12 yr old birthday party - new school

[blinkinwinkin]

What have you done for birthdays soon after starting a new school? dd will be 12 soon after starting her new senior school in Sept and whilst we have recently had smaller birthday treats with a handful of friends, dd would like to include her "new" friends. She is very excited about her new class, met lots of lovely girls at her induction day and again at a parent-organised picnic etc and wants to include everyone.

Any ideas what we can do with 25+ 11-12 year olds that won't cost the earth? I fear a disco might be a bit flat with all girls (its an all - girls school)

[Pagwatch]

DD is at an all girls school and they have discos and love them.
Also popular - trampolining, swimming, wall climbing, cinema.

[bigTillyMint]

I think we did the London Eye when DD turned 12. Or it might have been 10pin bowling?

[blinkinwinkin]

hmm think a big trip across London for so many 11 year olds would be a headache. Also am sure 25 -30 tickets on London eye would be a £ stretch, plus pizza no doubt - maybe next year when she has a smaller group.

A swim or trampolining party might be a good choice? I am concerned a cinema trip would also need to include pizza for 25+ so I don't have the budget for that.
Thanks for ideas so far.

[TryingToBePractical]

We did a swimming party at a pool where you can hire the whole pool. There is also a table area for food afterwards. we ordered takeaway pizzas and supplemented with fruit, salad and sweet stuff we brought with us. Worked really well. My experience of trampolining parties is that there can be a lot of waiting around as it is one per time on a trampoline and in our local places there tends to be 4 or 6 trampolines.

[Pagwatch]

Our local trampoline place has about 30 trampolines and virtually no waiting so it depends.

[bananasandchocolate]

Any party with over 15 girls is expensive...
Either get your dd to invite the girls who she liked the most, and have a limit of 10, maybe, or if you agree to invite the whole class, hire a venue so that you are not paying for 25 tickets for something...

[Dancergirl]

I agree. It's lovely she wants to invite everyone but smaller parties are very much the norm at secondary school.

For my oldest dd's 12th birthday, she chose to see Matilda with us and 2 close friends. She had a fab time.

[BackforGood]

It would be very unusual to have a big party like that at my dds' secondary school.
The norm is a few friends round for a sleepover or to do something like go to the pictures or for a meal.

[Medibeagle]

Swimming or roller disco. Good luck!

[lljkk]

smaller parties are very much the norm at secondary school.

Pity DD didn't get that memo. She wants to invite 60+ for her 13th. Sigh.

[blinkinwinkin]

Thanks for all the suggestions. Believe me I'd prefer a small event but her birthday is so soon after she starts her new school I don't think she will know who her friends are yet! So picking ten would be difficult . Am looking into swimming and roller disco...

[soddinghormones]

We have this too - dd will be 12 at the start of October and as she pointed out, she won't know who she'll want to invite until at least a couple of weeks into term, or what kind of party would go down well plus she still has all her 'old' friends from primary school

She's decided she'd like to take one of her current friends, who's not going to her new school, riding and then out for a meal/sleepover and save the party for next year

[ExitPursuedByAKoalaBear]

I think I did a photo shoot for ten with make up for DD's 12th. But she moved to senior school from prep with the same bunch of girls.