Wellington, September 2 : A Christchurch school has said it is prepared to face criticism when it serves alcohol to under 18-year-olds at its school ball next week.

Christ''s College will host its annual school ball complete with three-course meal and a full bar.

According to The Press, headmaster Simon Leese said parents had given their consent for the alcohol serving event, realising their kids “would be in an unsupervised tertiary environment next year”, reports NZ Herald News.

Leese believes having a “no-alcohol policy” barely made an impact on the prevailing youth-drinking culture.

He said the school was taking care of “youth drinking" problem responsibly with measures such as banning pupils from driving to or from the ball and making everyone agree not to attend after-parties.

Alcohol Advisory Council (ALAC) chief executive Gerard Vaughan said schools could make their own call on events. (ANI)