A Christian school in Australia has apologised after criticism for asking students to dress up as the “blind, lame and injured”. 

Flinders Christian Community College, Melbourne, hosted a charity walkathon for its year eight pupils on its Tyabb campus with the theme of people “Jesus encountered and healed”. 

An email sent to parents said it was part of “learning about the miracles of Jesus”. The school explained the fundraiser “turns compassion into action [and] challenges us to reflect on empathy, service, inclusion and helping those in need.”

The letter, for the 22 October event at the fee-paying school, divided opinion having been widely shared on social media.

Disability Rights Australia questioned whether teachers were “out of their minds”, with one social media commenter stating that “my life is not a costume”. 

One supporter of the idea said: “The whole purpose of the event is to educate students about compassion, empathy, inclusion and helping those in need, while raising money for charity.” Another said that belittling of people with a disability would “go against what the Bible actually says.”

A spokeswoman for the school told news.com.au: ““The event was part of our students’ faith and service learning and was intended to raise awareness and funds for people living with disability, illness and medical hardship. However, aspects of how the event was run fell short of the dignity, respect and inclusion we expect at Flinders. We unreservedly apologise to people with disability, their families, and everyone in our community who has been hurt.”

A review into how the event was planned and approved is being undertaken, the spokeswoman added.