The Reverend Dr Paul Chamberlain was giving a talk to year 6 pupils at Lee-on-the-Solent Junior School in Hampshire when he told them ‘let’s be real, Santa isn’t real’
Youngsters at a primary school were left sobbing after a straight-talking vicar told them Father Christmas didn’t exist – and now furious parents have demanded the clergyman apologise.
Rev Dr Paul Chamberlain is in hot water with vexed parents for allegedly “ruining” Christmas when he informed year 6 students that “Santa isn’t real”. Following the reportedly tear-inducing sermon, he has offered an apology.
The vicar was addressing year six pupils at Lee-on-the-Solent Junior School in Hampshire as a guest from the local St Faith’s Church. He reportedly broke it to them with the words: “You’re all year six, now let’s be real, Santa isn’t real”, reports the Express.
It’s also claimed Rev Dr Chamberlain spilled the beans that it was actually parents who nibbled on the cookies often left out for Santa on Christmas Eve.
His appearance at the school was originally to talk about the Nativity story. Now, MailOnline states that teachers are working overtime to restore the festive spirit following claims the children were distraught – prompting a parent to file a complaint about the vicar.
In an effort led by the staff, pupils are apparently crafting badges declaring “Lee-on-the-Solent believe”, aimed at reigniting the sparkle of the holiday season. Furthermore, parents have been sent a message from the school assuring them that the teachers are making efforts to reinforce the significance of all “all stories and legends around Christmas’ were legitimate”.
A parent vented to MailOnline: “I don’t know how it can be undone, but I think it’s absolutely disgusting.” Another parent reported that “lots of children started crying in class”, leaving many parents scrambling to console their upset children.
They’ve been left trying to inject as much “magic” into this Christmas as possible to counteract the vicar’s remarks. This has led to the Reverend being compelled to pen an apology to the pupils, admitting his comment was “an error of judgment”.
A spokesperson for the Diocese of Portsmouth told the paper: “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-the-Solent Junior School.
“After discussing 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 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.”
