Name and address supplied but withheld:

I WOULD like to respond to the story (CP, 14-12-18) about the boy who was denied his part in the Nativity play at St Francis’s Primary School.

Although it was sad that the boy was ill and missed taking a lead due to not attending the rehearsals, I think it is important to tell all those parents it is not an easy decision who to cast nor to chop and change characters.

Teachers work above and beyond to make sure the Christmas show is a wonderful experience not only for the children but also for the adults.

Weeks of work go into planning and getting the show to the rehearsal stage; costume and set making; writing lines for extra characters; adapting songs.

That is without the problems of casting 90-plus children in a play written for 30 characters, as is generally the case in school Nativity plays.

Last year, the teachers taught the children to sign all the songs in British Sign Language as they felt it was really important all children can take part as fully as they are able to.

I think the teachers need a pat on the back for giving the boy a role when they didn’t even know if he would be there.

Parents need to remember Christmas is about giving, not just taking, and that means considering other people’s feelings, especially teachers, who work, on average 60 hours a week and will spend most of the Christmas break planning and preparing lessons to teach their children next half term.

Has the true story of the Nativity gone amiss?

Shame on the County Press for making such a story of wrongful indignation of a parent, just because her child missed out on a ‘key role’ in the Nativity, headline news.

Is there not more important things to report on like how many homeless people will be spending their Christmas cold and hungry?

Please get your priorities right. No wonder society is more concerned with what they can have rather than what they can do for others when messages like this are publicised.

Editor’s footnote: In the past fortnight we have written three stories at least about the plight of the Island’s homeless.