To ask how much you're paying for DD's prom dress

[concernedforthefuture]

I have a younger DD (8) so have this to come . Colleagues were discussing prom dresses for their 16yr olds. I was staggered to hear that they (and most of their classmates) have all bought their dresses from a wedding shop... at a cost of around £250-£350 .

It's not just the dress though.. they're getting new shoes, accessories, nails, hairdressers, make-up artists (with trials too!) etc. I'm only in my late 30s but this seems so different to when I left school and feels like an absurd amount of money to spend on a 16 year old's night out. We don't live in an affluent area and these aren't wealthy families (to the best of my knowledge).

Is this the norm nationally? Had I best get saving

Posted too soon

School have no involvement here other than some teachers attend. The 6th years arrange and fund the formal themselves.

8 years ago DD had a gorgeous black beaded dress from TKMaxx for £20 her shoes were already hers and the bag was free with some perfume. I did her hair and make-up.

'Good clean fun' is always used tongue in cheek except by the likes of Mike Pence. There is no comparison with 'dirt' implied.

Are we talking about year 11 or year 13 proms here?

Quiz £60 and she looked like a film star

My DD's was year 11, as our county only has huge 6th form colleges which don't seem to hold any kind of prom. Definitely no overnight stays at that one. Everyone went with their friends, even if they were half a couple.

'Good clean fun' is always used tongue in cheek except by the likes of Mike Pence. There is no comparison with 'dirt' implied.

Perhaps that for as lost over the water as the rest.

Are we talking about year 11 or year 13 proms here

It's 6th year up here, but that's the final year of school so would be year 13 equivalent I guess. Didn't realise you had 2 proms. We only have one and it's in the last year of school. If they leave before then they don't have a prom.

Englishdictionary

Most schools in England have their main prom at the end of Yr11. Most of the dc will be 16, but some (statistically 1/6th of them) will still be 15.

There is no alcohol at the proms and the schools' staff are fully involved.

there is certainly no staying over in hotels.

Much different to Scotland then

Why do they have a prom 2 years before leaving though?

They have the prom when they leave school

They leave school at 15/16

Then it could be an apprenticeship, join the military or college

Or a job...

Different school systems have different leaving ages.

In Ireland it's 17/18 for most, though of course students drop out of formal education earlier and they can legally leave after completing three years of post primary education or when they turn 16. In the US, while there are some schools where dropping out is a big issue, most school leavers will have done the full four years of high school.

No 6th form colleges in Ireland either - you go through your whole secondary experience in the same school unless you change school.

Why do they have a prom 2 years before leaving though?

As PPs have said, many will go to college, apprenticeships, or even different 6th forms as they don't all offer the same courses, or they don't all get the GCSE results to get in.

Some then have another, smaller affair at the end of Yr13 - usually organised this time by the students, and outfits / transport / preparation is likely to be much more toned down as the dc tend to pay for themselves.

Venues are less keen on these, as, with the end of Yr 11 'Main' Prom, it is alcohol free, full stop. By end of Yr13, most of the dc will have turned 18, so the alcohol line becomes more blurred.

As others have said, many dc do leave after their GCSEs, at 16.

They go to:
other schools 6th forms
6th form colleges
the military
apprenticeships and other traineeships

It is as this stage (except possibly for grammar schools) that many dc go their separate ways.

Dsis just got hers from Debenhams, £60. Shoes from New Look, £25.

We have lots that leave school at end of 4th year as well, but they don’t do a prom then, it’s only for the final year.

I've got a boy.
I've just spent 110 pound on a suit and tie.
He'll need shoes too and then a haircut.
I feel like I'm getting off lightly!
Tickets are 36 pound and are invitation only. You have to have met certain criteria to get the invitation and poor attendance /behaviour can prevent you attending.

It starts about 7 pm and goes on until midnight and is being held in a really swish venue. All the teachers go.

Ds has worked his bloody socks off so I don't resent a penny tbh.

Let's not forget the cost of the leavers hoody and year book!

Let's not forget the cost of the leavers hoody and year book

Oh yes...up for the best part of £100 for those and prom ticket alone when the time comes.

As for 'good clean fun'...not only is ours Yr11, alcohol free and attended by many, many staff, it's also girls only!

Leavers hoodies are about £15 here for a decent sweatshirt. Never seen year books.

As for 'good clean fun'...not only is ours Yr11, alcohol free and attended by many, many staff, it's also girls only!

That's great, but I really don't like the insinuation that if you are not year 11 and a girl you it are going to be rat arsed.

Like I said, DD will probably be staying over in the hotel the formal is held at, she won't be drunk because despite being 18, she isn't a drinker. Her BF only ever has a couple of pints on a night out too. Neither of them smoke or touch drugs and they both have jobs and cars. The idea that her formal won't be 'good clean fun' is quite bizarre.

Hollow laugh at "good, clean fun". A lot of year 11 students have pre-drinks before going to the prom. DD didn't, but a lot of them did.

Me and my friends were all funding our own prom outfits through part time jobs so got all our clothes from a charity shop and did eachothers hair and makeup. The prom was crap my best memories of that day was sitting in my friends garden in the sun all day smoking too many cigarettes and getting tipsy on her dads beer we pinched from the fridge in the garage.
My daughter is only in year 9 and some girls are already planning what cars to hire to make the best entrance etc. My daughter so far thinks it's ridiculous... I'm hoping it stays that way.