A primary school receptionist, Jennie Cain, whose five-year-old daughter was told off for talking about Jesus in class is now facing the sack for seeking support from her church.

Cain sent a private email to close friends to ask for prayers for her daughter after she was called into the school where she worked in Crediton, Devon, to be reprimanded.

Her daughter Jasmine had been overheard by a teacher discussing heaven and God with a friend and had been pulled to one side and told off.

Cain contacted 10 close friends from her church by email but the message fell into the hands of Gary Read, the headmaster of Landscore Primary School where she works.

Cain is now being investigated for professional misconduct for allegedly making claims against the school and its staff. She has been told she may be disciplined and was warned she could face dismissal.

Her case is being supported by the Christian Institute who said Mrs Cain was the latest example of a Christian being persecuted by society.

Mike Judge, from the Christian Institute, said children should be allowed to discuss religion with each other without interference from teachers: This is the latest in a series where Christians are being persecuted for their religious beliefs. It is really getting to a point where it has to stop. I think the Government has got to start looking at its legislation.

Update: Advanced Political Correctness for 5 Year Olds

14th February 2009. See article from christian.org.uk

Jasmine, who is five years old, was speaking with her friend about God and heaven when an older child asked her how a person could go to hell.

When Jasmine answered by not believing in Jesus she was told off by her teacher and Mr Read called Mrs Cain into her office to discuss the matter.

He started talking about my daughter about how he wasn't happy about her making statements about her faith, said Mrs Cain. She added: If Jasmine had prefixed what she had said with the words ‘I believe', he'd have been ok with that, and I thought ‘she's five!'

Mr Read says Jasmine is entitled to talk about her faith, but that her answer to the older child was “unacceptable”.

Simon Calvert of The Christian Institute said: A five-year-old simply can't be expected to nuance everything she says to comply with the demands of political correctness. Small children don't understand post-modern ideas about your truth and my truth - they just say things as they see them.

A school receptionist suspended after a row over her Christian faith is suing the school, its headmaster and the council for religious discrimination, The Daily Telegraph has disclosed.

Jennie Cain, who was told to stay away from her job for nearly four months before receiving a written warning over the affair, has lodged a complaint with Exeter employment tribunal.

She alleges that she and her five-year-old daughter were discriminated against and harassed because of their religion and that the school was anti-Christian.

Mrs Cain's clash with Landscore Primary School, in Crediton, Devon, was first reported by The Daily Telegraph in February. She claimed her daughter Jasmine, who is a pupil at Landscore, had come home from school in tears after being told off by a teacher for talking to another pupil about Jesus, Heaven and God.

Cain then wrote an email she claimed was private to 10 close friends from her church to ask for prayers for her daughter and the school. The email was passed to Gary Read, headmaster of Landscore, who called the receptionist into his office and told her she was being investigated for alleged serious professional misconduct.

Read claimed Jasmine had been overheard frightening another girl about the prospect of 'going to hell' if she does not believe in God.

Cain said she was subsequently investigated by an internal panel and found guilty of serious misconduct. She she appealed and lost. She said the appeal panel reduced her penalty from a final written warning to a straight written warning and she returned to work in early June. However, Cain claims she has been victimised and harassed because of her faith since her return.