Prom should be for everyone regardless…
On Friday 7 June, Year 11’s Raj, Ellie-May and Alex were picked up early from home to make their way to BBC Radio Nottingham to appear on the Breakfast Show with Verity Cowley.
Along with Vice Principal Mr Smith and Parent Governor Anna Sant, they were interviewed about the upcoming Prom and how the Academy has supported students and families to ensure our children can enjoy this memorable celebration regardless of their financial situation. You can find out more about the strategies we have implemented and our partnership with Sharewear Clothing Scheme here or by listening to the interview below.
You can listen to the interviews on BBC Sounds (from 1.11 to 1.20 and from 2.10 to 2.24), but below are just a few extracts from the show to give you a flavour:
Talking to Verity, Mr Smith said,
“Our parents and students have a lot of pride and a lot of dignity that they want to keep, so often they won’t come forward and say that they need that help, so it’s up to us as professionals and educators to try and spot this and to work with the students and the families to support and help.
We have got to do as much as we can to support the students of The Bulwell Academy to make sure that we can break down every barrier possible for them to get to Prom.”
When asked how he was feeling about the upcoming Prom, Raj said, “Everyone should take the opportunity to go. I am just excited. I can’t wait. Everyone’s been talking about it because Sir launched it early. I’m buzzing!”
The Prom was announced to Year 11 way back in September 2023. They were shown the photos from Prom 2023 as a motivational reward for hard work as they began their final journey towards their GCSE exams.
Money off Prom tickets was offered as an incentive to attend after-school Masterclasses. For every ten stamps on their Success Passport (for attending ten classes), students receive £5 off the full price. This incentive has been running throughout the year giving students plenty of opportunity to receive a full discount on the £30 ticket.
Mr Smith is delighted with the response this year. Last year, we gave out 100 £5 discounts. This year, we have 170 £5 discounts to give out, with some students earning the full price of their ticket.
Talking about Prom, Alex said, “I am genuinely so excited… It’s the last time I will see all these people as a Year 11 cohort. I can’t wait, and I am just going to look so good!”
When asked how he was going to inject a bit of his character and personality into his black suit and tie, he replied, “I will probably put some pens in one of my pockets as I love stationery!”
Ellie-May talked about how the school have been helping those who cannot afford to go to Prom:
“It is the last time you will see your friends before you split off to colleges and apprenticeships… that one night when you can be yourselves and have fun with your friends.
Knowing that there are some students who can’t afford to pay for Prom, and knowing that the school is doing their best to try and help, it is really thoughtful.”
Not only do Raj, Alex and Ellie-May talk about the excitement of the upcoming Prom at The Belfry Nottingham, they also talk about their exam experience and their hopes for the future.
Raj said that Prom would be an emotional night as everyone wants to be together one last time before they split off to different pathways: “I am going to do A levels, some people are going to college and doing apprenticeships. I can’t wait until Results day. I can’t wait to see my future and to see where it’s heading.” Raj is hoping to get the results he needs to study A level Maths, Business and Physics.
Ellie spoke about exams being ok so long as you were confident about the content of the topics covered in the Paper. This is something that the Year 11 team have worked on with our students through the many Masterclasses and half-term Revision sessions that we offer every year.
Alex said he had been stressed all year with the build-up to exams, but when it came down to it he said, “I never thought I would say this before I started taking exams… but they have all been so beautiful, really easy, so gorgeous!” It isn’t what you would normally expect someone to say about exams!
Anna Sant summed by saying, “To listen to these three, they are so inspiring. Being Bulwell born and bred myself and with Bulwell Academy being in a deprived area, they are so passionate about the GCSEs, what they want to achieve and what they want to go on to in life. It is so refreshing. Every child deserves a chance in life regardless of their situation, where they live, where they come from.”
The future is bright! Wishing all of our Year 11s the best in their final exams and we look forward to opening those envelopes with you on Results Day.
If you have any queries about Year 11 support, please do get in touch:
Mr Smith – chris.smith2@bulwellacademy.org.uk
Miss O’Sullivan – theresa.osullivan@bulwellacademy.org.uk
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