Why do school leavers have to have 'Proms'?

I have heard of this for the first time today. Is the UK going mad? Little children in mortar boards and gowns.

Somehow in Germany, in 1945 the Germans lost interest in uniforms and celebrations about nothing, and everything is now just what it is, not what it is made out to be. When the high school leaver leaves at 18 or 19 they have an evening where the girls dress up a bit and the boys scrub themselves up in a clean shirt. It is all very nonchalant.
Private colleges with the new BA courses do have an evening with mortar boards but somehow it is not taken seriously.
My daughter, a microbiologist after 5 years at university, just when along one morning and was handed her Diploma and had glass of champagne with a group of friends. Parents or partners were not invited.

This seems to be yet another reason to get little girls into high heels. My Yorkshire mother would have pronounced it as 'common'
I watched the wedding in Monaco yesterday and the nieces of the bridegroom aged from 11-17 were dressed up in fine fabrics but absolutely covered up. There was very little leg above the knee and no chest on view to the millions of TV viewers.
Anything that costs money seems to get off to good start even though so many parents are strapped for cash. Are there no groups of mothers who stand up against it?

If that was the case baggy it would not be such an issue. I have been reading about families putting themselves in considerable debt to ensure that DC has the best outfit.

I can only think that spending all that money on non-essentials (and very far down the non-essentials list at that) is a sign of affluence.

Here in Queensland Australia they just have the one 'Formal' as it is called here, in their final high school year. One son didn't bother going, the other loves that kind of thing and hired out a tux. The girls do the whole posh frock thing, costing parents a fortune. Our lad hired a 'silver service' taxi - just a basic taxi, silver, with some sort of crest on it, for himself and his then girlfriend.

After junior school it is ridiculous, especially if they do the academic gown thing too. Here they have a special assembly at junior school, where prizes are handed out, and a talk given to the kids about the whole transition thing.

PS
I think academic gowns and mortar boards should be reserved for tertiary graduations.

My daughter paid out £150 for my granddaughter`s prom dress, and that`s considered a cheap dress nowadays. One of my grandsons had to have a new suit for his primary schoolprom 3 years ago, and it cost £60, and I think that`s a hell of a lot for an 11 year old boy, especially as he only got to wear it once more before it was too small.

Only heard about this for the first time today; is that why there are so many of these dress hire places springing up everywhere? It cost enough when my son had formal dinners at uni, but at least one suit did him for the three years [which we bough second hand from a suit hire shop].

Totally agree about proms being a very bad idea. I am sick of people telling me how much they have spent on a dress, hair-do, make-up and a limo. For goodness sake get a life ! I would never have asked my parents to provide these things just because I was leaving school. We left so that we could bring money into the house not bankrupt our parents. Time for parents to get a backbone I think and stop creating little princesses.

at my grandsons school they are having a WEDDING LOL... apparently its some thing to do with religion...the little ones are going through a ceromony! lol.and we have been asked to take biscuits for the party afterwards lol...

Even worse is nursery school "graduations" where wee tots dress up in academic gowns and mortar boards! I've nothing against dressing up but really! The world is going mad.

Too right. Too young. Absolutely agree.
In our school we do have leaving proms but given the poverty of the area they are not flash affairs. Just a sixth form dance really. Limos for teenagers is crazy and insensitive. What are schools thinking of? We are as one on this!