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

[Mom69]

My DC is in Year 11 and is nearly finished 4 weeks of GCSE exam papers - sometimes with 4 papers/day! The Head has decided not to reward them with with their Prom at the end of July! Parents have offered to organise it, and despite numerous emails the Head has said ‘she has nothing further to say on the matter’. She’s even done a u-turn and will no longer give them a last exam-free day of school together and is escorting them off the premises by 11.45am. I am SO upset for her year group, even last year’s cohort had a final day together! I’m not sure where to turn to escalate it? Any ideas? 😡☹️

What if restrictions aren't ended OP? Do you watch the news?

Our school sent home to isolate approximately 100 DC on Friday. I don't blame your head for not wanting to be responsible for the death of a DC. Wait a few months. It's not the end of the world. Why would you make their job harder with your whining? It's astounding.

I cannot even believe that you are even thinking of escalating it.

Please leave the head alone. If you want to sort something, do it completely aside from school. They don't want any more pressure, stress or organisational hassle. They also don't want to be behind the "prom spreads covid" headline.

Public Health have written to all Head teachers in my LA to expressly say that we must not organise Proms until restrictions have been lifted- by which time it will be too late. It fits with the current restrictions of 30 being able to attend a wedding.

For those saying- well they mix at school. Yes they do, but either in their restricted bubbles or their close contacts are monitored (which would definitely not be possible at a Prom)

I'm relieved really- think about having to tell all the parents that they can't go on their holidays because they all have to isolate as someone at the prom tested +ve.

They just can't be arsed and are using "but covid" as an excuse. Or got caught on the hop because they didn't think the road map would go ahead as planned and now it feels too late.

Can't be arsed....

Do you have any idea how this year has been for secondary schools?

@Mom69

You know that all restrictions will be lifted throughout the country on July 21st yeah?!

*could be lifted

DD’s school are having a low key disco. DD doesn’t want to go and isn’t going.

Head is being sensible, we are in a pandemic and at this stage anything could happen by 21/06 nothing is guaranteed. Just let the kids organise some low key things themselves if they want to.

Of course schools aren’t organising proms this year!

Is it not the wrong time of year for a formal (what we call it where I come from) - are they not usually held in late November?

There is a lot of organisation required, usually by an elected committee of pupils - they pick the band, hotel, menu, flowers, transport, after formal venue etc. It’s not something that you can arrange in a few weeks - I will caveat that my experience is from 28 years ago but I don’t think it will have changed much.

^It is presumably relying on the kids and parents to be sensible enough to realise for themselves that if they're not allowed to put the year group in the hall to sit exams, cramming them together in a function room is off the cards.^

@LubaLuca
Well I don’t know about your school, but our school have had all year 11’s doing all their exams in the hall as usual for four weeks, except they are wearing masks and have to have all the doors in the hall open. All the year together exactly like normal GCSES.

@daisypond

Of course schools aren’t organising proms this year!

Yes they are

@DeusEx

Also they may all be in a year group together but they’ll bring outside boyfriends and girlfriends for sure. And parents chaperoning. And staff. Massive, massive risk.

Exactly. And the whole of Year 11 won't be mixing with the whole of the rest of Year 11 anyway. They aren't having assemblies, and it if it's anything like my DC's school the timetable has been carefully choreographed so that they minimise the number of other students they mix with. And they are restricted in how many people they sit with at breaks. There must be at least 300 people in DD's year group that she never comes into contact with at school but would do if her year group had a prom and everyone came.

Can't you just organise a smaller celebration for your DC and their friends?

Is it not the wrong time of year for a formal

No, it’s a prom. When pupils leave school - often permanently - after their national exams in the summer.

This thread is another example of how varied school experiences are, though. Our Year 11 are not in the hall for assessments - they are in classrooms in smaller groups. (The hall is actually now a testing centre).

DS2 in year 11 have been tentatively told they're having a prom. We've a date and paid the deposit.
As have two of my friends with DC at different schools an hour away.

We aren't having assessments in the hall because of covid. I'm surprised schools are but some heads are less cautious. Our year 11s mix with approx a third of the year group in school.

Prom is a logistical nightmare!

Yes, the formal is held in Upper Sixth, so the last year of school.

Does everyone not have to stay in school until 18 now?

@Tinty

^It is presumably relying on the kids and parents to be sensible enough to realise for themselves that if they're not allowed to put the year group in the hall to sit exams, cramming them together in a function room is off the cards.^

@LubaLuca
Well I don’t know about your school, but our school have had all year 11’s doing all their exams in the hall as usual for four weeks, except they are wearing masks and have to have all the doors in the hall open. All the year together exactly like normal GCSES.

I said they aren't allowed to hold the exams in the hall, so you do know

They're not allowed to sit in the lunch hall either - they eat outside when the weather allows or in their form room in small groups.

@yodaforpresident

Yes, the formal is held in Upper Sixth, so the last year of school.

Does everyone not have to stay in school until 18 now?

Education, not school, as far as I'm aware.

@yodaforpresident

Yes, the formal is held in Upper Sixth, so the last year of school.

Does everyone not have to stay in school until 18 now?

You have to stay in education or training until 18. That doesn't mean that you stay at your secondary school. Some secondary schools don't have a sixth form, and at others, there is significant movement after the end of Year 11. At my DC's school only about 60% of the Year 11 pupils go into the school sixth form, so having some sort of goodbye party seems appropriate.

(And I'd like to remind OP that last year's Year 11 got nothing - they had 2 days notice that school was closing and didn't know at that point what would happen to their GCSEs or how bad the pandemic would be. And at my DC's school, and I suspect many others, a large proportion of the year didn't make it until the last day as they were self-isolating or had been withdrawn because they or their families were CEV. At least this year the last day will give some sort of proper closure, even without a prom).

Ah, so this is more like a disco type affair in the school gym, similar to US high schools?

Are they leaving the school completely? Seems a bit of a shame if they are, given the terrible year most have had. They’re in a year group bubble and less risk than the other events allowed. Can’t they send out a bulk email with your details on if people want to participate?

My dc's secondary school is doing a year 11 prom this year. They are also bringing back last year's year 11 and doing a prom for them too.

@Mom69

She won’t give us access to the year group contact details and they leave this Friday ☹️

The children are equally upset at not having a final day together. It just doesn’t make sense when all of this term the Teachers have said they will have it.

What do you do when a Head doesn’t listen to her staff or the students?!

And she’s very right in not giving out contact details! That’s a massive GDPR breach.