The School Prom…Why is it important?

The School Prom…

It’s become synonymous with the end of school life for millions of students up and down the country. It’s a BIG thing for many… THE event and night of the year. So much so, that it’s become almost a rite of passage for teenagers.

But, actually, the school prom is a relatively recent phenomenon in this country.

Before the turn of the Millennium, school proms were fairly rare events in the UK. Some schools held them, but they were few and far between. If a trend was forming, it was certainly in its infancy.

And they certainly weren’t the massive thing that they are today. They certainly weren’t a tradition.

These days they are as much as part of a teenager’s school days as uniforms, school dinners and assemblies.

Where Does the School Prom Come From?

Well, for the answer, we need to look across the Atlantic to the good old US of A.

As with many aspects of our popular culture, the influence comes from America. As the saying goes: If America sneezes, the rest of the world catches a cold!

Blame Hollywood and countless TV shows – especially rites of passage/teenage dramas.

The school prom is almost an ever-present in the storylines of the latter. And with the school prom being so embedded into American life, it’s no surprise that it’s been covered so much in films and TV since the 1950s.

Strangely perhaps, one of the fundamental aspects of the school prom US-style – the question of who will be your date for the night – hasn’t caught on so much this side of the pond.

But pretty much everything else has been copied from the American prom traditions and incorporated in

The prom dress for the girls, the suit for the boys, the glitzy and glamorous entrance by limousine, sports car, or even helicopter.

Yes, the school prom just seems to get bigger and bolder and more expensive as the years go by.

Is it a Good or a Bad Thing?

Well, as with anything, there are two sides of the coin here.

The financial aspect of the whole thing is certainly problematic. Especially with the cost of living crisis and the statistics that show millions of UK children living in poverty.

It puts pressure on parents, school prom can be expensive. However, we are seeing a rise in money saving prom schemes.

There’s an argument that the school prom is just another example of how those growing up in lower socio-economic areas and with less affluent parents are disadvantaged.

But on the flipside, young people deserve a big night out. They deserve a chance to let their hair down, and a reward for all their hard work for their GCSE and A level exams.

And, like it or not, there’s no getting away from the fact that Prom Night has become the calendar event of Year 11 or 13 for many, many teenagers.

Just as GCSE’s are important, there can be denying how important the school prom is to teenagers or how much they look forward to it.

Everybody deserves to celebrate the end of their school days in style, surely?