A dad has been left fuming after forking out £550 for his daughter's prom dress and ticket only to be told she was banned from going.
Lillie Granger was left devastated when she was told she didn't earn enough points to go to the prom at Polam Hall School in Darlington.
The school requires pupils have 500 to be invited and points are awarded for "attending study club and tutoring sessions, attendance and punctuality".
The 16-year-old believed she had reached the 500-point threshold but claims she had points taken away after being off sick.
She is currently eight-and-a-half points short.
The school has said it had refunded the ticket price to the parents of pupils who couldn't go, and denied points were taken away for being off sick, adding they were removed for "negative behaviour incidents".
Dad Matthew told the Northern Echo: "When I made a £200 deposit for a dress, she hadn’t reached the target of 500 points so I got in touch with her head of year who said she wouldn’t have any problem getting there."
He said when the option to buy the ticket appeared on the online portal, he assumed his daughter had reached the 500 points and decided to buy it.
He adds that he was then told Lillie was short on points and wouldn't be able to go.
He added: "They are letting me pay for the ticket, pay for the dress, and the alterations, and then taking points from her. I’m about £550 out of pocket."
Lillie has been left stressed and upset over the whole ordeal.
The 51-year-old railway engineer added: "She’s in the middle of her GCSEs at the moment and they have dropped this on her when her focus should be on the exams."
The school has since promised to refund the prom ticket.
Kate Reid, the school’s principal, said students did not lose points for poor attendance.
Mrs Reid said: "The students began the year with 500 points to give them the best possible chance of attending and there have been regular updates for both students and parents throughout the spring and summer terms.
"Students have been able to increase their reward points in many ways, including attending study club and tutoring sessions, attendance and punctuality to both school and lessons and maintaining and increasing their average Attitude to Learning Grades.
"Points were only lost for negative behaviour incidents.
'The school cannot comment on an individual student’s record, but it is not the case that any student had points removed for poor attendance.
"Refunds have already been given to parents who had paid for a prom ticket in advance."
The Mirror contacted the school for a comment.
