School closures

[BigT]

5000 schools decided that a few inches of snow was enough for them to take the day off today, whilst I can understand in a few cases I think it needs to be highlighted the inconvenience it causes parents and the economy which as we know is very weak at the moment.

When I was at school (I can just about remember) we never had "snow days" and they were always open except once when the boiler broke.
I think it's time that teachers don't get paid for "snow days" and we will see how many manage to turn up then! Welcome to the real world.

So who agrees?

 

[MattyH]

The Pupils who spent today having fun rather than trapped inside a classroom might disagree

 

[Jonathan]

If schools cannot guarantee the safety of their pupils and staff - and this includes them actually going to and from school - then it is in their best interests to close. It's that simple. I can remember several years ago when snow started to fall heavily during the school day, and afternoon registration was followed with all pupils who didn't live in the same village as the school being sent to the gym, where we awaited being picked up. The buses couldn't get up the hill to the school, which was the issue. Luckily, every pupil got home safely, with two pregnant members of staff being accommodated in the village overnight. The school learned from this for the next time, when they kept the buses at school during the day. Our bus driver, after picking us up one morning when it was snowing, actually said to us before we set off for school that anyone who didn't want to risk going to school could get off the bus and go back home, which I thought was very sensible of him. I think the most important consideration to make with snow and ice is pupil and staff safety. If that can't be guaranteed, then the school should be closed.

 

[Ted]

"Back in my day we never had snow days"

"Back in my day we never had trips to Theme Parks"

People who say stuff like this sound like grumpy old men. School has change a lot since about 30/40 years ago and Teachers don't act like the one in "The Wall" anymore. They close it for safety when heavy snow falls because it can risk an injury to the pupils and the school can get into a lot of trouble if that happens, and they do trips to Theme Parks as a reward. :

 

[TheMan]

Come ooooooooooon!

Being miserable about a Snow Day? Kids are stuck up in houses and classrooms way to much anyway, great to see them out, making great memories and getting stuck in to something wholesome for a change!

I think where they can, schools should offer a discretionary service for parents who have to get in to work. That's fair enough, even a bare bones staff for the few kids that will need it.

How old are you BigT? I'm no spring chicken, and I remember snow days! When snow in winter was a staple of UK life and we were geared up for it, and used to it fair enough - but the roads are way more dangerous, far more traffic, people not used to dealing with it adding to the conditions.

You can't throw a 50 year old context at where we are now, because that's about the time they didn't have snow days and everyone was expected to walk to school!

Unless you are very late 40s/50s what you said there just isn't true. That's an absolute fallacy!

 

[Dar]

It's a matter of pupil safety. If the school opens and a child falls and gets hurt, the school could be held liable for their injuries.

I think you'll find that most teachers actually go to school and get other work done, unless they are trapped. In the same way that if I was trapped in my house/road and couldn't safely get out, I would ring my boss and explain the situation and make the time up elsewhere. I used to live over the road from my high school and the teacher's car park was just as full on a snow day as on a normal school day.

 

[Rowe]

I disagree.

Schools are not being lazy over this; they are taking health and safety into account with their pupils, their staff and the parents who commute. It's an inconvenience for the teachers who are travelling from quite a distance via car, or even by bus, because of how much the road gets affected by snow and ice. As Dar says, they'll try to turn up because they've still got a job to do even when students are absent but if you were to open the school then there's a chance the school will be understaffed because of how far out some teachers are.

Punishing them through not giving them pay (particularly when teachers aren't even given that much) for not turning up isn't going to help and by that logic, you might as well say the same to the pilots and airline staff of planes delayed/cancelled over the last few days if a few inches of snow aren't anything to worry over. You've also got to take into consideration that some main roads have only just been cleared today and only recently it hasn't been impossible to travel, the country roads here aren't quite as lucky to be cleared.

 

[josht]

It's just basic health and safety for schools, it just isn't safe.

 

[Jem8472]

But Rowe, if I don't turn up for work because of the snow I won't get paid. There are lots of people that won't get paid if they don't turn up.

In all the years I was at school I can only remember the school being closed once or maybe twice.
I can remember being pulled to first school on a sledge, a great way to travel

 

[Funky_Monk]

Considering a bus load of children crashed in Wales today maybe it's a good idea that schools close to prevent this sort of accident becoming more common and anyway it's hardly like they can't catch up with work even on GCSE and A-Level courses.

 

[Andrew]

See, the weather was worse today than on Friday, when we got sent home, but nothing was done today.
Traveling was much more dangerous today than on Friday, and this therefore begs the question:

Why was my school in during such treacherous conditions when we were sent home in conditions which were not as bad?

Now, you may think I'm just complaining because I was in today, when I'm actually not. Due to being sent home on Friday, almost everyone made the assumption that we'd be off today due to the weather, especially the roads, being much more dangerous. However, this was not the case.

I don't understand the logic of the schools closing really.

Fine, if there's serious travel disruptions that are dangerous, such as today, close the school. but certainly not on Friday!
I fail to see how a school can close on Friday when the roads were clear and then remain open on Monday when the roads were much more dangerous and caused minor accidents.

I don't trust the judgements of my school sometimes...

 

[BigT]

Elf and Safety my backside, if its safe for me to travel to work in my van, then its safe for school children to go to school.
I take the point about school buses but why cant the parents drive, surely everyone has access to a car in this day and age.

For your info I'm 40, hardly old and yes we did go to theme parks at school, but not on snow days because we didnt have them, not once. (I can remember walking, yes walking to school in 18 inches of snow and it was still open.)

Grumpy, well you've got me on that one especially after loosing a days pay to come home from work to look after the children!

 

[Rowe]

But Rowe, if I don't turn up for work because of the snow I won't get paid. There are lots of people that won't get paid if they don't turn up.

I'm not ignoring that yours and several other workplaces don't get paid when the weather is this bad, if that's what you've seen me as writing in my last post? I do honestly believe that workplaces need leverage when it comes to traffic stopping weather like this with pay allowed because it's not as if staff aren't making the effort to leave their homes to come to work.

 

[Jonathan]

Elf and Safety my backside, if its safe for me to travel to work in my van, then its safe for school children to go to school.
I take the point about school buses but why cant the parents drive, surely everyone has access to a car in this day and age.

For your info I'm 40, hardly old and yes we did go to theme parks at school, but not on snow days because we didnt have them, not once. (I can remember walking, yes walking to school in 18 inches of snow and it was still open.)

Grumpy, well you've got me on that one especially after loosing a days pay to come home from work to look after the children!

So if one of your children got injured when walking to or from school because of snow and ice, you wouldn't care? That's a rather sad thing, if I'm honest.

 

[Funky_Monk]

Elf and Safety my backside, if its safe for me to travel to work in my van, then its safe for school children to go to school.
I take the point about school buses but why cant the parents drive, surely everyone has access to a car in this day and age.

There are an infinite number of situations where the parents can't drive their kids to school - If one parent has already taken the car to work for example and people in cities and towns will rely on public transport and no offence but it's a bit different for you - If you drive your van daily then you are going to be a bit more experienced than other drivers so you will understand the conditions but just because a 40 year old man can drive a van doesn't mean it's safe for children 32 years your junior to travel.

 

[Ted]

Elf and Safety my backside, if its safe for me to travel to work in my van, then its safe for school children to go to school.

So if the conditions are fine around the area where you live, then it's perfectly safe for kids in the rest of the country to travel in conditions which are probably worse than where you're living?

I take the point about school buses but why cant the parents drive, surely everyone has access to a car in this day and age.

Because not everyone who has a child has can drive? (For instance My Mum can't). So no, not everyone does, and it can be just as dangerous travelling in a car as on a bus.

For your info I'm 40, hardly old and yes we did go to theme parks at school, but not on snow days because we didnt have them, not once. (I can remember walking, yes walking to school in 18 inches of snow and it was still open.)

You're mixing the words from my original quote. I said "Back in my day we never went on trips to Theme Parks" Not "Back in my day, we went to Theme Parks in snow". That was the problem with your school back when you where there, if you didn't get the day off.

Grumpy, well you've got me on that one especially after loosing a days pay to come home from work to look after the children!

To me this sounds like you care more about getting paid then looking after your kids.

 

[Martin]

Rather than getting upset over some schools missing a whole 6 hours, should we not be questioning why a country that consistently gets this about this much snow at about this time of year every year, continues to fall apart from it?

The whole "Look at the state of schools, being closed because of a bit of snow" is a lazy trick really, when the entire infrastructure is what's broken.

 

[BigT]

Kids don't come cheap you know, I work TO look after them as does the wife.

I live in Ashbourne(5 miles from Alton) and it has hardly stopped snowing here since Friday but there was no need to shut the schools today, yes it was a bit snowy on the roads but if it was ok for the rest of the working population to make it into work today why not teachers?

The reality of the situation is this, I had a lovely time today, I enjoy spending time with the family but unfortunately if the coin don't come in then there has to be cut backs. One less day at the theme parks for us this year.

 

[BigT]

Rather than getting upset over some schools missing a whole 6 hours, should we not be questioning why a country that consistently gets this about this much snow at about this time of year every year, continues to fall apart from it?

The whole "Look at the state of schools, being closed because of a bit of snow" is a lazy trick really, when the entire infrastructure is what's broken.

Whilst I agree with what your saying there Blaze, why is it when I listen to the news the headline is always 5000 schools shut never 500 hospitals. If the doctors and nurses can just get on with it why can't teachers?

 

[Dar]

I don't think they are closed because the teachers don't turn up. As I and others have said it's the pupils health and safety that is the deciding factor. If the school has paths between buildings, and those paths are icy and slippery, the school could be held responsible if a child slips over.

I guess in a way, they are saving you money in the long run, because if they stayed open and kids falls over, they have to pay out to kid/parents and meaning their budgets have to go up, and taxes go up. (This paragraph is a joke btw)