And precious about reception nativity?

[ItMustBeBedtimeSurely]

We just got back from ds's nativity and honestly, I'm so disappointed. I want to know if I'm being unreasonable (quite possible).

So they've taken the Xmas story and tweaked it a bit, so far so normal. But they've created one main character who is on the stage the entire time, and added in lots of extras who have no role at all. By which I mean, at least half of the class just stood by the stage, invisible to anyone but the front row and joined in the group songs. Didn't go on the stage at all.

I literally have not one photo of ds.

Ok, I realise in the grand scheme of things it's not a disaster, but they're 4 and 5 fgs, I really thought they'd all get a chance to stand on the stage, even if they don't want to speak.

Is this normal for nativity plays?

There were lots of extra sheep/shepherds/angels etc. But none of them went on the stage, so really they were just chorus.

Yes comment! The staff who led it won't know unless you say something!

I think I will just say it would have been nice if all the children had had some time on the stage.

And of course, I won't let on to ds I'm disappointed!

Our school ask the children if they want a speaking part, for some children being on stage is their worst nightmare. The teachers then make sure everyone who wants one has a speaking part whether that's a character or narrator.

It sounds really unfair to have one child on stage all the time with a few other token parts.

YANBU - I have had 3 whole years of watching my son at infant school as either a singer or a musician which involves wearing his school uniform and standing below stage level so we couldn't even see him. I actually felt like crying at the end of each play and not for the right reasons!!!

I think that even if they don't have a particular role they should be able to dress as something! In my other son's infant school at least he got to be a star and snowflake when he didn't have a defined role.

I think mentioning it to the teacher is a good idea. Joining the PTA as someone suggested won't help at all - they have absolutely no bearing on stuff like this and no influence with teachers whatsoever. They just fund raise for the school.

YANBU - one of my bugbears is about schools not including everyone in their plays!

Our nativity gave everyone a role so everyone came on stage and was something i.e. shepherd, angel, star etc even if they didn't have an actual line they still had a part and felt included.

However the older year groups tend to do what your school have done with with some children simply being the "chorus" who sit at the side and then sing a song at the end.

As a parent it is disappointing not to see your child included and as a child I think it must be fairly dispiriting not have a role. I also question the benefit to the children who are not included of the hours of rehearsals they seem to do at the school if all they are doing is just sitting there!

I think we were spoilt with DC's infants because they worked very hard to ensure that every child had a (as equal as possible) part.

IIRC our Reception nativity featured an angel dance, a star dance and a sheep dance purely for the purposes of getting every child to have their moment in the limelight.

Our school has a reception nativity and non of the children speak, they may have a Y6 doing a narration but not always. When dd was in reception it was the usual stuff, There is only one class of 25 so easy enough having them all on stage for most of the show. she was a star along with a couple of the other girls and when they first came on it was sweet, a line of stars and angels lined up at the back of the stage with Mary and Joseph taking the centre spot. Well it was sweet for about 30 seconds until the line of tall shepherds and kinds filed on and stood in a line completely blocking all the angels and starts from view. It is a class of small girls and tall boys.
I thought okay, I can no longer see her at all, she was a tiny thing at 4, but it would just be for this song and then the boys would sit, or kneel, or something but no, it stayed that way for the rest of the performance. Apart from the 30 seconds I did not see her at all. I was very taken aback about how emotional I got about it. I had wanted to see if she sang, she had speech and language delays and was very very shy so to sing on stage was a big thing. I decoded to hold it together and that I was most likely being unreasonable and PFB. I had no intention of saying anything to the teachers when I made my way up to the stage to grab a photo of dd in costume but I was stopped by a lovely TA who could see I was not quite myself and I am so embarrassed to say I ended up crying as I explained why I was upset.
To give them the credit due they apologised, I had explained that it wasn't just that I couldn't see my dd it was that non of the families of the girls could see. The head teacher called me at home later that day, STBXH took the call and tells me that she apologised again and told him they would look closely in future about how children where placed on the stage. She reserved us a front row seat at the church for the carol concert that night in which the reception class got dressed up and did a couple of songs from the nativity. They also placed them carefully at that show to make sure the tall didn't stand in front of the small.
Gosh, thats quite an essay all to say that it was worth me having said something (if very embarrassing!) and I have never seen an issue like this happen again with any of the school shows, dd is in Y5 now.

not the whoopsy fairy one was it?

No, it was all about a star. I don't really mind a small number of children taking most of the speech. Plenty of children this age won't cooperate in front of an audience, I know. But this really was all about this one part. It felt really unfair on the others.

I remember one about the twinkliest star of all? was that it?

YANBU.

DD1's school doesn't do everyone gets a part. If you have a part one year, you are "not allowed" another part. At all. You can audition for one if you like, but you still won't get one. No auditionees will, in fact: the ones the teacher knows haven't had a part will get one.

I could have done without a devastated DD1 who is an infant btw. And who would have understood the whole "you've had a part, not again" thing because she can see that's fair. She's all her life to deal with disappointment like that; I don't see it's a lesson that really needs to be learned at 7.

The teacher has at least decided it's a little unfair to make them audition without much point and has at the 11th hour created a few dance routines. And now everyone has a part

Our school did the final dress rehearsal in front of the juniors and a couple of rows of adults made up of parent governors, PTA members, lunch staff etc. The organising teachers then asked for feedback from the back row- could we hear everyone, could the little ones be seen etc. they haven't done this before so I did wonder if somebody complained last year..?

I was a bit miffed last year - they decided to combine the whole foundation stage into one single play. 60 reception kids, 60 Year 1s and 60 Year 2s.

This meant most of the hall was children sitting on the floor in a sparkly headband, singing. They stayed sat, too, so no one could see them and probably because trying to move 160 kids around would be a mess . Up on stage were about 15-20 Year 2 children, I suppose, who could be trusted to 'perform'.

I guess their hands were tied, if they were forced to have only one play for all those kids, but it was still a shame.

At the primary school where I'm a governor, staff work at dividing up all the speaking parts so that every child who wants lines to say has a chance to perform. It works very well, and there's less feeling that any one child has been selected as the star. It doesn't stop individuals stealing the show with a cheeky grin or a moving solo, but every parent gets to see their child on the stage playing a part. That's the one big advantage of a small school, though - you can have the entire KS1 in a performance without anyone being sidelined.

Yanbu. It was like Mumsnet bingo at my dd's school this year. Pta members getting front row seats reserved, the same children getting speaking parts, parents with enormous ipads standing up blocking your view, tallest child in the year sitting in front of dd so she was the only child I couldn't actually see. The worst was selected children being allowed to sing the final song whilst the rest looked on. Some joined in anyway

DD's reception nativity last year involved two classes of 30 children including some SEN and they all had a song & dance on the stage. There was a 'lead' role but everyone had a part.

I did cry when the SEN boy in DD's class who had refused to get on the stage all the way through, did eventually walk on with his support worker at the end to bow, it was lovely. Didn't cry at DD though, although I must say her homemade snowman costume was a treat

Ours was great last year for Nursery, expecting the same this year for Reception. More of a recital than a Nativity - each class had their moment in the sun singing songs and dancing, a few group numbers [about 60 kids] and the only scripted thing was read by a member of staff wth the kids joining in for the songs. They were all angels. Blissfully easy, they just needed some white clothing and a tinsel halo.
Maybe at KS1 the knives come out when someone has to be a sheep

My DD attend a very large primary school. They do a KS1 and KS2 production (there are around 170 in KS1 alone. It does mean most of DD2's class have the same role, and not all have a line) Everyone gets a stint on stage and all sing various songs off to the sides. They all feel part of it at least!
Perhaps mentioning that you were expecting something more like that and asking what the usual approach is at this school.

(Ahh. I missed reception off who join in with ks1, so around 220 in dd2's cast)