Saying goodbye is hard. The last day of school brings so many feelings – happy, sad, scared, and excited all at once. If you have been asked to give a speech at a leavers assembly, you might feel stuck on what to say. How do you put all those big feelings into words? How do you say thanks to friends and teachers who helped you grow? Don’t worry! This guide will help you find the right words to say goodbye in a way that makes everyone smile, maybe cry a little, and feel good about the next step in life.
Leavers Assembly Speech Ideas
These speech ideas will help you make your mark and leave a lasting memory for teachers, friends, and family at your leavers assembly.
1. The Thank You Chain
Start by thanking one person who helped you. Then link to another person who helped you in a different way. Keep going until you have thanked many important people.
This speech works like a chain, connecting all the special people in your school life. You might start with a teacher who believed in you, then move to a friend who made you laugh, then to the lunch staff who always gave you an extra cookie. By linking them together, you show how every person plays a part in the school family.
2. School Journey Map
Tell your story as if it’s a trip from your first day to your last day. Talk about the “places” you visited and what you learned there.
Your journey might start with being lost in the big school halls as a new student. Then talk about the “mountains” you climbed (hard tests), the “valleys” you walked through (tough times), and the “sunny fields” (happy times) you enjoyed. End with how all these places helped make you who you are today.
3. Life Lessons Learned
Share three big life lessons you learned at school that weren’t in any textbook.
These lessons go beyond math and reading. Maybe you learned how to be a good friend when your classmate was sad. Maybe you learned to keep trying after failing a test. Or maybe you learned that being kind is more important than being right. Talk about how these lessons will help you in your next school or in life.
4. The Growth Photo Album
Talk about your growth as if you’re showing photos from different times at school. Describe what each “photo” shows about how you changed.
Paint a picture with your words. Describe the “photo” of your first day with shaky hands and new shoes. Then the “photo” of your first school play where you forgot your lines but kept going. End with a “photo” of today – taller, smarter, braver – ready for new things.
5. Funny Moments Collection
Make everyone laugh by sharing funny stories that happened during your time at school. End with how these fun times made school special.
Laughter brings people together! Tell about the time the class hamster got loose, or when you accidentally called your teacher “Mom,” or when the fire alarm went off during a test. Make sure to share how these silly moments made even hard school days good, and how you’ll carry these happy times in your heart.
6. Time Capsule Speech
Pretend you’re putting items in a time capsule that show your school time. Explain why each item matters to you.
You might include your first school badge, a test you were proud of, a lunch card, a sports jersey, or a ticket from a school trip. For each item, tell why it’s special enough to save forever. This helps everyone see the little things that made big impacts on your life.
7. School as a Book
Talk about your school years as chapters in a book. Give each year or important time a chapter title and tell what happened.
Your book might start with “Chapter 1: The Scary First Day” and end with “Final Chapter: Ready to Fly.” For each chapter, share the main things that happened, what you learned, and how it moved your story forward. This shows how all your school time fits together in one big story.
8. Letter to My First-Day Self
Write a letter to yourself on your first day of school. Tell little you about what will happen and what to look forward to.
Start with “Dear First Day Me” and tell your younger self about the friends you’ll make, the subjects you’ll love, and the hard times you’ll get through. Be kind and helpful to your young self, sharing wisdom you wish you had known then. This shows everyone how much you’ve grown.
9. The Support Team Thank You
Focus your whole speech on thanking the “team” that helped you succeed – teachers, friends, lunch staff, office workers, and family.
Talk about how school is like a team sport, where no one wins alone. Thank your teachers for their help, your friends for their support, the lunch staff for their food, the office staff for their care, and your family for believing in you. Show that you know your success came from many helpers.
10. Lessons From Each Subject
Share one life lesson you learned from each main subject and how it will help you later in life.
Maybe math taught you to solve problems step by step. English might have shown you how to tell your story. Science could have taught you to ask questions. Gym might have shown you the power of teamwork. Show how school subjects teach us more than just facts – they teach us how to live.
11. The School Playlist
Create a “playlist” of songs that match different parts of your school life. Tell why each song fits that time.
You might pick a nervous song for your first day, a happy song for making friends, a hard-working song for test times, and a proud song for today. For each song, explain what was happening during that “track” of your school life and how the music matches the feeling of that time.
12. My Top Ten School Moments
Count down your ten best moments at the school, starting with number ten and building up to your very favorite memory.
This speech builds excitement as you move toward your number one moment. Include different kinds of moments – funny times, proud times, learning times, and friendship times. For each one, tell why it made your list and what it taught you about yourself or others.
13. Before and After
Compare who you were on your first day to who you are now. Talk about what’s different and what stayed the same.
Talk about how you were shorter, less sure of yourself, and maybe a bit scared on day one. Then share how you’ve grown taller, braver, and smarter. But also point out what hasn’t changed – maybe your laugh, your love of drawing, or your kind heart. This shows growth while honoring who you’ve always been.
14. The School Recipe
Describe your school time as a recipe with different “ingredients” that made it special. Tell what each one added to the mix.
Start with “Take one nervous new student.” Add “a cup of kind teachers,” “a handful of true friends,” “a sprinkle of hard tests,” and “a dash of school trips.” Mix it all together and you get the perfect school time recipe! This fun way of talking shows how many parts came together to make your school years good.
15. One Word From Each Year
Pick one word that best describes each year you spent at the school. Tell a short story about why that word fits.
You might pick “new” for your first year, “friends” for your second year, “challenge” for your third year, and “ready” for your last year. For each word, tell a quick story that shows why that word fits that time. This simple format shows your whole school story in just a few powerful words.
16. The School Museum
Pretend the school is a museum with different rooms. Talk about what you learned in each “room” or space in the school.
Take everyone on a tour of your school “museum.” Start in the classroom “gallery” where you learned facts and figures. Move to the playground “exhibit” where you learned about friendship. Visit the lunch hall “display” where you learned to share. By the end, show how the whole “museum” taught you different but important lessons.
17. Things I Never Thought I Could Do
Share three things you didn’t think you could do before school but can do now. Thank those who helped you learn these skills.
Maybe you never thought you could speak in front of people, or solve hard math problems, or make friends easily. For each one, tell how you started out scared or unsure, who helped you get better, and how proud you feel now. This shows your growth and thanks those who believed in you.
18. The Colors of School Life
Match different colors to different feelings or times at school. Tell stories about these “colorful” moments.
Red might be for the times you were brave, like your first school play. Blue could be for calm moments reading in the library. Yellow might stand for happy friendships at lunch time. Green could show times of growth when you learned new things. This colorful speech helps everyone see and feel the many sides of school life.
19. Advice for Next Year’s Students
Share three pieces of advice for students who will be in your shoes next year. Tell why each tip matters based on your own time at school.
Your tips might include “Ask questions when you don’t understand,” “Try to make friends in other classes,” or “Join at least one club.” For each piece of advice, tell a story about when you learned this lesson yourself. This passes your wisdom on to the next group of students.
20. The Gift Speech
Talk about the gifts the school gave you that can’t be wrapped – like skills, friends, and happy times. Tell how you’ll use these gifts in your next school.
These gifts aren’t toys or things – they’re special parts of you that school helped grow. Maybe the gift of reading, the gift of standing up for yourself, or the gift of helping others. For each gift, thank those who gave it to you and tell how you’ll keep using it as you grow up.
21. What I’ll Miss Most
Share the top three things you’ll miss about school when you’re gone. Tell stories about why these things mean so much to you.
You might miss your favorite teacher’s smile, lunch time games with friends, or even the school bell that told you when to move classes. For each one, share a memory that shows why it became so important to you, and how you might carry a piece of it with you to your next school.
22. Five People Who Changed Me
Focus on five people at school who helped change you for the better. Tell what each person taught you.
These people could be teachers, friends, lunch staff, or even the school crossing guard. For each person, tell a story about how they made a difference in your life – maybe through a kind word, extra help, or believing in you when you didn’t believe in yourself.
23. My Favorite Spaces
Talk about three places in the school that became special to you. Tell stories about what happened in those spots.
Your special places might be a quiet corner of the library, a spot on the playground, or even a certain desk. For each place, share why it matters to you – maybe it’s where you made your best friend, found your love of reading, or learned to solve hard problems on your own.
24. The School News Report
Give your speech like a news report about your time at school. Include “headlines” from different years and “quote” people who were important.
Start with “Breaking News: Nervous Student Survives First Day!” Then move through other big “stories” from your school years. Include “quotes” like “My teacher said I could do it even when I thought I couldn’t.” End with today’s headline: “Student Ready for New Adventures!” This fun format keeps everyone interested.
25. Stepping Stones
Describe your school years as stepping stones across a river. Talk about each stone (year or important time) and how it helped you cross to the other side.
The first stone might be wobbly as you found your balance in a new school. The middle stones could be more steady as you gained skills and friends. The final stone leads to a new shore – your next school or next step in life. Show how each stone was needed to help you cross the river of growing up.
Wrapping Up
Giving a leavers speech is your chance to say thank you and goodbye in your own special way. Pick the idea that feels most like you. Add your own stories and feelings to make it truly yours.
No matter which idea you choose, speak from your heart. Tell the truth about your time at school – the good parts and the hard parts too. When you share your real feelings, your words will touch everyone who hears them. Good luck with your speech, and with all the new and exciting things waiting for you!