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MP slams college for dropping Christmas from calendar
A YORKSHIRE college was yesterday accused of "political correctness gone mad" for dropping references to Christmas and Easter from the staff calendar in case it offends ethnic minorities and non-Christian faiths.
Scarborough's Yorkshire Coast College circulates the internal year planner every year to 150 teaching staff, and up to 50 other workers, so they are aware of important dates such as term times and training days.
Previously the winter and spring breaks have always been referred to by the names of Christmas and Easter. But this year both have been changed to "end of term break" in response, says the college, to Ofsted calls for social inclusion.
But Scarborough Tory MP Robert Goodwill said yesterday: "It is political correctness gone mad. I hope they will think again and re-christen Christmas and Easter.
"It is absolutely crazy. Let's celebrate diversity not be embarrassed by it all – and we are a Christian country and proud of it. We are delighted people of other faiths have come here but this is being over-sensitive and will probably stoke up resentment and detract from inclusiveness."
A college spokeswoman said: "What happened was our administrators produce a college calendar for curriculum staff every year. It is for internal use – not something we are publishing for external sources.
"During a meeting looking at this calendar someone mentioned what did we think about calling it Christmas or Easter, or whether it should be 'end of term break' or 'winter break' – because there is guidance from Ofsted about diversity."
She said a member of staff had viewed the calendar, wondered why it had changed and then made his concerns public.
She added: "There are a lot of documents coming out of Ofsted saying it is just a modern way of doing things. The barmy part is not that we have changed it but that people are bothering to discuss it."
She said the calendar was not even printed out and was sent to staff by email. "It is not as if we have produced a policy saying not to use the word Christmas. We have just changed the term we used on a calendar because we have to be socially inclusive. It is not as if we are not celebrating Christmas, or the students won't be putting up a Christmas tree," she added.
A spokeswoman for Ofsted dismissed suggestions the organisation had anything to do with the decision.
"Ofsted inspection guidance for colleges makes no reference whatsoever to the observance of religious festivals," she said. "Any decision to 'ban religious holidays' would not have been based on Ofsted guidance."
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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