MUM Amanda Kettlety was left distraught and angry after she was barred from her seven-year-old son's nativity play at Hullavington Primary School.

Miss Kettlety, 34, of Greens Close, Hullavington, arrived at the school on Tuesday evening only to be told she and her partner would not be allowed in because they had their four-week old daughter Grace with them.

Headmaster John Barlow, who joined the school in September, said it was a long-standing rule that pre-school children were banned from the evening nativity performance. He also said numbers had to be restricted to comply with fire regulations.

All 80 tickets had been sold for the nativity but despite the fact the hall's capacity is 200, he said he could not admit any more.

He said he had turned away two other sets of parents who had pre-school children and could not make an exception for Miss Kettlety.

She said she was left in tears and embarrassed outside the school.

"I couldn't believe it when we were not allowed in," she said. "I though he was joking. I was so shocked by it."

Mr Barlow said Miss Kettlety's offer that she would leave should her daughter begin to cry would not help.

He said the school held a nativity performance on Tuesday afternoon that was for pre-school children and added his offer of tickets for a performance the next evening was rejected.

He said: "We understand this has caused a great deal of distress but we had to turn down others earlier that evening and we can't then go back and make an exception."

The Church of England school said parents were warned of the restriction in two newsletters, but Miss Kettlety said she had seen none of the warnings.

She is now keeping her son Eric home from school in protest and wants him transferred to another school.