British school makes 6-yr-old marry 5-yr-old

London: In a bizarre act, a UK primary school has married off a 5-year-old girl and 6-year-old boy to help pupils improve their writing skills, drawing sharp criticism from activists.

The unusual nuptials were carried out in a Worcester parish church, with a vicar, registrar and parents watching it, media reports said.

A Mercedes car was donated to take the couple to church for the ceremony, which was followed by a full reception.

Pupils of Warndon Primary School Callie and Gethyn were joined in matrimony on Thursday last week, the Daily Mail reported. A week before the marriage, teachers took them and the rest of the Class 1 on a stag and hen night.

"The idea was that children will be able to write about their experiences, so having the wedding was perfect. They had to plan everything and then experience it as well," school deputy head Sarah Allen was quoted as saying by the daily.

"I even had a five-year-old asking me about a fishtail dress design for the wedding dress. How about that for vocabulary? ... The children have been learning about everything from invitations to how to book a honeymoon."

The wedding has got backing from the Worcestershire County, with Councillor Marcus Hart saying "It's fantastic to see this kind of creativity in our schools. It gives the pupils an opportunity to experience something new.. it not

only stimulates their imaginations but expands their knowledge and understanding of language as well."

However, many activists said the marriage stunt was "crazy".

Nick Seaton, an education activist, said: "I think this is crazy. If children need to be taught to improve their writing the way to do that should be through learning grammar, spelling and through reading."

Religious groups also expressed their fury. Stephen Green, from Christian Voice, said: "Marriage is for grown ups and this is a worrying idea to have this wedding for kids in these days when we seem to have the increasing sexualisation of our children. I'm not sure why a teacher is encouraging children to handle these kind of emotions. I would question the emotional state of the teachers concerned."