schools opening when it has snowed!

quinechinoise

johnnyl wrote: »

rather strangely, everyone else in the country can manage to get into work.

I won't discount your point - my husband will be going to work tomorrow. But 3 and 5 year olds can study at home as easily as they can at school.

Nicki

quinechinoise wrote: »

Not everyone goes to their closest school. To clarify, my eldest's school has already told parents (this weekend) to assess road conditions on Monday and put safety first. We don't actually skive all the time, on a whim. They'll be open because of the boarders but I don't want to risk it, if I don't have to. As for youngest, I don't think nursery schools mind terribly much...

I was specifically answering on my own behalf and talking about the situation where I live not extrapolating to the whole of the country though! My London borough is only 7 miles from end to end, and the catchment areas for the schools are tiny. Even if you didn't go to your closest school, if you went to the third or fourth closest it would still be a maximum 20 minute walk

Deanied

Nicki wrote: »

We live in an inner city area and the catchment area for schools is measured in metres usually! No excuse for most of the students not to get in as if it is too far to walk you won't have been able to get your child into the school in the first place!


Students often live in the same catchment area as the school, but staff usually don't. (so that they don't bump into students or parents in tescos or their local pub ). Anyway school sometimes have to shut, because they can't get enough staff in. There are usually only one or two members of teaching staff per 30 children, so you only need a small number off to make the numbers unmangable and impractical. I'm sure most people wouldn't want their kids to be taught in a class with 60 children with one adult and it's not a safe ratio, because all you need is one child to hurt themselves and the teacher is stuck leaving 59 children unattened to look after one child.

For most jobs it doesn't matter if you get to work as soon as you can, but with teaching you have to ensure enough adults can get their on time otherwise you are left with alot of unattened children.

peachyprice

toshkininny wrote: »

Hi, just wondered out of interest whether heads of schools will open the school even though it has snowed quite badly to make their stats look good?

It will have the opposite effect if they open but pupils can't get there, their absence stats will go through the roof.

johnnyl wrote: »

rather strangely, everyone else in the country can manage to get into work.

Nope, I can't. I have a 25 mile round trip along country roads with no public transport option. No way, no how, will I be risking my life driving to work tomorrow unless there's a massive thaw overnight. If there is a thaw school will be open.

marisco_2

toshkininny wrote: »

Hi, just wondered out of interest whether heads of schools will open the school even though it has snowed quite badly to make their stats look good?

I dont think it has anything to do with making stats look good. The school where I work has a caretaker on site. At 6am he starts his checks making sure the heating and lighting is working okay. He then checks the outside of the school.

All staff have to phone in by 7.15 if they are unable to get in due to road conditions, lack of child care for their own kids if their schools are closed etc. Once there is a full and clear picture of the situation a discussion is held and a decision is made as to whether it is safe to allow the children to attend. The health and safety of our pupils is paramount.

We have to decide by 7.30 and publish the decision on our website or send text alerts, as that is when the school breakfast club opens. When snow is forcast we advise parents to check the website for the decision as to whether it will open or not before bringing their children in. In the hopes that if we have to close they are spared a possibly hazardous journey.

The decision to close a school due to adverse weather conditions is not taken lightly. On Friday when the snow was really coming in we stayed open despite many of my colleagues facing difficult and long journeys home. We had many worried parents turning up at our reception asking to take their children home whilst it was relatively safe on the roads from 11 in the morning. We allowed this as we dont want our pupils or their parents taking any risks.

toshkininny

Going by previous years, if they open and children manage to get in but only a few, they usually end up watching a film and playing in the snow so seems a bit pointless trying to get there.

Also our head has a system where if she can't get in to the school she will work at a school nearer to her - for one day I don't see the point. If it's ongoing then that's different.

balletshoes

toshkininny wrote: »

Going by previous years, if they open and children manage to get in but only a few,
they usually end up watching a film and playing in the snow so seems a bit pointless trying to get there.

Also our head has a system where if she can't get in to the school she will work at a school nearer to her - for one day I don't see the point. If it's ongoing then that's different.

i wish - at my DD's school the head issued a "no playing with snow on school grounds" policy.

claire16c

Most parents I know hate it when the school closes as if they have to go to work they have to find a baby sitter or miss work themselves.

The snow is about 5 inches deep where I am but the major roads are fine.

Tiddlywinks

quinechinoise wrote: »

That is surely not a sufficient reason to endanger kids on the school run?!

The only schools that should be open during heavy* snow are boarding schools - and day pupils will be expected to stay home if the driving conditions are poor.

As for me, I fully intend to keep both of my kids at home tomorrow. I notice the local council *still* hasn't sent out any gritters or snow ploughs. *While it isn't heavy-heavy, like it is in some countries, it's the condition of the local roads that count. Just for the benefit of any, say, Alaskans or Canadians visiting the forums.

The school run - in our area a constant procession of 4x4s carrying one or two little people a mile down the road - how about a school walk?

Children need to learn a sense of duty... if the school is open and you can walk it, then why not? It's a good lesson in life, surely.

elisamoose

I have responsibility for attendance in a small primary school.We only close if really necessary. With 200 pupils, we need a minimum of 5 staff to make it in and can then only provide a child minding service to be honest rather than any actual teaching.
Most staff live at least 4 miles away with only 2 who can walk to work. Kitchen staff need to be in too as we cant have kids in with no food!
We always try to give as much notice as we can but if we call it wrong and only a little snow falls we are castigated and if we stay open and people get stuck we are also moaned at!
If the school has to close the attendance is marked as code Y which means children are not required to attend so should not affect individual attendance.