To be raging about this school scheme?

[Promdiddlyontomtom]

Hi, name changed as potentially very outing.

Have found out recently that my daughter's school has introduced a 'Points for Prom' incentive newest low.

The school get good results.

The demographic has some challenges and therefore they have a VERY strict regime and the kids are controlled with strict policies and sanctions (and a little praise- the balance is well out). The kids get detention if they don't get 100% in HW for example.

This is, IMO, the lowest they have gone.

Their newest bright idea- the young people have to earn 'behaviour points' to be in with a chance to get a ticket for their Y11 prom.

Apparently there's not enough spaces for all pupils (they only have spaces for 2/3 of the pupils... so find a bigger venue then!)

This is not an incentive and should not be used as a reward for 'good behaviour'.

Surely this is just a control tactic. A punishment for not toeing the line.

AIBU to think that all teens should get the opportunity to go to the end of school celebration? It draws the line after 12 years of compulsory education, a stressful period of formal exams, and friendships going in different directions (there's no sixth form). It marks the end of an era. Why should they be told they cannot go? Why shouldn't they be able to mark the end of years of education - for some this may have been a struggle all the way through- with their friends. There'll be no closure.

For the record, I've no concerns that my daughter will be excluded. I just think it's an awful idea.

What do you think?

But in this case 1/3 of children won’t get to go and will feel like they are second class, regardless of behaviour. May be they had to have time off because their PARENTS organised family life that way. Or they have had time off for ILLNESS or APPOIMTMENTS. May be they missed a homework because they are struggling academically. May be they miss school because they have anxiety about it.

Since when did it become ok to punish kids for being human?

Yes, very poor behaviour could reasonably result in being banned. But this, you have to compete to get the limited places, disadvantages the most vulnerable. Those with health issues and disorganised or neglectful parents. It teaches them nothing of any use to society.

Actually, research shows that this kind of public point system and shaming and blaming, doesn’t create intrinsic motivation but superficial compliance and cheating.

That's terrible! My daughter is head of prom committee and made sure that the place she booked had the amount of space needed for every pupil that would be eligible for prom. The only people excluded would be pupils with very bad behaviour.

A recent school event did use credits/merits as a determination as to whether students could attend and these were basics like good behaviour and attendance (with a low threshold) and they had exceptions. My eldest didn't actually make the cut because she has a large number of online (in school) university classes that are done in between her other classes but she can't get attendance credits from them because obviously her uni tutors aren't part of the credit system so don't log her in the in school credit system. But as one of the organisers of the event she of course was allowed to go plus all she would have had to have done was tell one of those in charge her circumstances so it would have been fine.
Prom is for all seniors and a venue that's too small to accommodate them all is too small to hire.

I do agree with you.

but the problem is, a prom is optional extra that's nice to have - nothing to do with SEN provision etc

OK, so every child bucks up and behaves and now all 300 kids have enough 'credit' to go to to the leavers disco - now what? There's only space for 200...

@00100001 It's not to do with SEN provision no, but still the school isn't allowed to do things like insist they attend after school revision sessions if they're unable to do so as a result of their disability. They can't be disadvantaged like that even if it is a 'treat' thing that has zero to do with learning. They must be allowed access on the same footing as their non-disabled peers which means allowing reasonable adjustments to the 'rules' that everyone else must abide by.

Same as a child who falls under the EA shouldn't (eek can't, technically!) be docked 'prom points' for behaviour that's a result of their disability. A child can't cope in a lesson and becomes overstimulated and so walks out to self-regulate? Fine, they cannot lose points. The same child is caught vaping in the toilets? That's not fine, and they should lost the points then.

But I agree with you also - if you've got a child who has sibling caring responsibilities (for example) which means they can't attend them then that's not their fault, and any decent school would see that and make adjustments to the rules for them also.

They should definitely have a venue big enough to cater for all although I suppose knowing their cohort better than you perhaps it is more cost effective to have a smaller venue based on the numbers they anticipate actually attending.

My DC school had I guess a similar system in that they had to have good attendance and regularly attend revision sessions and have their prom card signed by a teacher to be able to get a pass to prom. Poor behaviour would also mean being excluded from prom. Sounds fair enough to me, rewarding good behaviour and good attendance and commitment to studies, pretty good life lesson right there.

problem with having to earn points or whatever kind of bribery there is to allow you to attend - is that there will be a point where you just can't catch up and make amends - so there's absolutely no incentive to behave ...

@00100001 and if you have no interest in the prom at all there's also no incentive to behave.

OK, so every child bucks up and behaves and now all 300 kids have enough 'credit' to go to to the leavers disco - now what? There's only space for 200...

The school probably has a pretty good idea of roughly how many kids are likely to be willing or capable of bucking up.

Since posting on this thread, I've heard from my ds that his school has said that they can only go to the Y11 prom if they clock 50 hours of revision on the online platform the school uses! Tbh I'm half amused and half pitying (of the school). I suspect they won't actually hold the kids to that when it comes to it. Some kids are already saying they'll boycott it though!

This is such a good point. Even as a “behaviour management strategy” this is a trash idea. Some will know right from the beginning they won’t be able to manage it so won’t even try.

Those saying “well the school know who /how many children won’t be able to manage it” - so they’re setting them up to fail then? Their aim isn’t to improve behaviour, they’re banking on their own strategy not working. It’s terrible on many levels.