Leavers' newspaper or book: which suits your class?

A leavers' newspaper, or leavers' magazine, tells the story of the final school year in articles, surveys and photos; a leavers' book gives everyone their own double-page spread. Here you will find ideas for your leavers' newspaper at primary school or in the tenth year, printing tips and a comparison of what a newspaper and a book can each do. The Flashbooks book costs €24.90 including design, printing and shipping, and it arrives 5 to 7 working days after the last answers and payments.

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The book, the questionnaire and our WhatsApp support are in German. Other languages and shipping to other countries on request.

Left half of a sample double-page spread for a fourth-year class with questions styled as newspaper sections, in German: a drawn portrait in a yellow T-shirt, answers such as a headline for the fourth year and a weather report on their mood, plus the nominations for the four awards — Sample page. The names and answers are made up; the background and the icons are design examples.

Right half of the sample spread, in German: a drawn portrait in a teal jumper with a hairband, answers to a small ad and about the new school, a signature, name and the details class 4c, reporter, art and birthday — Sample page. The names and answers are made up; the background and the icons are design examples.

Making a leavers' newspaper: ideas for the fourth and tenth years

These sections work at primary school and in the tenth year:

Interviews. The class interviews the caretaker, the school office or the head teacher.
Surveys. Favourite food, best trip, dream job, shown as a bar chart.
Chronicle. One event per school year.
Puzzle page. Who is in this baby photo? Who said this?
Weather report and horoscope. Fun sections that everyone fills in.
Teachers' page. The teachers' words for the class to take with them.

A leavers' newspaper at primary school

In the fourth year the children write and draw, and parents or the teacher type it up. A fixed template per child helps, otherwise the pages end up very uneven in length.

A leavers' newspaper in the tenth year

In the tenth year the class writes it themselves: reports from their subjects, teachers' sayings, a look back at work experience and the leavers' trip. Agree beforehand what gets printed.

Having a leavers' newspaper printed: what to look out for

Before printing, settle the print run, number of pages, colour and binding, and get several quotes for them. Allow time for layout and proofreading. Before photos and names of the class go to print, ask the school which rules apply there. This is not legal advice.

Newspaper or book: the comparison

The difference lies in who writes and who designs.

What the leavers' newspaper can do

tells the school year as a story, with articles, surveys and puzzles
the class writes and designs it themselves, a project in its own right
can cost little depending on the printing, but takes a lot of your own work

What the leavers' book can do

everyone has their own double-page spread with two photos and answers
the answers come in by phone, and Flashbooks handles design and printing
a hardcover everyone signs, with pages for messages and for writing in
no freely designed articles

If you want a project where the class does the writing, make a newspaper. If you want a keepsake in which everyone has the same amount of space, go for the book. Or do both: the newspaper as a class project, the book as a goodbye.

The leavers' book with questions styled as newspaper sections

The title and questions can be customised, so you can phrase the questions like sections of a newspaper. In the book they appear as short headings, in the example above for a fourth-year class:

My headline for the fourth year
Weather report for my mood
My interview guest would be
Small ad: what I'm looking for
My cover story about our class
How I picture my new school

On top of that come name, signature and four short details with icons. For four awards, everyone nominates someone from the class in the questionnaire; the nominations appear on their own spread and the results on the awards page. There is also a class photo, a double-page spread for special moments, two spreads for signatures and messages and at least 4 blank spreads. For children, the parents fill in the questionnaire, and photos and answers are used only for the book; read more under children's photos and data protection.

More about the book for your year: primary school leavers' book, Realschule leavers' book and Hauptschule leavers' book (also for the Mittelschule). For the Abitur, see the Abizeitung, the Abitur yearbook magazine.

How your class gets into the book

Start early enough before the last day of school or the leavers' celebration, so everyone can sign each other's books. There is no fixed delivery date.

The enquiry takes 2 minutes, and you get the link via WhatsApp.
You share the link in the class parents' group chat or the class group chat. For each person, the questions are answered on a phone in about 5 minutes and two photos are uploaded, by the parents in the case of children. On Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays an overview of who is still missing arrives via WhatsApp.
Once all the answers are in and all the books are paid for, we design and print. The books reach you 5 to 7 working days later.

How much does the leavers' book cost compared with a newspaper?

For a newspaper, the price depends on the printer and the number of pages. For the book it is fixed, including design, printing and shipping to Germany and Austria, and it drops when several classes from your school order together:

1 to 2 classes: €24.90
from 3 classes: €22.90
from 5 classes: €19.90

The book holds 8 to 42 people. The minimum order is 10 books, and not every family has to buy one. Each family pays for itself via a payment link, or one person pays for all by invoice within 14 days. Because every book is designed individually, orders cannot be cancelled.

Frequently asked questions about the leavers' newspaper

We have already started a class newspaper. Is the book still worth it?

Yes, if you want to give everyone their own double-page spread. The newspaper stays your project with articles and surveys, and the book adds everyone's double-page spreads with photos and signatures.

Which is cheaper, a newspaper or a book?

That depends on your newspaper: print run, number of pages, colour and who does the layout. The book has a fixed price: €24.90 per book including design, printing and shipping, less with several classes.

Does the book also work alongside a tenth-year leavers' newspaper?

Yes. The title and questions can be customised, so the tenth year gets its own questions.

Who writes the texts in the book?

Everyone writes their own answers; for children, the parents fill in the questionnaire. There are no long articles in the book.

How long does it take until the book is ready?

5 to 7 working days after everyone has answered and paid. Start a few weeks before the last day of school.

Yearbook questions for leavers' books
Questions for the fourth year, the tenth year and the Abitur.
School yearbook
A book for every school year, not just for leaving.
Primary school leavers' gifts
Ideas for the end of primary school, from the class and for them.
Abibuch (Abitur yearbook)
The book for the Abitur.