Whether you tell young children if Santa Claus is real or not is something many parents prefer to do so in their own way, breaking the news gently to their children. But pupils at a primary school in Hampshire were left in tears after a vicar told pupils that Father Christmas was not real.
The tearful children and their angry parents complained of a “ruined Christmas” after Rev Dr Paul Chamberlain’s visit to Lee-on-the-Solent junior school.
According to The Times, he had been there to speak to a religious education class about the birth of Jesus, before broadening the scope of his speech. He told the year 6 students, aged between 10 and 11, that Santa Claus was not real, leaving many of them in tears as a result. He added that it was their parents who brought the presents and ate the biscuits left out for Santa Claus.
“We understand that the vicar of St Faith’s, Lee-on-the-Solent, the Rev Paul Chamberlain, was leading an RE lesson for 10- and 11-year-olds at Lee-on-Solent junior school,” A spokesperson for the Diocese of Portsmouth said. “After talking about the nativity story from the Bible, he made some comments about the existence of Father Christmas.
“Paul has accepted that this was an error of judgment, and he should not have done so. He apologised unreservedly to the school, to the parents and to the children, and the headteacher immediately wrote to all parents to explain this.
“The school and diocese have worked together to address this issue, and the headteacher has now written to parents a second time, sending them Paul’s apology.”
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