Packed hall for Xmas Factor at Newington Primary School

The Xmas Factor

Newington Community Primary has the X factor when it comes to Christmas entertainment.

A whole range of nativity stories and festive performances have been produced in the main hall by children from all years groups, from traditional to a rock’n’roll Christmas.

The final production saw Year 6 once again stage the popular X Factor style talent show.

Pupils took on the roles of a panel of judges, including a Simon Cowell type character, and after airing their (sometimes controversial) views on each act they voted with their thumbs up or thumbs down paddle boards.

The contestants were introduced by two comperes and included contributions from a group of Marys, Josephs, Kings, Innkeepers and Sheep, as well as a festive choir.

The busy show played to a packed hall of pupils and parents and it featured lively performances of singing and dancing to evergreen festive hits.

These included I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day, Last Christmas, All I Want for Christmas Is You, and a rousing finale of Slade’s perennial Merry Christmas Everybody.

As well as the performances, the school has held festive parties, special storytelling sessions, Christmas dinners, a festive fair, carols by candlelight, Christmas jumper day, donating gifts to the area’s homeless and needy, a school-wide secret Santa gift-giving initiative, and a seasonal production by the AAA Radio crew.

There was also a competition to design the school’s official Christmas card which gave judges a tough decision but which was eventually jointly won by Aanchal and Amber.

Head Teacher Cliff Stokes praised the “tremendous Christmas spirit” in the school and thanked pupils, families and staff for “making it one our best Christmases ever.”

He said: “We really embrace the festive fun and our children also learn about the religious significance for the season and how it is celebrated in many different ways around the world.

“Our school shows take the spotlight and really demonstrate that learning to work together is rewarding and fun – they also give pupils the opportunity to meet the challenges of putting on a production and this embraces our ethos of achievement, ambition and aspiration.

“Christmas is the celebration of love, hope, peace and joy – and I think this is perfectly illustrated by the wonderful messages that children write on the tags they design and that adorn our Christmas tree in the main hall.”