A school at the centre of a “crazy” pantomime row has defended its decision to remove Christmas references by claiming it promotes “inclusivity”.
Wherwell Primary School in Andover in Hampshire, caused anger earlier this month when they announced they had requested the travelling Jack and The Beanstalk show to accommodate all religions of those attending.
In a letter dated November 6, headteacher Mandy Ovendon said she was “very excited” to invite parents to the production of Jack and the Beanstalk, performed by Essex-based Chaplins Pantos.
However, parents at the school, which was rated as Outstanding by Ofsted, the highest possible rating, branded the decision “crazy.”
Wherwell Primary School in Andover came under fire
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A spokesman from Wherwell Primary School said: “When we chose to invite the travelling pantomime to Wherwell, our request was a practical step to ensure all children at the school would be able to attend and enjoy the show.
“Our aim, as always, is to foster inclusivity in our school community, and be a place where children and their families feel safe, welcomed and valued.”
In a letter to parents on November 6, Ovenden claimed: “The performance will take place in the school hall and children should wear school uniform, as usual please…We have requested that the show contain no reference to Christmas.”
She added that as the pantomime was not a Christmas event, all 126 children at the school should be able to attend, including those whose parents usually prevent them from attending festive events on religious grounds.
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The head teacher then defended her decision in an additional letter to parents, saying: “Discussion with the panto company revealed that Christmas songs were included in the performance.
“We have a number of families who either do not celebrate Christmas or do so in a different way. The children of these families are removed from events such as this, at the request of their parents.
“As this is not a Christmas event, but a pantomime, it can be enjoyed by everyone with the changes we have requested. We are keen that all of our children should enjoy the pantomime and for it to be a fully inclusive event, have removed Christmas songs from the production.”
The school added that it takes pride in its “commitment to celebrating Christmas with traditional festivities.”
A spokesman for Chaplins Panto confirmed they typically include festive elements in their shows, but were requested by the school to remove them.
They said: “We don’t always mention Santa Claus, but there would usually include a Christmas song and there would be reference to Christmas. On this occasion, the school asked us not to include any reference.”
A Wherwell Primary School spokesman added: “We are very excited to be able to treat our pupils to a fully inclusive pantomime this year.
“As we do every year, we are also running a range of Christmas celebrations across the remainder of the term, ensuring that overall our planned schedule of events is well-balanced and reflects our whole school community.”
