Schools and snow

[RogerS]

Listening to the news today and then comparisons with the last great freeze of 1963 (should that be in Capitals, I wonder), there seem to be a very large number of schools shut. In fact, one could almost be forgiven for thinking that schools shut at the drop of a hat but that is probably tabloidism.

Thing is, 1963 was the last freeze referred to when it snowed for months on end. I was 13 years old then and I can't remember not going to school because it was closed. OK - we were living in a small town and school was 1/2 mile walk up the hill and so I can't directly compare with what was happening in the more rural areas with today. But I really don't recall my school being shut that often. During my primary education, the school was shut one day for the Coronation and that was it.

So what gives now? Is it such a complicated logistics exercise because of the way our education system is now structured? Fear of being sued in case Poor Johnnie slips over?

 

[Waka]

A lot of our schools have closed and we've not had any snow.

 

[greggy]

roger,the schools boilers must be all outside :lol: :lol: :lol:
the only possibility i can think of,, is the teachers must live too far away from the school to get in. i know its a lame excuse but thats got have something to do with it. what really narks me is,, when we get a dusting of snow.. WHY ON EARTH DOES THIS USELESS COUNTRY COME TO A STANDSTILL.

 

[Smudger]

1) Kids tend to live further from their schools. Many schools have been amalgamated or enlarged in the past 50 years. This means that truly local schools have gone. This is true of secondaries, and to an extent primaries.
2) In most areas teachers live long distances from schools (10 miles + in the London area) and drive rather than take public transport (try carrying a laptop and 2 sets of books to mark on a bus).
3) There is a greater awareness of risk and the duty of care. The risk of injury is much greater (obviously) in adverse conditions. This applies to staff and kids.
4) Public transport failures mean an increased risk of kids being stranded. How do you then get them home? This is true at the best of times - for example accident closes a road, bus routes are closed down. Much worse in bad weather when you just can't expect people to walk.
5) Difficulties with heating, food supplies etc. due to bad weather.
6) Parents are much more concerned and make their views felt.

Bear in mind that a school can get a severe criticism from Ofsted for not having all of these things risk-assessed and enshrined in policy...

We aren't too badly off here, but my neighbour's school (about 8 miles away) is closed because conditions there are unmanageable. So although it may not seem too bad in A, in B it might be terrible.

Having once been snowed in to a school I wouldn't recommend it. I reckon we were 6 hours away from cannibalism and the Lord of the Flies...

 

[Smudger]

when we get a dusting of snow.. WHY ON EARTH DOES THIS USELESS COUNTRY COME TO A STANDSTILL.

Hmm. -15ºC in Manchester, 12" of snow...
More than a 'dusting' I think.

The alternative would be to pay for all the infrastructure which could deal with all these extreme conditions. In which case we would hear complaints about wasting taxpayers' money, no doubt...

Oh - and I really object to this country being called useless.

 

[head clansman]

hi

I'm in holland visiting my daughter and grandson he's14 no school are closed here at all , everybody get up and just keeps going , it's snowed here nearly every day at sometime during the day since the 26 th dec it never been above freezing at all, the weather just keeps dumping more snow down on top of each layer, outside in the street it's been compacted by the locals cars each morning who just get on with every day life , no gritting on any side street , it not melted there's no slush just hard compacted snow, gritting is for main road only and cycle paths which are all snow free . so why doe's england grinds to a halt every time . ? hc

 

[Smudger]

Because we aren't used to it.
Because we don't see the need to buy the necessary equipment as we don't use it too often.
Because we like to panic.
Because too many people read the Daily Mail...

 

[wizer]

 

[Boz62]

The other point is that in my youth, in small village infants school, if the teacher couldn't make it due to weather then the parents helped out and kept things going. Of course, the school closed long ago as "too small" - but it's small that encourages community support. And no doubt parents would be stopped from doing this now, due to not having relevant paperwork/certificates [sigh]

Boz

 

[matt]

Because it does not matter.

 

[Smudger]

Not to me it doesn't. Not now!

 

[woodbloke]

Dick has mentioned all the relevant points which are spot on. I used to teach in the middle of Godforsaken rural Darset where 95% of the children were bussed in from the surrounding hamlets.

I also, take issue with the comment about this 'useless country'. If you don't like it, move somewhere else that might be better...like Angola or Somalia - Rob

 

[RogerS]

Thanks, Dick, for the response. Good points which explain a lot.

Totally agree with you re our 'readiness' and whether people would pay to have extra gritters sitting idle for 19 years out of 20.

 

[jlawrence]

The country itself is quite useful really - it's just the w*****s that run the various parts of the administration .
Equipment needed to keep things going - not used often. hmmmm, I consider a week a year plenty often enough.
It does annoy me that the authorities can close a school at the drop of a hat - and it's up to us to find out whether it's open or not. Yesterday (wed) they decided that today (thurs) every school in North Somerset would be closed - anyone care to give me a single good reason why ? The roads are perfectly usable - ok, some of the side roads are a tad slippy but still drivable.

As for moving countries. Yes, if it were an option for me I'd be gone at the drop of a hat. This country with it's namby pamby state is starting to get on my ****.

How the heck do parents that have to go out to work cope when the council decide to close the schools ?

 

[promhandicam]

. . . WHY ON EARTH DOES THIS USELESS COUNTRY COME TO A STANDSTILL.

Go and live in a developing country for a few months - you might then appreciate that the UK isn't quite so useless.

Steve

 

[OPJ]

I'd assume they're just trying to keep cars off the roads and be cautious. I can see how it must be right PITA though if you're a parent. Although the snow clouds have moved on (for now...), they were warning that there could be a lot of black ice on the roads, this morning. Any gritting overnight apparently has little effect if the temperature drops below -7°.

It's doubtful just how many drivers on the roads today are competent enough to drive in snow and icy conditions... Days like these can keep the emergency services very busy.

As frustrating as it is for many, it's not something we have to face very often.

The most ridiculous thing though, is hearing how people started panic buying food, earlier in the week!! :x

 

[BMac]

LOL, yeah, Olly, I loved that! The news said people were panic-buying 'hot foods' like porridge and soup. You can just hear the Grandads in 60 years "You think it's cold now, in the winter of '10 my mum had to give us porridge".

Brendan

 

[Mike Wingate]

Only just found this post, and I am on my lunch break with 4 kids working on their practical GCSE D&T projects. My school, in sunny Altrincham, Cheshire had been closed since tuesday. I walked through 8" of snow to find school closed. School opened today. In 37 years of me teaching here, we were once closed for a day, because of an oil shortage in winter, but teachers had to be in.

 

[thomvic]

Steve

You are certainly not alone in believing that this isn't a "developing country."

Richard

 

[Smudger]

Only just found this post, and I am on my lunch break with 4 kids working on their practical GCSE D&T projects. My school, in sunny Altrincham, Cheshire had been closed since tuesday. I walked through 8" of snow to find school closed. School opened today. In 37 years of me teaching here, we were once closed for a day, because of an oil shortage in winter, but teachers had to be in.

When we had weather closures we had to be in, or to provide a good explanation of why not, or our pay was stopped. Exceptions were when the heating broke down (and even then we were supposed to be in if there were sufficient warm rooms for us to work in) or high winds threatened to put the windows in (no kidding, excellent Festival of Britain award-winning design). That seems to have changed for what are now being called 'snow days' - which makes sense.