By Heather Park
Here are six simple ways to give your leavers a sendoff to remember!
farewell Say a fond
GIFTS – Give your leavers a keepsake to cherish
Yearbooks Create a special gift filled with memories to remind your leavers of their time at the school. Yearbooks Direct (
yearbooksdirect.co.uk) has 15 different themes and hundreds of layout templates, or create your own design using the tools and help guides. Choose from a full-colour A4 softback book with 24-48 pages, or a luxurious hardback with up to 120 pages. Prices start at £5.99 (no min. order) plus £15 delivery.
Teddy bears Children will adore a cuddly mascot from School Bears (
school-bears.co.uk). The standard bears are 15cm high, and prices start at £2.69 for an order of 50-149, with discounts for larger orders. The teddies’ T-shirts can be printed with your school logo, and any additional wording is included in the price. Printing on the back or inclusion of the children’s names can be added for an additional cost.
Hoodies
These stylish sweatshirts from Leavers Hoodies (
leavershoodies.com) will be worn with pride. Available in a range of sizes, styles, colours and designs, the size and colour of the hoodies can be mixed and matched to suit your pupils’ needs. There is even the option to set up a personal online shop to sell the hoodies to parents so that you don’t have to worry about collecting personal details or money.
MANAGING YOUR PTA – Leavers
Where do PTAs stand? As most PTAs are set up to
‘advance the education of pupils’, some feel that paying for leavers’ gifts isn’t an appropriate use of funds as they only benefit a select group of pupils. But if you give a leavers’ gift every year then all children will
eventually benefit. Or perhaps you could agree a scheme whereby the PTA and school each pay half?
Dance the night away A disco or mini-prom is a great opportunity for leavers to celebrate with their friends. Provide a special VIP area (complete with bouncer!) at your regular end-of-year disco to make Year 6s feel special. Create a chill-out space with a pop-up gazebo, fairy lights and beanbags. You could even add a theme – how about red carpet or masquerade ball? Set up a photo booth with some fun props, using an instant camera so you don’t have to worry about holding images of children. Read our guide to discos at
pta.co.uk/events.
EVENTS – Bring the community together with a sensational celebration A farewell feast
A barbecue or a picnic is a great way to get the children and their families together. Remember that your leavers’ parents will be saying goodbye to the school, too. Use the school field, and ask parents to bring picnic blankets or camping chairs. If attendees bring their own alcohol, no licence is needed. Throw in a rounders and/or football match to bring the community together one last time. Parents and teachers versus children is the perfect recipe for some friendly competition! Read our barbecue tips at
pta.co.uk/events.
Superb sleepover What could be more exciting than a sleepover in the school hall? Get pupils to bring their own sleeping bags and pillows. Set up some games with prizes, then cool off with some tasty treats. Pupils could pitch in with memories about their time at the school as the perfect bedtime story. You will need the relevant ratio of DBS-checked supervising adults to children. Or how about a family campout on the school field, with parents responsible for their own children? Read our step-by-step campover guide at
pta.co.uk/events.
pta.co.uk SPRING 2018 29
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