The first of the school’s two Christmas shows was presented by Year 3 & 4 pupils. The age-old story of Jesus’ birth was the same but with a respectful injection of amusing lines spoken by some of the main characters which kept the audience entertained throughout.
The concert opened with Year 3 pupils singing The First Noel with both years joining to sing the chorus. The Narrator then took the audience back to the time of Augustus Caesar and explained that he had decreed that all citizens had to be registered which was followed by everyone singing Silent Night. The Angel of the Lord visited Joseph who asked, Have you come to fix my fence? When it was established that was not the case the angel informed Joseph that Mary is going to have a baby. Joseph’s response was, We are not married yet! to which the angel replied,No worries, the baby is The Son of God. The pupils then sang The Prince of Glory.
As the three kings had begun their journey to Bethlehem it was appropriate that the next carol was We Three Kings. Mary and Joseph reached their destination after a long and tiring journey and tried to find somewhere to rest. However, The Innkeeper told them he was full, to which Joseph replied, My wife is full as well! Of course, the Innkeeper offered his stable, adding, ‘Cos I’m such a nice guy, I will only charge you half price. The Holy Child is born and the cast sing Away In A Manger.
Next the story turned to the shepherds in the field arguing over who should check on the sheep and who was responsible for keeping the fire burning. Then the Angel appeared and announced the birth of Jesus. The next carol had to be While Shepherds Watched and they made their way to the stable to join the innkeeper and his family. Finally the Kings arrived bearing gifts and one turned to the audience to admit, We may have embellished some of the facts! They certainly had, but still were true to the story of the Nativity as well as singing enthusiastically, much to the delight of everyone present. Once again, as always, the success of the concert was due to the ingenuity and hard work of all the staff concerned, to which Mrs Kate Needs, Headteacher, alluded in her final comments; she did also, quite rightly, congratulate the children for their fantastic performance.
Years 5 & 6 Christmas Show began by sharing with the audience the many ways that Christmas is celebrated around the world. It also celebrated the diversity of the intake of Lady Bankes Junior School with a pupil representative with the flag of his/her country and explaining their specific Christmas traditions. The countries represented were: Egypt, Romania, France, Poland, Vietnam, China, Russia, Jamaica and South Africa.
This was followed by the pupils singing Silent Night accompanied by other pupils playing ukuleles and a guitar. The audience was made very much aware of the Innkeeper who snored loudly at various stages of the Christmas story, much to the amusement of the audience. The pupils acted out the story of the birth of Jesus in the stable and all sang Away In A Manger. The sleeping Innkeeper was finally awakened by the brightly shining star which guided the shepherds and the kings to the stable. There was more singing of Walk Down The Lonesome Road and While Shepherds Watched. The audience was once again entertained by the ukuleles, guitar and singers who performed Joy of the Birth of Jesus. The Innkeeper, who appeared in the stable with all the other visitors, is delighted to see the Holy Baby.
The whole cast then sang We Wish You A Merry Christmas and finally a joyful performance of Rocking Around The Christmas Tree with actions. Once again, Mrs Kate Needs, Headteacher, congratulated everyone concerned in the preparation of another fantastic show, commenting that she was very proud of all the pupils. The audience was rewarded with an encore of the final song – many of them joining in with words and actions. Everyone left the hall full of Christmas spirit.
The Junior School held their Christmas Carol Service at Ruislip Baptist Church in the final week of the term and the service was led by Mrs Lucy Newton. The school choir performed and there were readings from Mrs Needs and groups of children from each Year Group. The readings were interspersed with traditional carols. Mrs Newton gave a Presentation and the House Captains led the prayers. The service ended with the carol Joy to the World.
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