Dear Parents, Carers and Friends

With over 500 e-mails and letters making a strong case for its retention, Lady Lumley’s has decided to keep Christmas in 2018. Students have been made aware of this in tutor time today (Tuesday) through a common presentation explaining where we have been, why, and where we are going. The Christmas Challenge was designed on many levels: social, moral, cultural and spiritual.  Students had to work together, to discuss and to explore their own ideas and those of others.  They had to consider the way in which society celebrates Christmas and think about the social problems that arise around this time.  Culturally, students were asked to challenge the status quo; to ask “why should we do things just because we have always done them?” and spiritually, how do we deal with the emotions of disappointment, anger, the feeling that a decision is unfair and to question whether non-religious people should celebrate a religious festival?

In addition, the exercise allowed us to consider the use and misuse of social media, how to present our challenge to the local and national media, and how not expressing views in an appropriate way meant you were not listened to.  We were able to link this to political and social change in society and how apathy allows people to do things you may not want.  It was a great opportunity to exemplify the adage: ‘the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing’.

Those students who really thought about the situation and challenged the decision appropriately created the change and brought back Christmas. Well done to them and I hope they (and in the true spirit of the season, everyone else) has a good Christmas.

Richard Bramley