A HEARTBROKEN teenage girl has been banned from a Sheffield school's prom with just four days' notice – after her mum spent £300 on a dress and £150 on a limo.
Chenille Wood, aged 15, was due to step out tonight at Ecclesfield School's event of the year but must now stay at home as a result of her 'bad attitude' in school.
Headteacher Mick Nolan said all his students know attending the end of year prom was a privilege not a right – and Chenille's behaviour last week, including an allegation she swore at a teacher, proved to be the final straw.
Mum Francesca, of Bevan Way, Chapeltown, admitted her daughter was no straight-A student but said to bar her at such short notice was unfair.
"It is nasty and vindictive. Chenille is absolutely heartbroken and has been sobbing her heart out – she'll have no photos of the big night to look back on in years to come, while other pupils who have been involved in far more serious incidents will be there," she said.
"Chenille says she never swore and has witnesses to back her up. It was only when she took in her money to pay for her ticket on Tuesday that she was told she wouldn't be allowed to go to the prom."
Ecclesfield's prom is being held at Newton Hall in Chapeltown and is the fifth time the school has staged such an event, with 250 teenagers expected to attend.
Borrowing a longstanding tradition from American high schools, many Sheffield secondaries now hold proms for final year students who go to the big nights dressed in dinner jackets and ball gowns.
But Mr Nolan said his final year pupils were told repeatedly going to the prom was not a right but a privilege to be earned.
"If their attendance is poor, if they have been excluded or their coursework is late, then they won't be allowed to go," he said.
"Only two students this year, including Chenille, have actually been told they can't attend – there are quite a few others who know the score and haven't even bothered trying to buy tickets.
"Chenille has had a very poor attitude to school staff this year and so she was very much on the borderline. When she was temporarily excluded after swearing and being abusive to a member of staff, it was the straw that broke the camel's back.
"All the students know what the situation is. I understand Chenille hadn't even bought a ticket at that stage – but she knew the consequences of bad behaviour."
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