The mother of a schoolgirl who has been banned from attending her prom on account of her poor behaviour has said it is the “final nail in the coffin”.
Holly-Jo Memory has been told by her school, the Noel-Baker Academy in Alvaston, that she is not deserving of the “reward and privilege” of attending the end-of-year party due to her poor attendance record and behaviour issues.
The student’s mother, Angela Downes, claims her daughter’s conduct has been a by-product of serious mental health issues that are out of her control.
The 16-year-old has been diagnosed with mixed anxiety and depressive disorder, emotional dysregulation and history of trauma, and takes medication for all three. She also previously attended cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT).
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Angela told DerbyshireLive: “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.”
The banning of Holly from the prom, Angela said, is the “final nail in the coffin”.
She 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.”
Anglea went on to say that if Holly’s potential behaviour at prom was seen as a risk, a chaperone and special support could be arranged for her. But she said that the school has not offered to put constructive ideas like this forward.
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.”
