This year we had a whopping forty-eight year 6 leavers, eleven year 11 leavers and fourteen year 14 leavers, that we celebrated in a week of events. 

On Wednesday we said goodbye to our year 6 leavers with a ceremony that saw the hall decorated in royal blue helium balloons and the children got to walk down the blue carpet feeling like VIP’s. 

There was a presentation for each child, where pictures were shown of their primary Willow Dene journey.  

Early evening on Wednesday, we hosted our Alumni event, where we invited past families to come back to the school and enjoy some refreshments and cake. The party was very well attended, and we had a lot of fun catching up on all they have been up to. 

On Thursday morning we celebrated our year 11 leavers with their own ceremony and photos of their time at Willow Dene secondary school.  Again, the room was decorated with balloons, and we announced all the wonderful AQA achievements that they have achieved. 

Thursday evening saw our first ever year 14 prom, where our young people, their families and members of the school team dressed up and had a beautiful party, filled with lights, music and balloons, at Penelope’s in Sidcup. Everyone looked amazing and we danced the night away! 

Friday morning saw our first year 14 leavers ceremony, which turned out to be a very emotional event. Some of our young people have been with us from nursery, and some have joined us along the way. We enjoyed looking back at how far they have come, the amazing journey they have travelled and the incredible young people they have become.  

Each of our leavers, whether they were year 6, year 11 or year 14, received a goodie bag containing a year book, a glossy photo in a frame and some treats.  

On Friday we had one last celebration, with an Italian leavers' lunch. Italian flags hung on the walls on the hall, where we had garlic bread, pizza, pasta, ice cream, treats and lemon cookies.  

We are so excited to see where our children and young people go next, on to secondary, Sixth Form, college or beyond. We have thoroughly enjoyed and are honoured to be a part of your journey, and we wish you all the best for your future – we know you will be amazing!