I AM a parent of children both in the early years and in the juniors of Tavernspite school – so we had the joy of paying to see not one, but two absolutely terrific performances this week.

I am saddened by the decision of a tiny minority of parents to take this to the paper. I simply don’t believe that in a school with an abundant range of committed, approachable teaching and assisting staff, this couldn’t have been dealt with by talking the matter through.

So I suspect sour grapes here, and as was the case with Ebenezer Scrooge, I’m unconvinced that hardship is a genuine issue.

Any school can opt for a routine half-hour offering of carols and seasonal songs but it’s typical of Tavernspite School’s ethos that every member of staff goes the extra mile to make these shows of priceless value to the children. At £4 a ticket I’d think I had a bargain.

Furthermore while few parents can afford to take their children to part-time stage schools, this experience comes as added value within the school timetable.

Using local people who run great small businesses to really put the icing on the cake is worth every penny, as well as being money spent in the local economy – and I know both Gareth Dean (lighting) and Dave Burger (Pure Tech Sound) bend over backwards to make sure their contributions make the show go off with a bang.

I hope Kevin Phelps and his team are not put off for a moment in planning their next show.

BEN FERGUSON WALKER Tavernspite

I am putting down in writing how amazing Tavernspite School’s Christmas performance was and well worth the £4 ticket price.

As my son is a member of the school and had a role to play in the performance, I watched a recent afternoon show. It was fantastic!

The children were amazing and the staff had put such a lot of work into making all our children shine.

I would pay the same amount again or more to be a part of it.

SAM HART via email