coming from, I think primary school can be tough what with all the school runs, playground politics, world book days, last minute fundraisers and sponsored events. Don't get me wrong a lot of it I love (except for snotty school mums!) and will probably miss but to one day not be needed to do countless school runs and for all three of my kids to be able to let themselves in the house and wait for half an hour or so until either me or their dad arrive home, well it will be bliss lol. I've got a long time to wait though as my youngest ds is only 4 and starts reception this September lol.

DC3 leaves in 7 weeks, and that's the kids finished with primary, after 9 years. I, however, am signed up for another 3.5 years as a governor!

of course we don't have a school to have end of primary shows and performances, but dd is leaving her ensembles, choirs etc so her last concerts will be emotional no doubt.
One of our older dc primary did Bugsy malone and we had to glide out of the hall at the end. Y6 boys and shaving foam splats should not be allowed i don't think they attempted it again, well not in the last 12 years anyway
We have a reporter coming round to interview dd for her transition from h.ed to senior school so she thinks she's Julie andrews.

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

You have a wise child. I have offered DD a trip to London and lots of spending money to avoid hers but she insists on putting me through the ordeal!

I'm also coming to the end of a long stint - 14 continuous years - and we are all ready to move on!

14 years in so far. DS1 is in yr 12. DD is in Nursery. So 6 more years to go.
20 years. That's horrific.

Mine are nearly finishing primary - and I will really miss the dressing up days! Even now, in juniors it's not the same as infants when they will happily dress up as a banana, or the Solar System or Mary Mary Quite Contrary!
I was actually gutted I had to work last World Book day - cos I missed the school run and seeing all the kids dressed up

squidgyapple - if you really do like putting those costumes together, then maybe you could offer a paid service to other mums, like me, who detest dressing up days?

There's even been a couple of times when my DC have had a planned sickness on those days just so that I didn't have to put myself (and DS2 who hated them even more than me!) through that hell.

If someone could have taken the pain away, I'd have happily paid them to do it!

My eldest leaves primary this year. I wrote the last cheque for his school dinners today :-(
He is ready for it though and I will be glad when he is at secondary.
I still have another 4 years to go at the primary though as his younger sister is 4 years behind him.

Is it really that bad?? I can't say I've ever made a massive effort on them or spent much money - usually used things that I've found around the house.

I did 17 years at the same primary school, was gutted to find out that nits make the leap to secondary school:(

My younger son is leaving this summer too - 11 yrs of primary service here. It is sad but he has already moved on and outgrown it all. He is a September baby so has been 11 for a very long time. DS1 as a summer born had nearly finished a year of secondary when he was the age DS2 is now so DS2 moving on seems a long time coming. It was great when he was 4 and he could delay starting school until he was 5 but not so great now.

I didn't find the costumes onerous. Having 2 boys a lot of them got recycled and I am quite proud of a couple of them. DS has one more big production but they will probably all have to wear something simple like jeans and a t-shirt (they are doing We Will Rock You) and there are no musical tortures performances as neither of mine are particularly musical.

I shall miss not really knowing who their friends are and also not knowing any of the mothers well enough to check up on what is happening. It doesn't happen often but it is helpful to have somebody to check dates and times with.

We also live right next to the primary school so it is more early mornings and shouting to get out of the house earlier for everybody come September. I don't relish that!

ROFL @ fee paying children getting nits

PFB in his last term, have another two years with DD. DS has been ready to go for months, he is very excited about his new school. I'm wibbling because of the public transport but I need to get a grip, I know.

I will really miss some of the boys in his class. He's known a lot of them since he was 2.

I shan't miss all the school gate shit but hey I have another two years of it to go.

Me too! have had 9 years of primary and onto my last half-term!!
I'm quite ready to give it all up now - the dressing up, the attending of class plays, etc. He is about to launch into full=on year 6 production mode I think, which could be interesting. So far he is going to have 3 discos and 2 picnics. There's bound to be some tears.

squidgyapple - honestly it is that bad. I hated them and the children hated them too.

Once I had to physically drag a sobbing DS2 out of the car and haul him into the reception area to show the teacher the impact her 3rd "fun" dressing up day that month was having on him! He had been begging me not to make him go in.

DS1 (now at secondary school) told me recently that the costumes I sent him in were always the worst in the class and he found it embarrassing. I did my best, but I simply did not have a pharoah costume, or a cavalier outfit in the house and sometimes there wasn't time to buy one online.

God, but I hated them but they were a familiar feature of school life - and all because one notional child was a kinaesthetic learner!

I am 3 years in, with another 10 years to go. I almost cried when I realised with the birth of my 3rd that I would be doing the primary school run until 2025. I'll be almost 50 by then
I hate the school run, which precedes a long commute to work into London.

I'm with Var123 - would have loved to have found a friend like squidgyapple to take that torture away from me.

We've had a very difficult 7 years... the first 4/5 years in very unsuitable schools and nearly 3 years in a school that has had to work incredibly hard to make it work.

We are going to special secondary so really don't know what to expect. I know there will be less contact with school (which might be a double edged sword) but it will present a lot of other unknowns.

I will completely sob at the assembly as this school has saved my son's education and I can't thank them enough even though I am so so ready to leave the primary phase behind with it's PTA and book days and school fairs [shudder]

Ds1 started school in 2000. Ds3 still has 3 years to go. I will have had a child in our primary school for 18 consecutive years. Last week was my 15th sports day and I don't think any of them have ever won a race. I still think I might miss it.

There are a couple of posters who have done [shocked] faces at the thought of being 50 - it's not that bad, honest!

My oldest is leaving this year and I am really sad , I love Primary school, I even enjoy making costumes

My yougest has another 3 years to go - yippee! I will be distraught when she leaves...