Head refuses to reward Year 11’s with a July Prom? Any ideas?

@00100001 - the parents who are so desperately sad for their kids??

If they care enough about it that they want to escalate a complaint to the school then they can sort it themselves...

@Tangledtresses - do let us know if it actually goes ahead, if the 75% RSVP actually stump up the cash etc

[quote Foosterin]@00100001 no I am not suggesting they will be traumatized for life but just that they deserve a celebration. It doesn't have to be a prom. If some schools can offer this then others should too. Some schools seem to be communicating nothing but a desire to get rid of their year 11s as swiftly as possible.[/quote]
Well, why not just ask them for a leaver's assembly then?

Easy enough to do. requires no consent, little planning. The kids can write their own speeches - can even make up prizes if they want - they can make it slightly more formal - have it during school hours etc

If they want something so badly they can organise it, cna't they?

Our year group organised a trip to Alton towers - obviously with the help of the staff, but it was made clear that if we wanted it to happen, we had to book coaches, organise tickets, write emails/;letters (sent by the teachers) - recruit supervising teachers etc. We did it, but I can't imagine the staff did absolutely nothing behind the scenes.

Why do people get so get up about the Americanisation of it? Call it a leavers disco and no one gets annoyed. It's a rose by any other name

Of course there are some who go over the top but there are also many more who just want to celebrate leaving school and starting the next chapter. For this particular era of leavers as well, for it to end in this weird COVID way, who can blame them if they want to get a posh dress?!

Where is that disclaimer coming from? Who's organising that? Who's making sure it's above board and legal, and chasing signatures?

Who's booking and paying for the space? Who's arranging payments? Who's supervising/chaperoning the event? Who's organising catering? Who's organising the music? Even if it's a "Prom Party Company" ding the lions share, some set of parents will have to stump up the money for the deposit... the information needs to be sent out etc

But some schools just can't offer it. Why can't a no just be accepted?

If the school has no additional time to organise it, nor do they have the resources, nor the good will, nor do they want to take the risk, or the administrative burden etc t hen that's fine.
The decision will have been made by the SLT and/or governors, where they have all the facts that are relevant in their situation and have made the decision based in that. Its easy for a parent to unilaterally decide that X must happen, when they are blissfully unaware of the pressures, issues and concerns.

Just because School A and B are doing it, doesn't automatically mean School C should *have to do it.

School A and B might have time, money, resources, a willing staff body and an immaculately behaved year 11. School C might have A a cohort from hell...or staff that are burned out... or nowhere safe to host it... or no money... any reason is a good enough reason.

She can't give you access to the entire years contact details - GDPR.

But it's 2021. All of these kids - if not their parents - will be linked via Facebook, WhatsApp or wherever else that I don't know about because I'm too old. Just arrange something outside of school property and get the kids to get the word out via social media. Parents to sign a disclaimer ref COVID and confirming acknowledgement that the school had nothing to do with the planning.

Then let them have their fun - rules permitting obviously. By July things may have changed again but your kids will appreciate you helping them try to arrange this more than they can express now!

@00100001 no I am not suggesting they will be traumatized for life but just that they deserve a celebration. It doesn't have to be a prom. If some schools can offer this then others should too. Some schools seem to be communicating nothing but a desire to get rid of their year 11s as swiftly as possible.

I think you're making too much of a drama out of this, OP, in the current climate. Why not organise something just for your DC and her group of friends if they would like to do something?

No assemblies are allowed in schools. My kids' year 11 have over 250 pupils. In an enclosed room? no chance in hell that the HT would allow that.

More sensibly, our HT is allowing the year group to have an outdoor event, I hope the weather is ok. But TBH, schools have so much shit to deal with at the moment, I can imagine the HT pulling her hair out at parents nagging her about a bloody prom.

Stop emailing the HT, she has enough on her plate.

[quote Foosterin]@reallyreallyborednow I'm not saying it has to be a prom, but there should be some event or celebration to mark the end of their time at school. They deserve this. People have been saying 'they'll get over it' to this age group for too long. No social life for 12 months? They'll get over it. No proper exams? They'll get over it. No work experience? No extra-curricular? They'll get over it. At some point, we need to change the record.[/quote]
Surely the school will organise a leavers' assembly and then all the students will just make their own plans for the afternoon of their last (half) day?
Many will prefer that to a prom anyway.

Our Yr 11s didn't have a prom or last day together last year, of course. There was the suggestion something would be done for them at a later date but that didn't happen. Something about a virus, apparently...

The Y11s can organise a picnic in the park. The Y13s can go down the pub.

I should think quite a lot of parents will be relieved they don't have to spend the money on a prom. And perhaps the HT knows that quite a lot of parents are short of money and doesn't want them to have anything else to worry about.

[quote Foosterin]@reallyreallyborednow I'm not saying it has to be a prom, but there should be some event or celebration to mark the end of their time at school. They deserve this. People have been saying 'they'll get over it' to this age group for too long. No social life for 12 months? They'll get over it. No proper exams? They'll get over it. No work experience? No extra-curricular? They'll get over it. At some point, we need to change the record.[/quote]
They haven't had. O social life for 12 months though... they have been able to meet friends, and meet up in groups for most of that time. Clubs and activities were open. Restaurants were open for some time. The outside has always been there...

They will get over it. Do you really expect this cohort of 15-18 yos will be traumatised for LIFE because of this? Do you genuinely think that there won't be accomdations made for them entering their next stage of education?

Honestly. They've been through the same as everyone else. They have had their hardships, yes... but so have everybody else. What about the 7 yo who didn't get to have parties for 2 years? Etc

@Foosterin

Maybe they could find some teachers/staff willing to take on the burden...

But they won't do it if the head has said no. It's all a bit of a moot point, if the head won't sanction it.
Imagine if your CEO or whatever,had said "no Christmas party" would your managers just organise one anyway on company time, using company resources, at a company location??

@Foosterin pastoral staff!!!

Our pastoral team are on their knees helping all the kids with a mental health epidemic like we’ve never seen before. Pastoral don’t have time to pee let alone organise a party. Unbelievable.

@reallyreallyborednow I'm not saying it has to be a prom, but there should be some event or celebration to mark the end of their time at school. They deserve this. People have been saying 'they'll get over it' to this age group for too long. No social life for 12 months? They'll get over it. No proper exams? They'll get over it. No work experience? No extra-curricular? They'll get over it. At some point, we need to change the record.

[quote 00100001]@Foosterin

but who should do it then?

The year 10 teachers? The Year 7? The admin team?[/quote]
I don't know it would depend on the school but I would imagine you could get a small team together to organise something - year 11 PE teachers? pastoral staff? I just think all year 11s should be offered something to mark the end of their school experience. Last year it was impossible, this year there are options.

I think to send your year 11s away with no celebration of their contribution to your school over 5 years is doing them a disservice

Proms are a relatively new thing though. We certainly never had a prom, or any kind of celebration bar our last day before going on exam leave.

It isn’t disservice, and they’ll get over it. As pp have said, there will be many kids who can’t afford all the prom dresses, and those who aren’t comfortable with all the spray tans/nails/hair etc. Proms imo are just a fancy party for the richer cohort.

No one had any proms last year. My year 13 just went down the park on his last day of school in March.

But if you badly want one and it's within Covid rules organise it yourselves. Otherwise the kids can all go down the park on their last day.

@Foosterin

but who should do it then?

The year 10 teachers? The Year 7? The admin team?

@00100001 I've never organised a prom but
I do understand the workload involved in planning trips, events, residentials. I teach in FE and have done it many times. It's a pain in the arse but you do it for your students. No-one would suggest the head or the year 11 teachers should do the heavy work on this, they have enough to do. But someone in school should be able to organise something. I think to send your year 11s away with no celebration of their contribution to your school over 5 years is doing them a disservice.

It sounds like @FancySomeChips had someone else to do the donkey work. Either that, or she did a really shit job.

Anyone who has ever organised an event like this knows that there is a lot of work involved. If everything was delegated to a private company, the price would be extortionate, and lots of the kids would be unable to attend, so that would count as a shit job too in my book.

If the HT has said no, then that's it....who is going to go ahead and organise it within the school? Who is going to sign it off and allow it to run?

I don't think you realise what is involved with organising an event like this in a school? It isn't as simple as @FancySomeChips seems to be making it out. It isn't just a case of "get an external company to do it and get parent pay set up".

Even in her imaginary scenario, there's still information to send to parents, permission forms to send out, liaison with the external company, chasing chasing and more chasing, risk assessments to complete etc.