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Secondary education

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Original poster

How would you feel about this new Y11 prom rule?

123 replies

DavesNotHere · 21/02/2023 10:36

I did post this in chat but got no response so trying here instead. Just wondering how common it is for schools to do this - DCs secondary school is requiring Y11 students to attend a minimum of three exam booster sessions a week from now until the GCSEs begin in order to be eligible to go to the prom. Each session is either 1 hour after school or for the whole lunch break (which would mean eating lunch while in the booster session). It's caused a lot of dismay - most parents seem to feel that kids have been through enough over the last 3 years and the prom (if they want to go) should be a chance to celebrate 5 years of high school, completing their GCSEs, and also the last chance to all be together before they move on - a rite of passage. I would be really interested to hear people's thoughts on this!

OP posts:
MarshaMelrose · 21/02/2023 12:12

What was he banned for?

Eatentoomanyroses · 21/02/2023 12:13

@LuxLucet they have to cater for the majority. The majority do want to go to prom. It’s right to use it as a reward for work ethic. Proms are done by goodwill of teachers who have to attend after a long day at school until late at night.

Even if people feel their child doesn’t benefit from revision sessions others will. If schools get poor exam results it has a knock on affect on even the best students coming up behind that cohort. You get Ofsted knocking on the door, high levels of teacher stress and absence… All these things impact on students’ education. Parents need to get behind schools and stop working against them.

Oddbobbyboo · 21/02/2023 12:16

Id love the offer of this myself... that last push before exams.... they can relax and chill out after the first week of July x

It's a massive commitment for teachers too.

I feel strongly about this because I've had to pay out for a Maths and English tutors because my daughter struggled academically x it was very stressful financially.

MistyBean · 21/02/2023 12:19

One size doesn't fit all ..... On that basis I'd be very unhappy about it. We should be teaching kids to prioritise based on their own weak areas, which generic sessions may not cover. I think it's a bit mean to exclude anyone from a school prom unless they have very bad behaviour.

MrsAvocet · 21/02/2023 12:28

Well personally I would be pretty annoyed about the hour after school thing as my children's school is over 20 miles away and there is no public transport here so if they don't get the school bus it's a 45 mile round trip for me to pick up. Frankly I wouldn't do it, but then none of my kids went to year 11 prom anyway so they wouldn't have cared. (And they all got good GCSEs - if they'd actually needed revision sessions I would have encouraged them to go of course, but I wouldn't have done all that driving every week just to faciliate them going to a party.)
But the theory of using prom to incentivise study is not a bad idea I suppose, as lots of kids do feel it's important to attend. It needs to practical and achievable though. Making the requirement too onerous is likely to backfire as if a pupil can't make it to enough revision sessions to qualify, they might not bother with any at all.

Hbh17 · 21/02/2023 12:32

Seems very sensible - they need to keep working.

Hersetta427 · 21/02/2023 12:54

Can't see the problem - my daughter has 4 boosters weekly as it stands and its not like she is a low performer that needs additional help. Our school has nothing to do with prom though - its all organised by parents and the school has no input or control.

TeacherHatOn · 21/02/2023 13:02

I hate this idea! I wish, as schools, we could prioritise mental health and not feed into this horrible culture of living to work. It is also sad that the reality of this scheme means the school will be blocking a lot of vulnerable and low attaining children's chances of going to prom.

LuxLucet · 21/02/2023 13:06

@Eatentoomanyroses I certainly WOULD get behind my son's school and his teachers-- IF they were to offer a single extra session. So far nothing... and GCSEs start in a matter of weeks.
Extra sessions would be problematic after school- i'm a widowed single parent, too poor to afford a car. The £900 pa that I have to save to get him to (city state secondary) on the school bus is a major expense for me. To have to find extra money to get him home 3 x a week on top of that would mean really difficult financial decisions. Thank god he doesn't want to go to prom- I couldn't afford all the associated expense anyway.
But that doesn't mean i don't prioritise his education or support teachers. It's hard being poor.

PlaitBilledDuckyPuss · 21/02/2023 13:07

The ones who don't want to go to the sessions could arrange their own leaving event. If it gets enough traction, it might become the cooler of the two events to be seen at, and the policy will rightly backfire on the school.

hekissedmybottom · 21/02/2023 13:26

I think it's a great idea in principle and don't agree prom is any right of passage but then this is another American tradition we have adopted and so I just don't see it as any rite of passage here.

But I think 3 hours a week is excessive. I would think 1-2 hours a week is okay but not 3

cocksstrideintheevening · 21/02/2023 13:29

Three hours a week is a lot if they have other extra curricular. When I graduated an American high school not in America many many years ago you had to have a certain GPA to be able to go to prom.

Dts are in y7 and had a disco before Christmas, anyone with bad behaviour points couldn't attend.

rexythedinosaur · 21/02/2023 13:56

Unless they have done something awful/ behaved horrendously, everyone should be able to go and celebrate 5 years of high school and be with their friends.

It should not be conditional on attending extra booster lessons (which some kids probably don't even need).

I would have been extremely resentful if this rule had been in place for me at school, I disagree with it strongly and I'd question if this is more about the school boosting their performance than really being in the interest of individual students.

If they want to support students then they should assess individually whether they need to attend the extra classes and give other incentives for doing so (or consequences for not). Prom shouldn't come into it at all.

TeenDivided · 21/02/2023 14:00

I wouldn't be happy about the extra pressure, nor about potentially students staying for the prom points but with limited intention of revising.

rexythedinosaur · 21/02/2023 14:01

hekissedmybottom · 21/02/2023 13:26

I think it's a great idea in principle and don't agree prom is any right of passage but then this is another American tradition we have adopted and so I just don't see it as any rite of passage here.

But I think 3 hours a week is excessive. I would think 1-2 hours a week is okay but not 3

I had a prom and at secondary school 20 years ago. So did my sibling who was 5 years older than me.

It's really not that recent a tradition in the UK.

Yes, it was adopted from America - so what? Many kids in the UK now see it as a rite of passage, and so it has become one. It doesn't really matter what you/ any adults think - it matters what it means to them.

It's an important event and should only be revoked if they have behaved very badly.

willow7612 · 21/02/2023 14:05

My DCs school do an extra hour every day from the start of year 11, with attendance being a requirement for prom ( in line with normal attendance targets I think). Never questioned it, glad that the school put the extra effort in to support them really.

SpringofJoy · 21/02/2023 14:07

I'd be thrilled about it.

Heartsandbirds · 21/02/2023 14:12

@DavesNotHere I feel for you. Secondaries can be a very blunt instrument if you have a ND child. Can you speak to the school and explain that the ADHD means he’s not finding it helpful, or perhaps agree about alternative?

Fairysilver · 21/02/2023 14:13

My DS is a teacher. He does revision and booster sessions Mon to Thurs after school and three lunchtimes, he eats his lunch in the class on those days. All in his own time. So I think it shopuyld be acknowledged that schools or teachers don't have to do these.
Having said that I disagree with linking attendance to prom because not every child needs or benefits from them.

EarthlyNightshade · 21/02/2023 14:18

Our school gives points for each revision session attended and a certain number of points and you can go to the prom.
This would average out as about 1 per week if you started now, or (obviously) 2 or 3 per week if you started later. I am totally fine with this, suits my DD and she works better in school anyway.
3 per week is a lot though! And the more kids that attend, especially if unwilling, lowers the quality of the sessions for everyone anyway.

GordonShakespearedoesChristmas · 21/02/2023 14:31

I would be furious tbh. I never pushed revision- they did what they needed to do as individuals, all did well and all have good jobs.
Revision pushes some kids over the edge.
Prom should not depend on it!!

MrsMikeHeck · 21/02/2023 14:40

The school have really messed up. That’s a huge commitment for a long time. Completely unsustainable to monitor. And then when children start missing the targets for legit reasons, it’s going to take up so much teacher time and energy negotiating who is allowed to miss the odd one and still go. Which will then project a huge sense of unfairness.

Teachers would be giving up their time for revision sessions anyway. Which will now be filled children whose motivation is linked to the prom, rather than the learning. So a nice thing teachers use their own time for, will now become big groups of semi engaged kids. Then teachers have to make more micro decisions - what if someone attends but doesn’t work or is disruptive? What’s the policy on this? How is school going to make sure everything is fair?

bestbefore · 21/02/2023 14:51

Bloody school wanting the kids to do well in exams and bloody teachers giving up their free time to help them. And bloody school organising a prom. 😱

MadameSzyszkoBohusz · 21/02/2023 14:55

What about the kids who don't want to go to prom? Are they then excused the revision sessions? Confused

BasiliskStare · 21/02/2023 14:55

I am old - DS did not have a school prom. No such thing in those days. I am divided on this - yes I think it is great that teachers are giving up their own time to do extra revision time , it's quite important , especially for those who may not have quiet time at home , on the other hand for those who are genuinely trying to revise at home or have other commitments or the way of working does not suit them I think those DCs should be given a by on it. Difficult - I think as long as there are sensible discussions between teachers and parents then attending some if not all sessions would be a good thing. But while I think 3 hours per week is not onerous for a few weeks - it clearly may be for some.

Personally I would thank the teachers for trying to get their pupils the best marks they can but try ( school ) to be a bit more flexible for not the whole 3 hours per week if not appropriate for that DC for a good reason other than "can't be bothered "

See my age 😊