A primary school teacher has caused uproar with Christian parents after it was revealed pupils have been practising alternative nativity songs that are deemed suitable for all religious beliefs.

Students at Whitehall Primary School on Normanton Park, Chingford, have been told not to sing the word 'Lord' during ‘Away In A Manger’ – so that pupils regardless of their faith can join in.

The word 'Lord' features five times in the most common version of ‘Away In A Manger’ and expresses the belief that Jesus is divine.

Instead, youngsters are being instructed to sing 'baby boy Jesus' rather than 'little Lord Jesus' and the words 'Jesus the saviour' in the carol ‘Love Shone Down’ have been replaced with 'Jesus the baby'.

The words 'new King born today' in the carol ‘Come And Join The Celebration’ have been tweaked to 'a baby born today'.

East London and West Essex Guardian Series:

Dozens of schools across the UK will be performing the nativity in the run up to Christmas

A mother of two sons who attends the school a former, Metropolitan Police officer, said the changes were utterly unacceptable and likened it to taking 'Christ' out of Christmas.

The 36-year-old has argued that changing the lyrics in the songs is removing the British tradition of telling the famous story many people associate with Christmas.

At a school meeting on Friday, December 13, the mother of two claimed that headteacher Zakia Khatun defended her decision, insisting the school is inclusive of all children.

Last year 60 children from the primary school did not attend the carol service and nativity at St Peter and St Paul Church in Chingford because of their religious beliefs.

The former Met Police officer also believes that Christian pupils are being discriminated and not receiving the same respect despite living in a multicultural society.

Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali, a former Bishop of Rochester, said: “This is a carol known throughout the world. The words 'Lord Jesus' are about the central message of Christmas, which is that God is with us in Jesus.

“To put it very simply that's what Christmas is about.”

Whitehall Primary is a multicultural state school with 485 pupils and is rated ‘Good’ by Ofsted inspectors.

A spokesman for the Diocese of Chelmsford, which includes St Peter and St Paul Church, said: “The service maintains the traditional Christian message of the joy of Christmas in a way that can be celebrated by everyone, including those of other faiths and none.”