Prom Night

It has been the last week of the school year for our children and for Raymond this has also been his last week at Primary School. It doesn’t seem very long to me since I was taking him to his first week in P1 but for him it seems like a lifetime ago. I suppose time seems to go faster the older one gets.

When I finished school there was an end of year school disco and also a special evening of square dancing for those that were leaving for Middle school. Raymond’s school had something similar but for some reason these nights have been rebranded with the American term "Prom Night" (which I always understood to be a High School graduation party). Obviously this is the influence of US TV and film (although this is an event I originally knew from the film Carrie) but at least with Raymond’s school the whole event is restricted to formal attire (a dark blazer and formal trousers or kilt) rather than some of the excesses that other local schools seem to participate in.

I think many of the stories may be apocryphal but it isn’t that hard to find out about people whose daughters have spent hundreds of pounds on a prom dress or even travelled especially to London to chose one (obviously there are no department stores in Glasgow!) I did see a few stretch limousines floating about with over privileged brats in the back but I didn’t see any at Raymond’s school. I think this is just as well as not every family can afford these excesses. I did hear one of his friends mention that they had wanted a fancy chauffeur-driven German car (as I dropped them off in the Golf) but fortunately the head-mistress at Raymond’s school does seem to have a sense of perspective and from what I can tell a jolly time was had by all.

I’m wondering what kind of social occasions they have at the High School? He seems to be looking forward to it although I still suspect he will find it something of a culture shock -  in scale if nothing else as there are well over 2,000 pupils attending there. For now we have the annual family holiday to look forward to in sunny Norfolk.