The leavers meal is held on the last Friday of each Summer term. It is paid for by community fines, as a small thank you for their time in our community. The leavers (and Zoe and Tony) receive handmade invitations at the beginning of the week, a small reminder that it’s almost time. The dining room is decorated with flowers, picked from around the school, by pupils and staff. The meal is prepared and served by staff and pupils. They all dress up formally (which is quite a rare thing at Summerhill). During the meal, leavers receive their leavers certificates from Zoe and sometimes she reads a poem she wrote about being a Summerhillian which makes them all cry! It has become lovely part of the leaving process and moving on to their next steps in life.