Dad gets message from 'woke' school telling him not to dress as gorilla

A dad who wore a gorilla costume for his daughter on her last day of term was told by her school his actions were 'a serious safeguarding concern'. Chris Napthine donned the ape outfit to meet his daughter, Addie, on Friday but was shocked when he later received a 'snotty' text message.

The 47-year-old, who went to Hertford Vale C Of E Primary School in the village of Staxton, North Yorks, has since branded the school's response 'ridiculous'. It was seven-year-old Addie's last day of Year 2 when Mr Napthine decided to don the gorilla suit as a bit of fun.

The dad-of-two, a self-employed horse dentist and farmer, said: "It's a little village school and I live just opposite it. I went there, my son went there and now my little girl does. I was just trying to embarrass her. She's always saying, 'Dad, please don't embarrass me'.

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"The other day I put a horse's head on, so on the last day of school I put on a gorilla outfit. Then, I got this snotty text off the school, saying it's a 'serious safeguarding issue'."

The text, shared by Mr Napthine, read: "Please do not come into school in a costume or mask. This is a serious safeguarding issue. It has also upset some of the children & caused concern for adults."

But Mr Napthine said he sees nothing wrong with his prank - labelling the school 'woke' for its stance. He added: "How is that a safeguarding issue? Where is it going to end? Are the kids not going to be allowed to dress up?

"I really didn't like the way they worded it. I was just trying to have a bit of a laugh, but the school have taken it dead serious.

"I messaged them back, but they didn't reply. I just thought it was ridiculous. Safeguarding is about the safety of the kids. A dad in a gorilla outfit is not a safeguarding issue - let alone a 'serious' one.

"It's taking the p**s. I've had lots of messages of support, saying: 'What on Earth is this country coming to? A kid can identify as a cat but a dad can't dress up as a gorilla'. That's what dads do: embarrass their daughters. I'm always playing jokes and messing about.

"It's just a bit woke."

The school has been contacted for comment.