Rural school closures - what's happening in your area?

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Rural school closures - what's happening in your area?

7 posts & 5 voices | Started 2 years ago by Christowkid | Latest reply from Christowkid

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Christowkid - Member

Hi All,
Don't want to kick off a heated debate, simply asking the question.
I'm a support worker at a rural school in Devon. About 85% of our kids are bused in, mainly from mid/central Devon, where it reached -19C 2 nights ago! Chatting with gritting team/oil lorry, have been told that unless it's a main road, things are impassable in many lanes, treacherous due to ice etc.
On thursday, Devon county council said all school transport suspended until further notice as conditions too dangerous to ensure kids safety, so a lot of rural intake ones kept closed. Looking at forecast, we're likely to get snow again tomorrow, so I can't see DCC allowing transport to run. This has *never* been known before, so reflecting genuine poor conditions. Normally it's down to individual heads liasing with local bus company.
My girls' school did open on friday because significant intake local and could walk to school, so not all closed everywhere.

So....what's happening in other parts of the country?
Have county's suspended transport?
Just curious......
cheers
Q

Posted 2 years ago #
nickc - Member

South Northants:

My school (chair of Gov) has been continually open, most teachers and support staff live within walking distance, as do most of the kids. My Daughters Junior school, not so lucky with teachers, closed most of the week, opened yesterday. My son's Comp, still shut, divided site, with busy road crossing and many untreated paths, and 1000+ pupils, a lot bused in from rural locations (the major coach company that does it also village based).

Posted 2 years ago #
jj55 - Member

Herefordshire - a few schools re-opened for those who can walk to them but the rural schools bus transport suspended at the moment. My local High School is open, but pupils banned from going outside @ break time due to ............ H&S

Posted 2 years ago #
Dan67 - Member

I left school acouple of years ago but my firends are still at 6th for and they are all off. All schools have been shut this week and the week before xmas. I dont know about the transport

Posted 2 years ago #
Christowkid - Member

nickc: Can relate to your situation, ditto around here

jj55: I suspect Herefordshire and Devon are in very similar situations. Interesting that Herefordshire too has suspended transport. Thanks for that.
Agree about the H&S thing, though as I've learnt, sometimes such bans are totally down to mis-interpretaton by jobsworth head, and you find the safety people responsible for schools also rolling eyes!

Dan: Yes it's getting a bit worrying for older kids, my eldest only a couple of weeks away from some GCSE's, and I think our school almost starting some exams too.
Snow's great fun, but when it doesn't melt the next day it's starting to impact in all sorts of different ways.

thanks for info all.....keep safe!
cheers
Q

Posted 2 years ago #
woffle - Member

East Sussex - large(ish) village primary school - was Wednesday and Thursday, open late and closed early on Friday though I think all they did was sit about watching movies. The secondary school was closed all three days - round here it's not so much the pupils but the staff unable to get to the school. I'd say the majority of locals have a 4x4 so getting the kids there isn't the issue...

Its absolutely tipping it down snow now and has been all day. By 1:30 the roads, A-roads included, were borderline impassable with not a gritter in sight. God only knows what they'll be like tomorrow morning. Can't see the schools opening Monday and who knows what the rest of the week will bring.

My wife was looking forward to a quiet week with both our girls at school / nursery for the 1st time ever. 5 days off of a house is full with stir-crazy toddlers and things are a little fraught...

Posted 2 years ago #
Christowkid - Member

woffle: Sounds like what you've got today, we're going to get some of tomorrow. Sun's gone here, dropping the temp from -2ish to -4C. East wind's picked up ( unusual here, s.Westerliesall time )and starting to feel cold.
I'm wondering too about monday. We're forecast a good dump tomorrow, on top of lying snow from gone week as we've had no noticeable thaw.
If they haven't got the ratio right of teachers to kids, or a totally mixed buch in a classroom, watching films is about all you can do, you can't teach sensible lessons. Teachers then are simply child minders.
Bet the missus is muttering! don't worry, her time of great relaxation will come, belive me!!!!
Sounds like time to snuggle down and chuck another log on.....
cheers
Q

Posted 2 years ago #

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