Celebrating Christmas at the Prep
As this term concludes, as promised, here we weave through the Christmas season at Brentwood Prep. The many ways the children told the story of the birth of Jesus.
Whoopsie-Daisy Angel
Each Foundation class is paired with a Reception class for their nativity performance. This allows for a mixture of singing, dancing and spoken lines without overwhelming our youngest children. Whoopsie-Daisy Angel is the retelling of the traditional birth of Jesus story through the experiences of an angel who keeps getting things wrong and so never gets the big jobs. Until she is chosen to tell Mary the good news. The story moves with gentle humour, and all the typical characters make an appearance. The Foundation children performed as snowflakes, who Whoopsie-Daisy tries to count, who perform a delicate and sweet dance. Once the baby Jesus has arrived and been visited by shepherds and kings, you think the performance is complete. Except, when Mrs Townsend, our Director of Early Years, stands to do the thank yous, and Whoospie-Daisy tugs on her trousers with a last-minute message – “Let’s Rock!” Then out come the shades and inflatable mics and electric guitars for a toe thumping Christmas rock song. The children are delighted with this little bit of coordinated mischief.
A Miracle In Town
By Year 1, the children are ready for more lines, but not all are ready for character portrayal (although trust me, some most definitely are and do). So the role of the narrator becomes the method for storytelling. This allows for angels, shepherds, kings and very cool camels to make their way to Mary and Joseph, who yet again are struggling with stubborn Inn Keepers. Lots of singing carries us along in between firmly memorised lines. There is a look of both relief and triumph as each child delivers their part. They are starting to feel the weight of expectation and responsibility.
The Night Before Christmas
The Year 2 nativity takes the form of a story within a story, with the well-known Night Before Christmas containing the nativity. This allows for some very funny mice to creep about the house, as well as Mary and Joseph struggling to find a room in the Inn. As the order of our nativities are performed as we move up the years chronologically, it makes plain how the children grow each year – in confidence, in character and in nuanced communication. It is a privilege to be witness to the incredible development of little human beings. 
A Child is Born
The Year 3 performance is where we enter another level of eclecticism as the performances combine the skills they have been learning in their weekly enrichment programme, a carousel of activities which they move through each half-term. Which means not only did their performance include a great deal of sign language (as being taught British Sign Language, BSL, by our fabulous School Secretary, Ms Treadway, gets really embedded), but also singing in French, performing a modern dance routine and a rhythmic Stomp-esque number. Each of the four classes takes to the stage, each group telling part of the nativity story. Beautiful solos are sung, in between the dance routines, and of course, it culminates with the birth of Jesus.
Prep Carol Service at Brentwood Cathedral
I could not let you go without attempting to convey how magical the Prep Carol Service was. Led by Reverend Dr McConnaughie and our Director of Music, Mrs Romhany, the service was exactly right for children and adults. Our Years 4, 5 and 6 lead us in song and Bible lessons, allowing for the poignancy of the written word alongside the delights of children singing complicated carols and hymns. And of course, Mrs Romhany always injects good fun. When the children begin singing “Sheep, Sheep, Sheep”, we knew we were in for a treat, and then the cardboard sheep start popping up all across the singers, and you can see the thrill of excitement, which is infectious.
What can we take from all these different ways the children convey the story of Christmas? The messages of hope ring out in all of these performances, told by children who are full of joy. It stands as a clear directive that, as grown-ups, we have a responsibility to keep that hope from fading, even when the cynicism of knowing more about the world starts to creep in. The antidote to cynicism? Knowing you can make a difference. Just as the Carols and prayers speak of light entering the world, so too must our young people know they can bring light into the darkness.
And also that a little mischief is absolutely essential.
Wishing you all a very merry festive season,
Alice Goodfellow
