On Saturday we said goodbye to the students of the A-level class – final-year students for whom it was their last day of learning at the Frederic Chopin Polish Saturday School in South Croydon. On stage, beneath a screen reading ‘Zakończenie szkoły 2024/25’ (End of School 2024/25), the graduates posed for group photos, and mortarboards flew into the air.
Not so long ago they were coming to lessons with school bags bigger than themselves, and on this day they left the school with heads full of knowledge, hearts full of memories and – we hope – a love of the Polish language.
Wishes, flowers and keepsakes
There were tears (and not only the students'), laughter, hugs, heartfelt wishes, cards, sweets and flowers – everything needed to give the farewell a taste and scent that will stay in the memory for a long time. The tables were laid with lace tablecloths and decorated with roses and candlesticks, and among the sweet treats was a strawberry cake bearing the words ‘Klasa 2025’ (Class of 2025) and a design referring to the A-level exam.
Keepsakes were prepared too: framed class photos with the captions ‘Klasa A-level’ and ‘2024/25’, and socks with a fried-egg pattern, with humorous little notes. The parents of the final-year students were not forgotten either – a humorous certificate was prepared for them.
Forever part of our Saturday family
In the British education system, A-level exams are taken at the end of secondary school, and their results are taken into account in university admissions. For Saturday school students, the Polish exam is also the culmination of many years of learning Polish alongside their everyday school.
Although we are saying goodbye to them as students, our graduates will always remain part of our Saturday family, and if they ever miss us, the school's doors are always open to them. Proud, moved and slightly in disbelief, we say to them: ‘Fly, young ones – the world is waiting for you!’ More photos from this special Saturday can be seen in the gallery.
