Right to attend prom based on attendance at after school GCSE revision sessions- to think this sucks?

[MonitorL1zard]

It’s amazing that the school provides after school GCSE revision classes but is it fair to attach the right to go to prom to attendance at these?

Well it's a good way to incentivise them to get extra revision in. Sounds like a win-win to me.

Don't see the problem

I personally think that the only thing that should revoke the right to prom is completely unacceptable behaviour eg bullying

I hate that Prom is even a thing nowadays.

DD's school offered a reduction on the ticket price, which might be a better system.

YANBU. I would have hated going to organises revision sessions when I was at school. I wanted to revise in my own room, usually sprawled out on my bed. It seems totally unfair to link going to the prom with attendance at extracurricular revision sessions.

I don't think it's a bad idea - good way to incentivise them to do extra study as prom is a privilege after all.

It disadvantages DCs with chaotic family lives or young carers, etc. I don't think anything should be dependent on out of school activities.

It is bizarre and unnecessary for gcse age children in the UK to go to "prom". Really silly.

its assuming a lot
say a student has a sibling in the school and can only arrange collection at one time a day how does that work?
Or if not that there’s appropriate public transport the student/family can afford ?

imo if it’s so important that the kids attend extra revision then there’s something wrong with the way it’s being taught in the first place

I don’t think it’s bizarre nor unnecessary. I went in 2017 and really enjoyed it. It doesn’t have to be a completely ott, Americanised affair, it’s just a chance to dress up and dance with friends and something to look forward to when exams are over.

Doesn’t have to to be expensive either. I enjoyed a day shopping in the sales with my mum almost as much as the actual event lol

On the other hand it could be the opposite. It depends on the "chaos" at home.

These situations must be pretty unusual, gcse students are old enough to catch pt, ask a friend for a lift since everyone else is at the session too. Im sure schools could deal with genuine hardship cases.
I like this approach- why shouldn’t the ones who just want to party be incentivised to attend the study sessions?

This. Or those who need to work. It’s ridiculous and I’d complain.

I like this idea better.

If there had been a prom like the ones they have now when I was at school I wouldn't have wanted to go. I would have hated going to something like that. Totally not my thing.
So what is the 'punishment' for those who have zero interest in going to prom if they don't go to these sessions?

These are my thoughts too. Some people have had enough at the end of a school day and would prefer to revise alone at home.

Attaching prom to revision just adds a different pressure.

Not fairs to kids who can’t attend for various reasons, clubs activities, work, family priorities…

DD's old school was in a rural market town. Once the school buses left at 3pm there were no public transport options for many of the pupils, so her school didn't lay on any compulsory after school revision sessions.

There was no study leave until the third week of exams, so they did revision sessions in between the exams.

It suited DD better to revise at home, and after the spring bank half term week I don't think the school checked attendance and on days I wasn't working I could pick her up from school after an exam to revise from home.

They might be pretty unusual, they might not

they might not have a friend they can ask - there’s threads on here regularly from parents who are sick of giving lifts to kids who’s parents can’t reciprocate

there might not be appropriate public transport and
even if there is why should a student/family be penalized for not wanting to pay out for public transport when the parent is collecting a younger sibling an hour earlier (for example) and the student isn’t one who ‘just wants to party’ and perfectly capable of studying at home

im not being argumentative im just assuming the above scenario is a reality for some otherwise the OP wouldn’t be posting

DD's school have offered a day trip dependant on general attendance and the attendance at the extra lessons. I can't remember if it applies to Prom too, probably not. The extra lessons during and after school and the subsequent lack of breaks are likely to lead to more illness IMO, so it's going to be interesting to see how it plays out!

Discriminatory against those who study better at home.

Prom - or leavers’ do, whatever we want to call it - if schools have it, then it is a rite of passage for the pupils and something they will always remember. It should be open to all with no exceptions except for serious bullies and not dangled like a carrot or used as a threat. It certainly shouldn’t be linked to the school’s Progress 8 score as is going on here.

Bad idea for all the reasons already mentioned, young carers were who came to my mind. Though they might not be able to go to a prom anyway.

Also discriminatory against children from less affluent families. And don’t say that it doesn’t have to cost a lot. Because who wants to turn up in a borrowed frock, home made fake tan, stick on nails and in your mum’s 10 year old car when the cool crowd get to have a beauty package, £250 frock, hair extensions and a limo ride.
it’s absolutely cringe.

@deeperthanallroses they're not unusual unfortunately.

Where we live there are children whose parents are having to make the decision as to which days to send them in on the bus depending on timetable and subjects as they can’t afford to pay for public transport every day. As a school governor I know this is genuine and it’s not just a couple of kids. Accessibility is an huge problem in secondary schools. Our school will try to help anyone in this situation but that is only if they actually identify this - lots of people don’t want to admit that they’re in this situation. It’s distressing but it’s true.

If there is only a free (to those eligible) school bus at 3 then they’re already missing out on enough by having no transport home. Our school fund a later bus so that no one is excluded from after school clubs on the basis of transport, but we are very fortunate to have an inclusive school who take their community’s needs seriously.

Several of my child’s friends travel on two non school buses home to an empty house, they may not feel comfortable doing that later in the evening at the age of 11.

Incentivising study is great but I think this type of idea excludes too many students and could actually make their revision less effective - yanbu.