downsmail.co.uk


Head cancels prom after pupils’ pranks


YEAR 11 pupils at Maidstone Girls’ Grammar School were left in tears and their parents out of pocket when “muck-up” pranks went too far. Head teacher Deborah Stanley


cancelled the students’ promnight as apunishment, sparkingbacklash fromparents on socialmedia. The last full day of school before


exams is oftenmarked by a pranks and fun – butMiss Stanley felt they went too far. She feared at least one of the


stunts could have been dangerous. A parent, who asked not to be


named, said: “It is a tradition that students getuptomischief ontheir last day of school, so to have their end-of-school prom (a celebration of three years of work and GCSE success, andlast event to say good- bye to friends) taken away from them, is an outrage. “For the last six months, the promcommittee (made up of year


11 students) have given up consid- erable time at lunchtimes and weekends and have given up valu- able lessons and study time to or- ganise themuch-anticipated event, which has always been positioned as a reward for hardwork over the last three years. “The prom com- mittee feels that its organisation and work is now worthless...they


are all devastated that their hard work was for nothing. Girls were left in tears and the teachers in shockbythehead’sdecisionto can- cel. “Alotofparentshaveorderedex-


pensivepromdresses, somemade- to-measure, which cannot be returned. It is rumoured the can- cellation will result in the loss of around £4,000 of expenditure.” Another parent said: “There is a


limit towhat youcangetupto ona muck-up.Miss Stanley is a reason- ablewoman.” Ina letter toparents,Miss Stanley


said: “The school will not tolerate unacceptable behaviour with sig- nificant impacts on the health, safety and well-being of all in the school community, I am sorry for those students who have worked hard andwere not involved. “Our aimfor all year 11 students


is that they are prepared and fo- cused for their GCSEs.”


News Mayor on tour


OUTGOING Mayor Cllr David Naghi joined Belgian counterparts as he accompanied theMaidstone MilitaryWives Choir on tour. The group visited the Menin


Gate Memorial in Ypres, which bears the names of 54,000 soldiers whose bodies were never recov- ered fromthe battlefields ofWWI. At the Poelkapple cemetery,Cllr


Naghi laid wreaths to John Con- don (14), the youngest British sol- dier to die in the conflict. Cllr Naghi said: “We were


warmly welcomed by our Belgian hosts.” The groupwas joinedbyGurkha


officers from Maidstone’s Invicta Barracks.


Track drama


AN OFF-duty rail engineer inter- vened after he spotted a woman appearing to get ready to jump onto the tracks. Theman sawthewoman sitting


on the edge of the platform of the Maidstone Barracks station at 5.30pmonMonday,April 22. Theworker realisedfromherde-


meanour that she was unwell and calledpolice,waitingwith heruntil they arrived.


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Maidstone June 2019


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