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!

@Sirzy

So all those concerns and your worried about a nativity? Surely that would be an argument against using time that could be used to improve upon lost schools for doing a play for parents?

Yes it’s a shame but in the grand scheme of things it’s a play. Nobody is going to suffer long term because you can’t cram like sardines into a hall to watch a play!

Well they mightn't 'suffer' but neither are these things unimportant and people are allowed to get annoyed and upset. I'm tired of feeling obliged to preface everything with 'I shouldn't complain' or 'in the grand scheme of things it's not a big deal'....one or two things in the course of a year or so to be really disappointed about is one thing but it's the cumulative effect of ALL the little disappointments, the knowledge that next winter might be no different, that your child only gets to be this lovely innocent age once: when you add all that together it fucking sucks. And for what it's worth, I'm nearly 50 and I can clearly remember the excitement of our Christmas concert when I was around 6 or 7.

@Laiste

I honestly think that parents should set up their own nativities. Hire a village hall etc. There is absolutely nothing in the rules that says this wouldn't be ok.

That's a really nice idea actually.

DD4, is yr3 this year. Year 3 and up are not taking part :(

She did one, but that was in reception so they were just sitting either side of the stage shaking bells. No stage action.

At least i saw my older ones do theirs when they were little. DH (step dad to my big ones) will never see a nativity now. sigh.

Oh god. There are those parents on this thread.

When the Halloween Party got cancelled, that parent tried to organise one outside school. She and another couple of parents got really carried away talking about what they could do whilst everyone else stayed really quiet. What amazed me was this little group really didn't manage to read the room and the mood.

Eventually one parent broke ranks and said 'no sorry, not coming', and I think everyone else breathed a sigh of relief as there was a very rapid deluge of other parents saying no.

I kept my mouth shut, because if I had said anything it would have been 'are you on fucking crack?'.

Its a nice idea. Yes. Based in lala land.

@Rainbowsew I am CEV so I already masked and took precautions long before Covid. Obviously I wouldn't enter risky settings. I'm still largely shielding (personal advice from consultants).

But if - even unrelated to Covid - I need an ambulance or an ITU bed (both far more likely for a vulnerable CEV patient) and neither is available? Because they're all full of Covid cases? If the staff are off sick...?

It's not actually unreasonable to want a functioning NHS.

We haven’t be told yet if the infant nativity’s are going ahead.
But Dd14 has been been in floods of tears this afternoon as her school play which she has been rehearsing for for weeks and she is being assessed on for gcse has been cancelled. It’s so unfair when they have all worked so hard.

@Abraxan

We currently have a key stage 1 class nativity taking place later this week which is missing angel Gabriel (which has lots of lines) and a narrator. The stand in narrator can at least read the lines, but obviously then means the child is doubling up roles. We are still trying to work out what to do about the angel as that child is the one in the class who knows every line, acts and speaks it well, knows every song and knows pretty much everyone else's part too! Typical. Poor girl is also feeling pretty poorly with covid today too.

I know that we also have two other year 1 classes affected with missing cast, due to them testing positive, plus half a dozen across schools awaiting test results due to symptoms today.

All are aged 4-7y and almost everyone is symptomatic. Hence then being tested.

That's on top of the children off with chicken pox, d and v and viruses making them Poorly, but tested negative so far.

Honestly, we are going ahead with nativities this week at least, but don't expect anything spectacular- half the cast are either off school or feeling ill

That people get ill in December is not a new thing...

@DunderMifflinSalesRep

It's ridiculous that I can take DD to a West End show with hundreds of strangers, but I can't sit in a hall with other parents from her class (with whom I am already indirectly mixing with via the children) to watch a nativity.

Fed up of people saying it doesn't matter. It absolutely does matter. We are teaching kids that their needs are not as important as adults and that they are little more than germ spreaders.

I honestly think that parents should set up their own nativities. Hire a village hall etc. There is absolutely nothing in the rules that says this wouldn't be ok.

Nice idea but having worked on several nativities I think you might be slightly underestimating the insane amounts of cajoling, begging, pleading and borderline witchcraft that goes into organising that many overexcited small children at one time! Although they generally pull it together on the day the hours and hours of soul crushing rehearsals running up to this point are generally not a pretty sight!

The NHS has a ‘crisis’ every winter, it’s not a covid thing. Just google ‘NHS winter crisis’ and you will find news articles from years and years ago. The NHS being ‘on its knees’ is not a new thing.

@MurielSpriggs

My kids are older now but I feel so sad for all the milestones parents and their children are currently missing. Their wellbeing should be top priority but instead they're once again being put last. It's shameful.

You are so right. We are prioritising the wrong people (including me).

Do you think it's fine for CEV people to die? Has that always been your view of disabled people?

By creating backups? Why is cancelling everything "just in case" better?

Clearly there are people who have never organised nor seen a nativity with 4, 5 or 6 year olds in here...

@ComDummings

The NHS has a ‘crisis’ every winter, it’s not a covid thing. Just google ‘NHS winter crisis’ and you will find news articles from years and years ago. The NHS being ‘on its knees’ is not a new thing.

The Covid situation is different. You are posting misinformation.

You cobble something together and it's still magical and amazing for parents and kids.

I'm afraid for many children a school performance is something they just 'have to do' and for a number of parents it's something they go to watch out if obligation. There was a thread on here a week or two ago which touched on nativities and concerts and a surprising number of posters would happily see Christmas plays go.

For the children who love singing and acting it can be fabulous - Dd used to love it!

For some it can be the worst part of their half term.

[quote Innocenta]@Rainbowsew I am CEV so I already masked and took precautions long before Covid. Obviously I wouldn't enter risky settings. I'm still largely shielding (personal advice from consultants).

But if - even unrelated to Covid - I need an ambulance or an ITU bed (both far more likely for a vulnerable CEV patient) and neither is available? Because they're all full of Covid cases? If the staff are off sick...?

It's not actually unreasonable to want a functioning NHS. [/quote]
The majority of Covid cases currently in ICU are unvaccinated people. Why should our children bear the brunt of their stupidity and failure to protect themselves?

I think it’s possibly about logistics too, many schools are short staffed. Nativities take a lot of work to put on , don’t get me wrong it’s absolutely worth it but if schools are struggling for staff it may be really difficult, without adding in pupil absences etc
Some schools may manage fine, other may do a lower key performance etc
To be honest teachers are on their knees at the moment, covering absences, the new ofsted framework is causing nightmare workloads for small schools, all the extra precautions etc. I really don’t think anyone doesn’t want to do it, it’s just it may be impossible depending on the schools circumstances

[quote Innocenta]**@Rainbowsew* you absolutely do not understand how the pressure on the NHS works, to such an extent that you are actually spreading misinformation. Letting Covid spread freely will only lead to more* adverse impacts on those with other conditions - who are often CV or CEV too. It's all connected. Dispensing with Covid rules doesn't help in the way you seem to be imagining. [/quote]
I don't want it to spread more easily but how does one stop the spread?

Stopping nativity plays won't help when the government is permitting other events to carry on with no restrictions.

My complaint was with a lack of leadership from the government with a decisive plan of action. Stopping some areas of society from functioning normally will not help when others carry-on restriction free.

@RedToothBrush What on earth are you on about? What a load of over dramatic bollocks.

What is the difference between the kids being at a halloween party together and in a classroom together anyway?

Ichundich

I've taught for 25 years.
Strangely enough I have some knowledge of illnesses in schools at this time!

And this year is our worst affected so far. Worse than last year, worse than the previous years I've worked in these years groups especially.

We do keep records and are very able to track out absences over the years, even for specific weeks.

I think the schools are damned either way. The number of parents that have complained when the school have tried to offer things was ridiculous and at one point had to be cancelled. Then you have people whining their kids miss out and so do they. They can't win because they either don't care they're missing out or they don't care they might pass covid on. It's so hard to please.

@Underparmummy

Yes. So that they feel like they are dangerous.

Why? What on earth are you telling them?!

The kids in our school are, on the whole, fine. We're doing a "business as usual" no-nonsense approach, and when we've had to change plans, they've accepted it and been happy with the alternative thing we've organised.

@RedToothBrush

By creating backups? Why is cancelling everything "just in case" better?

Clearly there are people who have never organised nor seen a nativity with 4, 5 or 6 year olds in here...

In our school the 4, 5 and 6 year olds don't have lines for that reason. It's the Y6 children who actually do the acting, whilst the other year groups have supporting dances and songs. Maybe you're creating more work for yourself than is necessary.

At the moment my children's school plays are going ahead but I expect that will change. I totally get your frustration but I guess we have to think the safety of teachers and pupils by having so many people in one space! as much as I want to see my children's plays a load of parents in one room does make me anxious so I avoid crowds erc usually! The worst thing is some people aren't testing with symptoms or relying on lateral flows so a lot of people are spreading it unknowingly!

People are just being ridiculous at this point. "You want CEV to die you monster!!!" When will rational thinking and a sense of perspective return to the general public?
We cannot and should not continue to allow children to be collateral damage. People need to get vaccinated, wear a mask, socially distance if they want to and then fucking crack on.

''Italiandreams'' - ''I think it’s possibly about logistics too, many schools are short staffed. Nativities take a lot of work to put on , don’t get me wrong it’s absolutely worth it but if schools are struggling for staff it may be really difficult, without adding in pupil absences etc''

This would be perfectly understandable to the majority of people. In instances where this is indeed the case then i hope they say so.

@Laiste can you explain to me how you see the back up situation working?

Honestly, we are going ahead with nativities this week at least, but don't expect anything spectacular

Well done @Abraxan. It's a while since I've been to a nativity, but "spectacular" is never a word I would have used in the reviews

I think it’s possibly about logistics too, many schools are short staffed

Definitely.

Our normal venue for plays isn't allowing outside groups to use their rooms. So we made changes. One class at a time, one performance only. In the hall (which is small hence only one class and up to 2 seats per child) and spent money on buying stage blocks so the children can actually be seen by anyone other than the front row.

We have several staff off sick - covid plus some long term absences. Supply TAs here are pretty impossible to get. Supply teachers have become very expensive and far less availability.

We are really hoping to run ours in person. We have three this week, three next week and three the week after. We really are trying our vest. But if things become much worse, especially re cases on school and absences, then they may go sadly. We will still do them, but it will be a recording parents see rather than it live.