SHOULD babies and toddlers be banned from attending their older siblings' school play?
That's the question we are asking today after a row broke out between parents and the head of a Grimsby school who said under threes were not welcome at the Christmas concert this year.
Parents say they had already been left upset when they discovered only children in years 1 and 2 and not the older children would be involved in a Christmas play at Strand Primary Academy this year.
They were also sent a letter asking to make "alternative arrangements" for any younger children if parents were planning to attend.
Laura Barnsley, who has four children at the school, said parents wanted to meet with the principal Jenny Morrell to discuss the issues.
The 32-year-old said: "I was not able to find anyone to look after my baby, so I went to see the head and asked if I could stand near the door and leave if he made a noise – but she said no.
"She made the decision not to allow any under threes, and she would not go back on that. I spoke to my son who was in the play and he was quite upset by this. He had been rehearsing his lines and was looking forward to me coming to see him perform.
"But he wasn't interested in doing it if I couldn't come to see him, so I decided to keep him at home until the play was over. When I informed the principal of this, her response was just that it would be recorded as an unauthorised absence."
She also claimed that several parents who arrived at the school to watch the play with their under threes had been turned away.
She added: "As a past pupil of Strand, I have been left very disappointed.
"I have lots of fond memories of my time and hoped that my children would be able to enjoy attending too.
"We have always been able to bring children before and it has never been a problem."
Parents received a letter from the school on December 1, inviting them to the nativity performances.
The letter advised the parents that due to limited space, only two tickets would be available per family at a cost of £1 each.
The mum also claimed that she and others parents have been blocked from posting on the school's official Facebook page, having bombarded the site with questions about the issue. It is understood the settings have been changed so that the page is no longer accessible to the general public.
Ms Morrell said: "Our young children have very quiet softly spoken voices and it is difficult to hear them in the hall.
"We provided a calm atmosphere for them to focus on performing their part with clarity and developing fluency.
"The play was a success and the children performed well."
She did not address the issue of older children not being involved or the Facebook page.
ON THE WEB: Are the parents right? Or should young children be banned from school plays? Have your say online at www.grimsby telegraph.co.uk
