Easter celebrations cancelled at Primary school

Wyllow3 Tue 25-Mar-25 10:04:49
There is a real paucity of information.
We don't have the information to know why she made this specific move after discussing it.
We dont know for example what and how other religious festivals or teaching in religion will be carried out or not as the letter said.

Well said.
People are getting on their high horses about this without anywhere enough information.

A wiser Headteacher would not have banned Easter celebrations. She is extremely inexperience, not one term into the job and is doing the wrong thing for what she firmly believes are the right reasons.
She is thinking she is showing respect to people of other faiths who do not wish to celebrate other faiths, but she is simply reinforcing the prejudices of certain other faiths who are not prepared to tolerate any display of a faith other than their own, in case it influences their children.
It did not used to be like this; ethnic minorities participated happily in religious plays, their parents saying, we deal with their religious teaching at home, they are happy to understand other religions.

Yoginimeisje

Outrages; what about the children celebrating Easter as we have always done in this Christian country! Will read the posts tomorrow, but something should be done. The Easter bonnet parade is part of our English tradition, a very pleasant happy thing to do. Is the head teacher English/British/Christian, I wonder?

Easter bonnet parades were never part of my culture growing up as a Christian in England. We would be encouraged to give up some thing for Lent and the money we didn't spend was for charity. We would take it to the Cathedral and the Bishop would bless us as we lined up to put our offering in the collection. We would do our Easter duties, Confession and Holy Communion and we'd stay up till way after midnight at the Easter Vigil. Not a bonnet in sight.

We always had morning assemble with Christian believes, bible stories and Hymes and taught to be good human beings and to think of others. If that is all gone, no wonder we have these terrible things happening in and out of schools now! The children need guidance, to be led down the good & kind path, as we had when we were children.

Allira

There may be some 10 and 11 year olds in the school who are considered old enough to observe Ramadan.
Is Miss Mander banning that too?

A TV report featured a gathering during Ramadan where the cooking and sharing of food was welcome to anyone, of all or no faiths. This showed us that we understand more by learning than by banning.

We don't know - assumptions are being made on the basis of the Easter bonnet decision

Outrages; what about the children celebrating Easter as we have always done in this Christian country! Will read the posts tomorrow, but something should be done. The Easter bonnet parade is part of our English tradition, a very pleasant happy thing to do. Is the head teacher English/British/Christian, I wonder?

There may be some 10 and 11 year olds in the school who are considered old enough to observe Ramadan.
Is Miss Mander banning that too?

A TV report featured a gathering during Ramadan where the cooking and sharing of food was welcome to anyone, of all or no faiths. This showed us that we understand more by learning than by banning.

escaped

Cossy

ViceVersa

Personally, I think religion should be no part of a state education.

I think the learning about all religions is a good thing, but not the religious services we all endured during daily assemblies, unless, of course, it’s a faith school!

I agree.
How else do we gain an understanding of the importance religion holds in many people’s lives? Any religion.

Agreed.

It is all about learning respect for others, their customs and beliefs by gaining an understanding.

The primary school where I was once a governor got round the issue of Easter bonnets by having an Easter basket event. It looked as if there was around 100% participation as it took a very long time for each child to display their baskets!

Whether you believe in anything or not, learning about different faiths is IMO part of general knowledge - religion is so bound up with history in general, not to mention global current affairs.

The Gdcs’ primary is C of E and very multicultural, so the children are taught about different faiths. But they’ll be holding a fundraising Easter raffle, and an Easter Sale of seasonal things, which is why I’m making a lot of little knitted Creme Egg bunnies. 🐰🐰

I agree we don't know exactly why the Head decided this, but it is still interesting to "Chat" around the subject.
Either way, what I do know is that private schools can teach whatever form of religion they like, (or teach none at all). Much simpler, but that's another story!

There is a real paucity of information.
We don't have the information to know why she made this specific move after discussing it.
We dont know for example what and how other religious festivals or teaching in religion will be carried out or not as the letter said.

Where is the evidence that she has "alienated a large percentage of the parents?"

We are exploring alternative ways to celebrate the season in future years, that will be inclusive of all children and reflect the rich cultural diversity of our community which sounds like a "work in progress"

Until we know a lot more the reactions have been really OTT.

One Christian group (Christian group Disciples of Christ) saying they will hold a demonstration outside the school which is most inappropriate imo.

Richard Tice going on about cancel culture when we haven't been told what will happen to Christmas, Diwali, all other major celebrations.

People are assuming all kinds of things when you read around, like some that its christian events only cancelled, some that all religious events will be therefore cancelled.

I think a wiser head should have included information about how they will celebrate religious customs, and of course how they will teach about different religions.

Talking dramatically about "British culture being under attack" when a lot of schools have never had Easter Bonnet celebrations is ludicrous.

The Head of the Governors is a practising Baptist Minister, and it is even more surprising if he has condoned this

Perhaps he is a hard working and decent man of faith who does not enjoy calling the Head teacher a prat.

The majority of the posters vociferously supporting a Christian festival demonstrate a complete lack of Christian principles, values and behaviour

You see it here, those purporting to be Christians who do not have the time of day for those from another background.

The Ofsted report was not poor as suggested by one poster, there is no chance of canceling Christmas, and the children are happy at the school. What the hell is wrong with people really?

If children do not learn about all faiths along with their ceremonies, how they are celebrated and the many similarities between them all, how on earth can we expect to live harmoniously in our multicultural world?

The most original Easter bonnet I ever saw was worn by a boy, and consisted of a white swimming cap with eggshells threaded on cotton dangling over his ears. He won first prize,

Stephanie Mander is a good pro-active head that is what matters most not some silly fuss about nothing.

How do you know this?
As far as I can ascertain, she has only been Headteacher for less than a term; in October 2024 she was recorded as Deputy Head at another school. In her first term as Head she has managed to alienate a high percentage of the parents by an extremely foolish decision to remove fun Easter activities and the traditional end of term Easter service, in the name of Inclusion.
The Head of the Governors is a practising Baptist Minister, and it is even more surprising if he has condoned this.

On the subject of bonnet decorating/making. Fine, where a primary school child has a parent who has both time and money to sort this out for them. And, only one child at the school. I was a stay-at-home Mum, but I can still remember (even many decades later) how my stomach would turn over when a letter was brought home about something needing to be made out of school. Also, at one time I had six children at my local primary (infant through to Juniors) school (one in Reception, 2 (twins) Year 2, 1 each in Years 4, 5 & 6). Try making things like easter bonnets in a very limited finances for all of them!!!

Cossy

ViceVersa

Personally, I think religion should be no part of a state education.

I think the learning about all religions is a good thing, but not the religious services we all endured during daily assemblies, unless, of course, it’s a faith school!

I agree.
How else do we gain an understanding of the importance religion holds in many people’s lives? Any religion.

ViceVersa

Personally, I think religion should be no part of a state education.

I think the learning about all religions is a good thing, but not the religious services we all endured during daily assemblies, unless, of course, it’s a faith school!

“The analysts by Lathyrus, pure conjecture.” (sic)

Yes of course they were. It was a joke - with a grain of cynical truth…………..

My experience of working in areas with diverse populations was that parents of all faiths or none valued the way schools marked or celebrated religious festivals. Two of my grandchildren go to a village Catholic school where pupils of Catholic faith come from various countries like India, Africa as well as white British. My grandsons gave up chocolate for Lent, supported by mummy. They’ve talked at school and in our family about Ramadan and fasting, comparing the two. Our area has a high Muslim population and Hindu festivals are also discussed in schools
This Easter Bonnet issue seems another way of making much of not a lot

Oreo

I think sadly that schools have lost their way with inclusivity , maybe not surprising as Universities seem to have gone the same way.
They are confused in my view, they think it means getting rid of our own customs, traditions and religions instead of simply including some belonging to other countries and cultures and adding them to our own, in order to make people feel welcome.

I think you have hit the nail firmly on the head.

We are fortunate that the two primary schools in our road (we have GC at both) are inclusive of all faiths.

We have an Easter Egg hunt at one with an Easter Bonnet parade for those in Reception.

The other is having various Easter and Ramadan activities (Ramadan and `Lent have overlapped this year). Reception class has reared chicks from eggs in incubators in the classroom.

I think sadly that schools have lost their way with inclusivity , maybe not surprising as Universities seem to have gone the same way.
They are confused in my view, they think it means getting rid of our own customs, traditions and religions instead of simply including some belonging to other countries and cultures and adding them to our own, in order to make people feel welcome.

GrannyGravy13. Your point about learning through fun reminded me of a lovely story about my godson.

His primary school seemed to make something fun from every event.

He came home once with a card he'd made at Diwali, presented it to his parents with the phrase he'd obviously been taught -

"Happy Diwali Mummy and Daddy."
"Happy Diwali to you too William."
William to his parents, "What's Diwali?"

Perhaps you had to be there, but it still makes me laugh now even now and William is 25. We all benefited from the breadth of education he had.