[Closed] School closures why....

We're open, but we have very few students in; less than half I'd guess.

antigee...the heads make the decision because the local authorities GIVE them that responsibility.
If parents are not happy, complain to the local authority!

The simple fact is that you the teachers/local authority are failing us.

Diddums

[i]The simple fact is that you the teachers/local authority are failing us.[/i]

oldgit...that is downright offensive.
Get onto your local authority.
Don't suppose you will though...too busy whinging on here!

I was more than able to get to work today, but my boss chose to close the school.
How dare you say that I'm failing you.

oldgit the point you seem to be missing is that someone decides what to do before the teachers get to school, it has to be a prediction based on advice and in this day and age everyone is cautious due to legal requirements, its a societal problem and everyones fault not teachers.

Also oldgit, if a parent says, I couldnt get kid to school today due to the snow" that is fine its a perfectly acceptable reason for absence, as it is for a teacher.

Ooh look, even non-teachers are struggling to get in: http://www.singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/quiet-day-at-the-office

Who'd have thought it? 🙄

Yes oldgit, it is the parents problem when things affect their children. I see no problem with that, whose problem should it be?
I have an issue with your "teachers won't go to school" comment though. Not everyone in the world is willing to risk travelling in marginal conditions, why should they? Not everyone wishes, or can, live within walking distance of their workplace, why should they? Not everybody will be able to get to, and from, work reliably in what is, like it or not, extreme weather for most people. Some might choose not to, true enough, bad apples and all that but I don't know any.
And as for the good heating, not sure that extends to the places between home and work yet, as you pointed out this is 2010, not 2100 (insert argument about prospective unlimited energy from fusion and what to do with it here) so seems a bit irrelevant. Any good rant should have some marginally irrelevant facts though (unless a school you are dealing with has shut with knackered heating, in which case the boiler is letting you down, not teachers/local authority).
I don't know what you do for a living and I am sure (really I am, no smilies or anything) that your high expectations of others will transfer to what you do but as with any profession, yours will have some dead weight too. Don't tar us all with the same brush. We have closed for 1.5 days in the 3 years I have been there and nobody can remember when it shut before that. Not a bad ratio and one I am sure is pretty usual across most schools.

There, return (mini) rant over 🙂

edit-seems others are more concise than I, and quicker to type.

"not so sure - think Head has ultimate responsibility for children in their care - LA can only advise"

My next door neighbour is a head, she was on her way to work when she heard that her school had been closed!

Its not just about the teachers anyway, my college was open yesterday, I got there eventually but none of my kids bothered to. My GF's school (1000+ local secondary)was open, 40 kids turned up.

All school bus services were suspended in West Yorkshire yesterday. Local authorities are scared of litigious parents etc etc. If something goes wrong in a school there is potentially more serious consequences than a telephone in an office not getting answered.

Pulling kids out of school for a cheap holiday is way different than kids missing one ore two days due to adverse weather conditions.

http://www.ismyjourneyabsolutelynecessary.co.uk/

I think you guys need to meet up in the playground after school, next time it's open that is.

Tell me then, should the schools be open?

It seems almost certain that the people taking the decisions to close schools are simply just taking the easy option.
I assume that teaching staff are addressing this problem, you have had years to do so.
I found it offensive that you suggest it's my problem when a school can't opperate.
For the record my wife gave up her career to have kids and we decided to struggle on one income to look after our kids and for example to make sure they were at school each day.

My school is closed today. So I'm watching this thread as well as preping work on our Virtual Learning Environment for the future.
In a previous life I worked as a civil engineer, and when bad weather happened site meetings and operations were postponed until people could attend or work was possible. As with today, most people were willing to make the attempt to get to work, but people on the ground call the shots.
My school is closed today because it is not possible to drive to the building. We are at the end of a residential close at the top of a hill. Although most of pupils live within a mile, most parents choose to drive their kids. The road is never gritted, unless the school staff do it. Consequently the road polishes to a sheen very quickly. The locals (our neighbours) get very upset when their road is completely unpassable due to school traffic. The decision as stated above is taken as early as possible and I can state that it is not taken lightly, and in our case as a very last resort.

In a future life I worked as a civil engineer, and when bad weather happened site meetings and operations were postponed until people could attend or work was possible.

But, but, but! That would mean that people who were not teachers were not going to work because of the snow!

There was a teacher driving down our road today shouting at anyone & everyone that the local comp was closed

Not a mention on their website mind - I guess with the kids off, no one else knows how to update it 🙂

EDIT - it looks like they've found someone who can work it now

Looking in as an outsider, schools seem like little oasis's of problems, when all around them is functioning normally.
If I was to accept you arguements and accept that schools can never be relied upon to open in winter, I think that has to be understood by the business community. To see someone get a verbal warning because they were late getting their lorry out due to making other arrangements for the kids is unfair. People in small businesses shops etc can lose jobs through the decisions being made about school closures or at least have an effect on their prospects.

Looking in as an outsider, schools seem like little oasis's of problems, when all around them is functioning normally.

All around functioning normally? Absolute gridlock here today...

oldgit- how are teaching staff supposed to solve the issues of transport caused by snow, it is still not a critical or emergency service? Who should have ultimate responsibility for your children?
The only thing that seems almost certain is that you know more about the decision making process in a profession that you don't do, than those who do do it.

Yep everything up and running exept the schools. All the businesses on my estate have full car parks. Though when my wife went out she said it was busy on the roads. I'd assume that people hadn't left more time for their journey.

busses, airports, in some places even the ambulances are not going out unless you are going to die! Truckers stranded on main roads (about 200 yards from my house).
Most businesses are not dependent on minimum numbers of staff to be "legal" schools are because parents expect certain standards of safety and education, and so they should. If they cannot be met school will shut.

some points at end of this article - tough call for both LA's and Headteachers

[url] http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/7870180.stm [/url]

All the people wingeing - why are you on here? get some work done you work shy bastards and stop moaning!

I don't understand why oldgit thinks it's so desperately important that school should be open anyway. Snowy days off are some of my happiest childhood memories. BTW the school of which I'm chair of Governors is the only one open in South Northants today. But if my Head (of over 30 years experience as a head) were to decide to close, I'd support her 100%.

Opening is only half the issue, it's what to do at the close of the day that one has to think about as well, plus coaches, buses, children in care, parents not being able to collect, burst pipes, no heating...the list is endless.

Tracker I know nothing about it.
I'm trying to understand why a school can't opperate in this weather when all else can.
Look at our example, the boys school is closed, the leisure centre and playdome/creche thing that are on the same plot as the school are both open. The trains are running and the roads have been gritted. Locally you can do anything and go anywhere except school.
Someone above has a problem with a section of road, residents only during certain times and ask the council to grit it as it's a school route. There sorted.

oldgit - sat at work fair play. working - are you having a laugh!! tossing it off and getting paid - definitely!!

All around functioning normally? Absolute gridlock here today...

That's because of a breakdown of a rather large truck on the A1 [closing it] & all the traffic coming through the town as a diversion

Sat at work and self employed waiting for a large drum of armoured cable to arrive, which I will then tow 50 miles to lay it in a quarry.

oldgit, I will try again in very simple terms, Kids need a minimum level of suppervision, someone has to decide what to do before the teachers arrive, we live in a litigous society. If the local authourity are advising people not to travel and little jimmy gets hurt travelling the school called be called to account, if little jimmy gets to school and breaks his leg and the school doesnt have the minimum supervision the school is in deep, deep shit. If the kids all come to school and then cannot be collected it is a major headache that the local emergency services would no doubt not need at that point. Most business dont have such huge duties of care over their "customers" when kids are involved and in our litigous society the only option open to heads its to be cautious. If you cannot understand this then maybe your school was closed too much when you were a kid.

Thankyou a_a

Now all we have to do is make the business world understand. You can't get away from the fact that there are many people in employment that have kids at school. And that school closures do have an impact on their working lives. To just say 'sniff it's your problem innit' is what's angered me. As you have pointed out in your post it's not simple, it certainly isn't.
BTW I certainly can't ever remember school closures.

My cables arrived now see you later.

At the end of the day the business world can go take a running jump, its the schools responsibility to keep kids safe at school and if they cant do that (or think it may be a problem) then the parents have to step in simple.

So what about everyone else,
My wife and teams are in at work and were yesterday as I am today.

Been to the Dentists this morning in Grassington drove right past the local school thats closed cos the Namby Pamby teachers cant get in, so how the **** did I drive through the Dales in my little car eh ?

And will be going to Carlisle on the Train this aft working, maybe I shouldnt I'll just start racking up the excuses now.

Fact more kids will injure themsalves sledging than going to school.

We are all in at my school.Teacher's are not off any more than other professions.Of course judging by the attitude of some of the posts you would think we were the modern eq of British Leyland. The fact is you are all bitter at having to spend more time with your kids!

Old Git.(and others!!)
The head takes the decision not "teachers" so **** off.
Most heads work their staff to the bone and certainly are not losing a day lightly!
Often the decision however is virtually imposed by bus companies that say they are not going to run.
Its far better to have made a decision than have 1200 to 1600 pupils arrive only to have them stranded at school.
For what it worth yes I will enjoy my extra day

Dales-rider take a deep breath concentrate hard and then read what I wrote.

and schools will close tomorrow when the snow turns to sheet ice because if someone injures themselves and the school has not taken "appropriate" measures the school would be liable.

The reality is that you are damned if you open (very dangerous and complaints from parents) and you are damned if you close (because after all the English education system is really only about child care-why else do we start children at school so early)

I'm surprised no-one mentioned the long holidays yet....

We're still here, we don't get a say in it. When the Principal says it's shut, it's shut.

Except children are vulnerable thats why teachers are CRB checked you muppet.

No answer to my question about schools having phones, a-a?

How does the teacher prove their identity?

Just a thought

Most teachers are paid through the public purse, so why not have them clearing snow & gritting etc. when they can't\wont turn up for work?

😉

It does seem as if teachers are lazy, at the slightest glimpse of snow they're pushing to have the day off - why aren't they looking after our children? Not only that they have 6 weeks holiday, and that's just in the summer, and they get paid for it!!

Just seen uploads suggestion - great idea, you could have chaingangs of teachers following the snowploughs clearing snow as they marched through the streets on they're paid days off

uplink you will be spending time in the "time out" room for that one!!

As someone said earlier, we don't make the decision. We are all still here, but all of our students are leaving of their own free will (FE college). We couldn't go even if we wanted to.

I phoned my local school this morning and offered my services (they said they were okay), I was also prepared to cycle 10 miles in the snow to get to my usual place of work, but was phoned at 7:00am to say it was not open. It was not my decision to close!

BTW I usually work a [i]lazy[/i] 40-50 hour week