PUPILS at a girls' school do not wait for Father Christmas to come down the chimney with their presents they have an unusual tradition of waiting for his wife to pop in.

Mother Christmas borrows her husband's sleigh for the night and takes a trip down the chimney at Alfriston Special School.

Val Gordon has been headteacher at the school for 19 years and she remembers Mother Christmas paying an annual visit for most of the time she has been there.

She said: "We have a Father Christmas during the day but we can't really have him popping in during the night at a girl's school, so tradition has it that he goes back and tells his wife what a good lot they've been and she comes down the chimney instead."

Mother Christmas is a legend with children at the school, in Penn Road, Knotty Green, but her identity has always been kept top-secret.

The school has a tradition of being an all-female domain, and although they now have four male staff, Mother Christmas will definitely remain a female role.

Val said: "I remember when we didn't even have a male toilet inside the building. The gardener used to have to go outside in the freezing cold to use one but things have changed since then, although Mother Christmas will always be here as she's part of the magic."

Pupils write notes to Mother Christmas telling her their wish list and Val always reads them the tale The Night Before Christmas in front of the fire before they get their presents.

And it seems that Mother Christmas has a good motherly instinct when she drops off presents that any teenager would envy such as a calendar of top boy band Westlife.

Val added that the 32 borders at the school, aged 11 to 17, leave out mince pies for Mother Christmas and the traditional carrot for the reindeer.

She added: "I have to say that she's also partial to a nice glass of sherry."