‘Inclusive’ name change to Morwell Park Primary Christmas concert sparks outrage

The regional school has caused a stir after it changed the name of its Christmas concert to be more inclusive, with one parent slamming the move as disrespectful to Australian traditions.

Morwell Park Primary School has come under fire for changing the name of its Christmas concert to be more "inclusive".

A primary school in southeastern Victoria has sparked outrage after it removed the word “Christmas” from the official title of its end-of-year concert in what’s been coined a “grinch move”.

Morwell Park Primary School has changed the name of its Christmas concert to “end-of-year concert”, with parents alerted to the change at a parent committee meeting on Thursday night.

A concerned parent alleged the reasoning behind the change was because a Christmas theme was “not inclusive”.

“We’ve been told that we can have an end-of-year concert, but it can’t be Christmas themed,” she said.

“The school said it’s not inclusive to have a Christmas concert because some people might feel like they can’t attend if they don’t celebrate Christmas.

“I disagreed with that, I know my community and they go to local Christmas events that are run here.”

The parent, who spoke to the Herald Sun, said she fully supported the importance of inclusion and respect for all cultures and beliefs, but felt “refusing to allow a Christmas celebration in the name of inclusion actually has the opposite effect”.

“Rather than making the school more welcoming, it sends a message that Australian traditions are no longer valued or respected,” she said.

The school had Christmas cooking where they made Santa fruit skewers in 2023. Picture: Facebook

“Inclusion shouldn’t mean removing or suppressing cultural celebrations, it should mean creating space for everyone’s traditions to be respected and shared.

“By not allowing a Christmas celebration at all, the school is excluding a large portion of the community in an attempt to include others. I don’t believe that’s a fair or balanced approach.”

The mum raised the issue on 3AW Mornings show with Tom Elliott on Friday, insisting the school had banned a Christmas-themed concert all together.

But a Department of Education spokeswoman has since confirmed the school will hold an end-of-year concert that will “include Christmas carols and a Christmas tree, while also being an inclusive event for all children of many different cultures who attend the school”.

There is no department policy banning school Christmas-themed concerts at public schools.

Christmas celebrations at the school don’t appear to have been an issue in the past, with social media posts showing Morwell Park Primary students engage in festive activities to celebrate the end of the year.

In December 2023, the parents association held a Christmas colouring competition, where students coloured pictures including a gingerbread man with a candy cane, Santa Claus, Christmas tree snow globes and the word “joy”.

That same year, the school had Christmas cooking where they made Santa fruit skewers.

Similar activities including Christmas tree gingerbread decorating and newspaper Christmas tree making, occurred in earlier years.

Originally published as ‘Inclusive’ name change to Morwell Park Primary Christmas concert sparks outrage