A mum has said her daughter's school banned her from going to the prom. The family had already bought Holly-Jo Memory's ticket and dress but she wasn't able to attend the school leavers do.
Mum Angela Downes describes the situation as the 'final nail in the coffin'. Her daughter Holly has been going to the school for the last two years, having joined in Year 10.
Ms Downes found out her daughter wasn't allowed to go via a phone call and was completely shocked by the news. She says she also felt 'insulted' because the school kept emailing her offering her the chance to buy a dress for her daughter.
Holly, aged 16, has had some struggles with her behavior and attendance, which Angela claims Noel-Baker Academy in Alvaston deemed as undeserving of the "reward and privilege" of going to the prom. Angela told Derbyshire Live : "I think prom is a major part of ending school life. It's the ending of one chapter and the beginning of another one.
"Every child should have that entitlement whether their behaviour has been wrong or right. If I'd been given genuine reasons, I'd accept it and work with it. But I think she's been discriminated against because she's not attended and not been able to cope with school."
Ms Downes alleges that the school's support system didn't do enough for her daughter. Holly is registered with CAMHS (Child & Adults Mental Health Services) and has recently begun working with the charity for her vulnerabilities. The NHS diagnosed her with a mixed anxiety and depressive disorder, emotional dysregulation and a history of trauma - she takes medication for all three.
The reason the school said Holly couldn't go to the prom was because of poor attendance and poor behaviour including two suspensions, but the mum says this is of the result of the school not fulfilling their duty of care for her. One exclusion, Ms Downes explains, came when Holly opposed being searched by a member of staff.
The search, the likes of which took place daily, was part of Ms Downes' own desire for Holly to be assessed for her own risk every morning. But with the staff not following the instruction Ms Downes had requested for the search, the 16-year-old reacted badly.
The mum says this is one of many incidents that have happened since Holly was at the school, that would not have if circumstances had been handled correctly. She said: "I'm not saying she's not capable of effing and jeffing but there's always a reason behind these outbursts.
"I have been called into school probably three times a day for the past six months. It's been dreadful. They can't cope with her but they're not managing her at all. I've been called and asked to come and do their jobs for them."
On the school's reasoning for why Holly couldn't go, Angela said: "She's not there long enough to achieve any positive points because she's always either coming home or she just doesn't get out of bed because she can't face going in. I end up emailing the school to tell them she's not well."
Ms Downes says that if Holly's potential behaviour at prom was seen as a risk, a chaperone and special support could be arranged for her. But the chance to put ideas such as that forward has not even been offered, she claimed.
She said: "I'm a reasonable person, I'm a youth worker, and I understand both sides of the fence. But it's her mental health that has led to these problems. Barring her might just send her over the edge.
"I'm just totally angry about the whole way my daughter's been treated throughout this school. I'm strong-willed. I will shout this from the rooftops. This is like the final nail in the coffin."
A spokesperson for Noel-Baker Academy said: "At Noel-Baker Academy we respect, encourage, nurture and push students to be the very best they can be. This means we set high expectations across all aspects of school life, not just our proms, and we expect our students to follow these expectations.
"Our end-of-Year-11 prom is a reward and a privilege. We do our very best to help our students to attend and provide additional support for those students who require it. Staff look forward to welcoming our Year 11 students to the prom, however, we do not comment on individual circumstances."
