Winsford Academy comes under fire for its prom invite policy

Winsford Academy informed parents their children hadn’t met the criteria to be invited to the prom, which is due to take place at a hotel in Tarporley on June 30.

The Guardian has been inundated with messages from angry parents, who have either been told their kids won’t be invited or that they support those who have received the news.

The school has since defended its decision saying students and parents were made aware of the requirements to merit an invite.

One parent, who does not wish to be named, said it was 'disgusting' what was going on.

“There’s people who’ve been told they can go, but their friends can’t,” they said.

“I know parents who have already paid out hundreds for outfits and transport.

“They’ve got their GCSEs starting this week – and considering they have all these mental health classes, to go and pull a stunt like this is absolutely disgusting and shocking.

“It’s an event for the kids, not for the teachers.

“The event is after school’s finished as well - it’s not as if it’s halfway through term.

“One parent whose child was told they couldn’t go was told by the head to go and arrange their own.

“People are absolutely fuming about this.

“There’s no way this many kids are that badly behaved – a little bit of common sense is needed surely?”

Winsford Academy has come under fire from parents about its prom invites policy

The parent went on to say how difficult it had been for children in the last couple of years, after missing out on so much education and socialising with their friends due to the pandemic.

“They’ve had to catch up on so much of their work with being off and then they go and do this to them just before their exams,” they added.

“One of the criteria was to attend after-school revision, but not all kids can do that anyway for safety reasons getting home.

“There are so many inconsistencies with it all and it’s the ultimate kick in the teeth for kids.”

Winsford Academy principal Gary Evans has defended the approach of the school, saying both students and parents had been aware of the standards required for several months.

He said: “Leaders and staff at Winsford Academy work hard to set and maintain the highest standards across the school. 

“It is common practice in many schools for students to have to meet certain standards to be able to attend the annual prom and other school events. 

Winsford Academy Principal Gary Evans has defended the policy

“Earlier in the year, the academy set out the standards that students needed to meet to attend the prom with a priority on good attendance to school and lessons, punctuality to school and lessons and positive attitudes to learning in lessons. 

“This was presented to year 11 in school assemblies and has been communicated to parents through our weekly newsletter for several months.

“Parents have received two letters with updates, since February half term, to let them know if their child was meeting the standards.

“It was made clear to students and parents that the final decision would be made in May in order to give students as much of a chance as possible to meet the standards. 

“The large majority of students in year 11 have met these standards consistently over the last few months and have been invited to the prom.”

Mr Evans contacted the Guardian on Wednesday, May 25 to say the number of students not invited to the prom was actually less than 40.