It's Snowing, So What!

[DangerUXD]

Most of the schools are out! What has happenned to society? I can't remember ever having a day off school due to weather. When the heating broke we had lessons in our coats! Is this some sort of health and safety effect?

[Smowball]

Dont know, I dont ever remember my school being closed due to snow.My sons old school would close because a lot of the teachers lived quite a distance away.

[ummmm]

105 closed in Northants.

[emmie]

very likely, once we would have walked to school, now many parents take their children in the car, that teachers would whack you with a chalk duster or on the the back of the hand, at least those things are gone now...
i guess some things are just inevitable, trains, buses, and people stop going when we have bad weather, we should be used to it by now.

[friedgreentomato]

I lived in scotland as a child and i remember the schools closing and getting snowed in with no power for a couple of days each year and this was 30 years ago!

[emmie]

i confess i don't care for it much as it quickly turns icy, making it rather slippy under foot.

[vodkancoke]

Ours used to close with the snow because it was in the country in Scotland .It was fab! lol

[yogasun]

Can never remember schools being closed when I went to them. If some teachers couldn't get in the children would be divided up between those that did, or go into the school hall and do group activities.
I can remember in 1963 the bus not turning up so walking in the thick snow about 5 miles. No thought of going back home!

[bensmum]

I work in a school and in our case about 75% of the children (about 1000) are bussed in. The bus companies couldn't guarantee getting them back home again so the decision was made not to open at all. Plus the fact that if a child had slipped on an icy patch we'd probably have been sued! I'm old enough to remember the winter of 62/63 and we all got to school - mind you we all walked and most of the teachers were local.

[jake-the-peg]

//Plus the fact that if a child had slipped on an icy patch we'd probably have been sued!//

Can't remember a school ever being closed for ice so I find that hard to believe but y

[jake-the-peg]

grr!

But you're spot on about the bus transport - despite the urban myth that all of today's children are driven to school by their parents in huge 4x4s a large number go in and out on school busses

[tenrec]

In the good old days teachers and pupils lived a lot nearer school. Nowadays some country school teachers travel a long way. If they can't get to school, then school will be shut.

[modeller]

Whatever you think about it these telegraph pictures are great.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/gardeningpicturegalleries/9810519/UK-weather-in-pictures-heavy-snow-in-parts-of-Britain-with-more-to-come.html#?frame=2455216

[Mojo-Jo-Jo]

Our school used to close in the 70s because the coal fire boiler either broke down or there was no coal.

[boxtops]

Ours never closed, I lived just under the 3-mile limit for a free bus ticket so I often had to walk. Those were the days when we had proper fogs - I can remember one day when I had no idea where the other side of the road was, I've no idea how I eventually got there.

[vodkancoke]

Woohoo! We have the lovely white stuff at last! :)

[joeluke]

A bit of snow and our education system grinds to a halt

Idle headteachers/teachers who see a bit of snow and fancy a day off

I appreciate that some kids have to travel to school by bus but if our crazy education authorities had kept schools to catchment areas instead of opening them up to all and sundry from far afield then a lot of those kids would live within walking distance of their school

[sophie_1003]

JoeLuke, catchment areas are still in place but there is a shortage of primary school places so children inevitably have to travel. Also; it is not the teacher's decision to close a school; I went in today and school was going to close early and the head told me to leave so I could get home. It took me nearly 2 hours to make a 40 minute journey and if it doesn't get better by Monday I won't be struggling in to school; I would love to be able to get in and stay in as there is so much we need to be doing but the roads are lethal!
And it's not just the education system; around our way most of the bus companies weren't running buses and I had a text from the gym saying they would be closing early.

[joeluke]

Sophie...... 2 hours to make a 40 minute journey?

It's adverse weather conditions, delays are inevitable, the rest of the country has to make the effort to get into work so why not teachers?

Answer is they take the easy option - It's probably written into their contracts '13 weeks paid holiday a year plus bonus days off when it snows'

What about the consequences of schools being closed at short notice? Working parents have to suddenly take days off/days unpaid/arrange childcare

[sherrardk]

Joeluke - if you want '13 weeks a year off' become a teacher, simple. Teachers don't close schools, head teachers/LEAs/transport companines do and it is always reluctantly.

[gness]

My contract required me to report to my nearest school if weather conditions prevented me attending my own school.

Joe, you're a very angry person. That's sad and I really feel sorry for you.x