To be annoyed they've cancelled my son's nativity

[JudesBiggestFan]

I'm just so tired of the arbitrary and pointless decisions that rob children and parents of yet more joy.
Last year my son had his nativity play cancelled at preschool. This year, the school (after designating him a shepherd and giving him a line...the excitement!) have cancelled again. Because Covid. Never mind all the pubs, restaurants, Christmas shopping, family parties that all the kids, teachers and parents will be going to.
The nativity is some kind of super spreader event that must be forfeited!
It's not going to make the news, but I'm just so bloody tired of it all. He'll never be this little and innocent again...I tolerated it last year but my patience is gone.
Anyone who wants to be is jabbed, we have lateral flows, it's as safe as it ever will be.
Yet the commercial stuff can go on, but the pure joyful ness of a kids Christmas nativity can't. Just wanted to vent really. No point complaining in real life anymore!

Boris just said in the briefing that schools shouldn’t cancel nativities

@LucyLastik

Currently teaching year 2 and preparing for a nativity.

I fully understand that this particular year group have missed the most in education terms. Why then, am I wasting my time hammering a nativity into them when some of them can barely read and write? If my class don't meet the expected standard as a minimum, that comes down on me. I can teach the basic skills when I'm trying to get them to perform when they clearly don't want to. They're all up for the idea of performing to their parents but they are too young to understand that it's 90 sets of parents, not just their own.

Totally sick of hearing how far behind these children are but yet a nativity is a must have.

The 6/7 hours a week we are spending on this could be better spent, I don't know, teaching them stuff they actually need.

My yr6 DD missed out on her school journey last year and whilst that was disappointing, it really wasn't the end of the world.

As a teacher with my own children, I do not want to sit in a hall of 90 parents with little ventilation. If I catch Covid from being in my classroom, I'll suck it up because my job is to teach. If I catch Covid as a result of being crammed into a hall with 90+ people for a non essential nativity, then I'm going to be pissed off because yet again, school life dictates my family life.

I'm over it.

Agree, and thank you.

@Tictocrobot

Boris just said in the briefing that schools shouldn’t cancel nativities

Oh did he? He is a stupid twat who won't even wear a mask in settings where they are required, so what does he know?

I would certainly make a concerted effort to stop trivialising the impact that these measures are having on our kids and throw a shedload of public resources at mitigating the fallout from them.

Agree with this. I also think it needs to be remembered more than 70 children have died, and more than 11,000 hospitalised, with 69,000 reporting long COVID (ONS). 10,000 of children with LongCovid have been suffering 12+ months. Currently there are no longitudinal studies of Long Covid, so we don’t know how many of these children's futures may be long term or even permanent disability.

Govt should be doing more to purify indoor air in schools and improve ventilation. A recent article in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine has called for higher standards of ventilation in classrooms and cites portable HEPA filtration units as a practical option to complement fresh air.

To be annoyed they've cancelled my son's nativity

They can’t, he’s already been born.

Totally agree, can go to a concert but can’t sit on a bench in a school gym and watch a nativity…sick of it

I’m sick of it too, none of it makes any sense anymore, none of the parents are wearing masks when they’re all queuing outside the school gates. We had an email today from the school, stating, if the kids want to send their friends Christmas cards, the cards have to QUARANTINED before they give them out…yet when…it’s a kids birthday for example, they quite freely give out sweets and little party toys?!!
I said it before and I’ll say it again, I think there’s an ulterior motive other than just COVID, the teachers are not available to talk to, when you need a word if your child’s got a problem, teachers are having less and less contact with parents.

I’m definitely in the minority here but I was so pleased that my son’s school have cancelled their Nativity plays again this year.

I really hate having to sit through them all pretending to enjoy them. There’s usually at least 4 different ‘shows’ covering junior infants to 6th class in Primary years.

DS doesn’t enjoy taking party in them either so it’s definitely a Win for both of us. DH (weirdly) appears to enjoy them.

I can’t stand musical theatre or films with singing in them either.

@Tictocrobot

Boris just said in the briefing that schools shouldn’t cancel nativities

Is Boris going to step in and teach a Year 3 class for the rest of the term? Schools have no staff and cant get any supply cover

Schools here are now closing year groups and passes due to no staff. Many classes are being taught on the goodwill of TAs.

Catch CV19 on the 15th December at a nativity and you loose your own family Christmas.

Schools have been the scapegoat of the pandemic. They cant take any more.

I spoke to a Head today who has not had a single day off since the 1st September. Every single weekend day has involved some aspect of Cv19 and catching up with stuff not done midweek as they are being CV19 operational all day.

She wakes at 5.30 when the 1st overnight test results come it. Rejigs staff and by 8 is ready to open, only to find that by 8 more staff have tested positive or are still waiting for test results. Her last job at 12.30 pm as she goes to bed is to check for those whose test results have come in later at night.

14 hours a day Monday- Friday and 7 hours a day at the weekend. No paid overtime or time off. No half term holidays.

Schools are on their knees. But Ofsted still inspect and Boris says we should be doing nativities (which often involve a lot of staff work out of contracted hours)

@Zyana, "In which case perhaps they don’t understand that the rehearsals can be just as much fun and memorable."

I'm sure your child's school would be thrilled to be told by a parent that they "don't understand" something that they've been dealing with for decades.

This is a crappy, crappy, crappy, crappy, crappy situation. I'm so sorry for all the children whose Nativity plays have been cancelled. But don't be angry with the school. Headteachers and teachers are in a cleft stick. If they cancel, they upset children and many parents. If they don't cancel and one case is diagnosed after the performance, even if the person may have caught the virus somewhere else, they'll be blamed. They can't win. And if it's the new strain and people have to isolate just before Christmas....

@Pliudev

Who is the school nativity for? It's for parents. From what I can remember, my 3 DSs couldn't have cared less. So, as grown ups, maybe it's up to parents to realise that since transmission is so high among school age children it would be pretty stupid to cram into a school hall, especially if we are hoping Christmas can go ahead without the restrictions we had last year.

Not everyone is like your sons.

My DD is really looking forward to her lantern walk, she can't wait to sing the songs. Same goes for many of her friends.

Just because some kids are introverted, doesn't mean they're all the same.

@changingstages

It's sad for you. But it's also sad for everyone else. It's not pointless. I know it's shit but I tell you what's been really heartbreaking this year - watching my good friend grieve the loss of her 42-year-old, previously perfectly healthy sister. It shocked me so much and it makes these cancellations... not easier, exactly, but the reasons a little more tangible.

This ^. My partner and brother are still suffering, since having covid last year. One barely made it but is back at work, the other is on b12 injections and has copd now. Yes it is sad but children bounce back. I wish people understood the seriousness of this pandemic.

Not much mention on this thread about what may well be driving some schools to cancel. It's not so much the threat of Covid (although as a pp just said, it would be a pain to contract it and ruin Christmas), but the fact that many schools are suffering real problems with staff and pupil absence. The staff who are still standing have their normal workload doubled as it is, not counting covering for absent colleagues. Never underestimate the MASSIVE amount of work, effort and stress that putting on a Nativity is. Any Head Teacher who cares for the welfare of their staff will be factoring that into any decision about whether to go ahead.

There is no pleasing anyone. If schools shut because of the spread or teachers/teaching staff fall ill with covid there would be uproar by parents. It’s to protect a lot of people and keep the economy running especially for parents.

Think about teaching parents that can’t attend their own childrens performances. It happens, it’s reality..

@Zyana

That’s so true Pupil absence would also cause chaos on the big night and rehearsals! I guess no ones winning at the moment- thanks covid!

You're absolutely right, Zyana. This whole nightmare is not schools' fault. Covid is the hell that keeps on giving.

Our school is still doing their Nativity..on the playground!
Bring your own chair, buy a cup of tea or coffee and watch the magic happen....I can not wait to see the shepherds with their coats on under their outfits and a tea towel on their bonce

There are so many more factors to consider here. I work for a school. The local outbreak response team (LORT) have been dictating to us what can and can't go ahead, it's not always up to the school to cancel these things; we have had to cancel things under instruction from them even though we don't want to. Please don't assume it's always the Head making arbitrary decisions.

We are also losing staff left, right and centre and are struggling to make even standard lessons happen let alone practise and deliver a nativity.

Schools are really really struggling, they need patience and understanding from parents and not an ear-bashing from people who haven't considered the bigger picture.

@Truffs2000, EXACTLY!!!

@HolidayTime2021

I spoke to a Head today who has not had a single day off since the 1st September. Every single weekend day has involved some aspect of Cv19 and catching up with stuff not done midweek as they are being CV19 operational all day.

She wakes at 5.30 when the 1st overnight test results come it. Rejigs staff and by 8 is ready to open, only to find that by 8 more staff have tested positive or are still waiting for test results. Her last job at 12.30 pm as she goes to bed is to check for those whose test results have come in later at night.

14 hours a day Monday- Friday and 7 hours a day at the weekend. No paid overtime or time off. No half term holidays.

Schools are on their knees. But Ofsted still inspect and Boris says we should be doing nativities (which often involve a lot of staff work out of contracted hours)

This school must be huge! How many teachers work there if theres been 8 off each day since September. And you can't get another PCR test until 90 days have passed so can't be the same teachers isolating repeatedly.

"And you can't get another PCR test until 90 days have passed"

Eh? You can if the first was negative. And this could be a Secondary school.

Did you see the GP on newsnight last night?

Described children as ‘low hanging fruit’ that are constantly easily targeted for covid restrictions. Makes me furious. Teaching Union bloke was disagreeing with her but had absolutely no argument to back his opinion up.

It’s disgraceful.