LOOKING FORWARD

This is the time of year when Year 6 students contemplate the future –and what they are leaving behind – as they move on to their new school.

As my class and I are getting ready to move on to our new school, we thought it would be interesting to ask our parents about their experience moving schools. My father revealed that he felt a bit scared but also really excited when he moved schools. He moved to an independent single sex church boarding school. My father was lucky enough to have some friends who went with him. His last day at primary school was sports’ day and he remembers picking his dormitory on the first day at secondary school. His class performed a play and had a party to mark their leaving. Finally, my father’s fondest memory of secondary school was his first house cricket match. By contrast, my mother’s favourite memory of secondary school was rehearsing for the school plays. Surprisingly my mother’s school did not do anything when they left. Similar to my dad, my mum also had some of her friends going with her. My mother remembers having a lovely chat with her favourite teacher on her last day of primary school and remembers that her blazer was too big on her first day of second school. My mother school attended an independent single sex church day school.

Felix

My Mum went to a private, Catholic, coed school which was called Trinity College in Lismore, Australia She felt excited and nervous at the same time but, overall, she was excited to have a new route to school My Mum only had a few friends initially with her in Year 7; she didn’t know anyone else except for those few coming with her from her primary school She doesn’t remember much about the start of secondary school but the one thing that sticks in her memory is that she did not enjoy wearing a tie and box pleats Her primary school marked their class leaving by telling them that they could plan something special for the teachers, but it could not involve food At the end of their last day, the whole class threw water balloons at the teachers’ cars as they drove out of the school gates; the teachers laughed very much! My Mum’s fondest memory, over everything else, was making new friends and enjoying different sports and subjects

Ella

In July I am leaving All Saints Primary School (where I have been since I was four years old) to go to Fulham Boys school. I am glad that I am not the only one in my class going there as it will not be such a big shock. My mum's experience of secondary school was quite different to the one I will have as she was the only one in her class going to that school apart from her younger sister. Her secondary school was in walking distance from her house so she could easily just walk home, unlike my dad’s. He lived in Hove until he was ten years old then left to attend a prep school in Dulwich, South London with his brother. In Hove he went to a private school, but the prep school he attended after was an infinitely better school once he had overcome the daunting first couple of days. Although my father had a sibling in the same school, he was still very nervous and still vividly remembers when his brother left him alone in the changing rooms to go and play with his friends, leaving him feeling abandoned like an Amazon parcel on the doorstep.

Jamie