Death of the Nativity play

Traditional Christmas Nativity plays are being staged by only a third of London schools, new research reveals today.

An Evening Standard snapshot survey of London primary schools has found that two thirds did not put on the plays - many for fear of offending non-Christian pupils.

The survey showed only seven out of 19 put on traditional nativity plays this Christmas. The rest held either concerts, including carols, or assemblies.

Schools that did not stage nativity plays said they did not want children who were not Christian to feel left out.

Many are substitute assemblies and concerts with a "multi-cultural" theme instead.

Nightingale Primary School in Wood Green put on a "broadly Christian" concert instead of a nativity, with children singing a mixture of traditional and "modern" songs.

Acting headteacher Loy Delapenha said: "We are a multi-cultural school and we have to think in terms of the other children and other faiths."

The children and their parents had a "splendid" time, Ms Delapenha added.

Anna Susianta, head of Cayley Primary School in Limehouse, where most of the pupils are Muslims, said she held two assemblies celebrating all the world's major religions.

Sue Nopley, head of Chingford Hall Community Primary School in Waltham Forest, said that even though her pupils did not put on a nativity, they still told the Christian story at a special concert.

"Every child is included in the performance," she said."We feel that is very important."

Her "multi-cultural" school celebratesthe major festivals of other religions such as Eid and Diwali.

But Mrs Nopley insisted that at this time of year, the festivities were traditionally Christian.

"We are in a Christian country and I think that is important at this time of year," she said.

A separate poll for the Times Educational Supplement found that many schools failed to hold even a carol concert this year.

Half of the 800 teachers in England and Wales surveyed by Mori said their schools had taken the Christian content out of the end-of-term festivities.

A quarter said carols were cancelled, while one in seven primary teachers said nativity plays had been discontinued.

Chris Alloway, a London representative of the Association of Christian Teachers, said: "Increasingly we are celebrating all other world religions, making sure we are not offending anyone, but then not acknowledgingour own - even at Christmas. "Christmas in our schools is just being eroded."

Meanwhile, a secondary school near Bristol has banned pupils from bringing in tinsel to celebrate Christmas.

Chipping Sodbury School slapped a ban on wearing tinsel to its uniformfree day next week for fear that teenagers may try strangle each other with it.

Deputy head Mel Jeffries said: "We want all of our children to enjoy Christmas and have a good time but make sure there are no accidents."