Malcolm Arnold Preparatory School Reimagines the School Nativity

Schools have had to give up a lot this year – in-person teaching has not been a given, class bubbles mean minimal interaction across year groups, and assemblies and celebrations of all kinds have been moved to a virtual format. Up next of course, are Christmas celebrations, and one school has come up with an extremely imaginative alternative to the live-Nativity play.

Malcolm Arnold Preparatory School, part of the David Ross Education Trust, is already preparing for a live streamed nativity for parents of the school, split into “scenes” according to class bubbles. The Head Boy will offer an introduction, and as the camera walks through the corridors from classroom to classroom, Year 6 narrators will be positioned throughout the school to guide parents through the nativity story. Inside each classroom, the separate bubbles will perform their own piece – Reception and Year 1 will sing a carol and have a ‘post card’ image to display the part of the Nativity story their song tells. Year 2 will recreate the 12 days of Christmas, and each KS2 class will recite a verse of ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas. Of course, all students will also be in costume! 

This unique format not only keeps everyone safe, but it ensures that every student is involved in the celebration of the Christmas story, and that all parents have the best seats in the house! 

J.D. Hives, Principal of MAPS, said:

“As a Christian Primary School and part of the Peterborough Diocese, marking Christmas with a Nativity play is extremely important to us, and something we did not want to give up. We are so excited to have found a way to make it possible while respecting Covid-19 safety protocol, and our students are equally thrilled by this new format and challenge. We can’t wait for our parents to see the final product and to mark Christmas in a meaningful and fun way for everyone.” 

Stuart Burns, CEO of the David Ross Education Trust, said:

“Across the David Ross Education Trust, all of our schools have gone above and beyond to ensure that our students have a fun and exciting school year that is as close to normal as possible. While of course we have faced challenges to achieving this, MAPS’ nativity plan is just another example of the adaptability and resilience of MAPS and all of the staff and students who will make this possible. We cannot wait to see this unique and wonderful production of this year’s Nativity at Malcolm Arnold Preparatory School.”