Father angry after daughter was kicked out of prom for not having enough behavior points

Lillie Granger was devastated when she was told she didn’t have enough points to go to Polam Hall School prom in Darlington – her father Matthew says he has spent £550 on the dress and ticket so far

A father was furious after spending £550 on his daughter’s prom dress and ticket, only to find she was banned from attending.

Lillie Granger was devastated to be told she hadn’t earned enough points to go to Polam Hall School prom in Darlington.

The school requires 500 students to be invited, and points are awarded for “attendance at learning club and tutor meetings, attendance and punctuality.”

The 16-year-old thought she had reached the 500-point threshold but claims she had points taken away after falling ill.

She is currently missing eight and a half points.

The school said it has refunded the ticket price to the parents of students who were unable to go and denied that points were deducted because of illness, adding that they were deducted for “incidents of negative behavior”.

Dad Matthew tells the northern echo: “When I put a £200 deposit on a dress she hadn’t reached the 500 point target so I got in touch with her headmistress who said she had no problem getting there.”

He said that 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 low on points and couldn’t go.

He added: “They let me pay for the ticket, pay for the dress and the alterations, and then take points from her. I have about 550 pounds out of my pocket.”

Lillie was stressed and upset about the whole ordeal.

The 51-year-old railway engineer adds: “She’s in the middle of her high school and they dropped that when her focus was supposed to be on the exams.”

The school has since promised to refund the prom ticket.

Kate Reid, the school’s principal, said the students didn’t lose points for poor attendance.

Ms Reid said: “Students started the year with 500 points to give them the best possible chance of attending and there were regular updates for students and parents throughout the spring and summer semester.

“Students have been able to increase their Rewards points in a number of ways, including attending college clubs and tutoring sessions, attending and being punctual in both school and class, and maintaining and improving their average attitude towards grades.

“Points were only lost for incidents of negative behavior.

“The school cannot comment on the performance of an individual student, but it is not the case that a student has had points deducted for poor attendance.

“Parents who paid for a prom ticket in advance have already been given refunds.”

Der Spiegel contacted the school for comment.