[Closed] The working day & school closures

Everyone here is making a fuss.

Schools shuting because most teachers hate there job. They will look for any excuse to not be there.

#opens can of worms and stands back#

Most other public services seem to be able to stay open

They've opened up OK here though

If the staff can't get in, what will the kids do?

Public transport is effectivley cancelled in london, so how are schools meant to open?

You see, this wouldn't happen in Florida!

My wife's a teacher so child care rather sorted itself out today 😉

If that can of worms ever needed opening it was now.

It's now stopped snowing here and only now has my step daughter been sent home 🙄

Don't get it, it's only 2" of snow.

It's a combination of things. Teachers not getting in is one, there are various regulations about teacher pupil ratios, another is what happens at the end of a school day if parents can't get to the school to collect the child, another is infrastructure, heating breaks down...also injuries, who's fault is it if a child slips. It's just a massive PITA really, so best thing all round is to close

Surely if you live in the catchment area you can walk in.
Public transport grinds to a halt, and yet everyone I know that drives to work got in on time.
Blimey I think I've sat on the same toilet seat as Jeremy Clarkson.

It's just a massive PITA really, so best thing all round is to close

Yes thats maybe the case

But hospitals, libraries, shops, etc etc etc all have the same 'PITA' and stay open so why dont schools?

I doubt it oldgit. He doesnt need a seat, as all his #### comes out of his mouth.

[i]Surely if you live in the catchment area you can walk in.[/i]

True if you're a parent, some of our teachers drive in from 20 miles away, some of our parents work further away than that.

Because Hospitals have too, and libraries, shops etc don't have the same constant populations of children in them.

T'was ever so, chaps schools have pretty much always closed during heavy snowfall

Hmmmm I wonder then how many private schools close for the day.

School use to close when I was a kid and I'm sure they did when most of you were kids so now I'm a Dad its nice to see my children getting a great excuse to spend the day messing about in the snow which, given we've not had decent snow in the South East for years, is something I'm glad they can experience.

However, if they're still off by about Thursday, I'll be pulling my hair out and phoning the council demanding they re-open 😉

Stop being such a miserable oldgit and get them outside and build a snowman! 😉

Cheese and rice geoffj can't you see I've the hump. I'm bloomin self employed with staff and I still can't have the day off to ride in the snow.
Hence the teachers are getting it today.

AFAIK in scotland you are, as a teacher meant to report to your nearest school if you cannot make it to yours.
I'm in today but then we have serfs to clear the paths 😯

B0ll0x to the private school - get yerself a governess.

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Hey Nuke, your right give the kids time out to play while we have the white stuff they all grow up pretty quick these days, not more than as day though. Bit of snow brings out the child in us all (for at least 5 mins). Was getting me paper this morning and there was a teacher moaning that today was a training so the kids would not have been in anyway, she felt cheated. Lazy cow.
Don't remember having days of school because it snowed, remember having to walk to school even when the snow was above our front door, this was some time ago and people were not so soft (born in the 50's). Few of the folks at this place walked in today, not just the older ones either. There is some hope at least.

Good advice geoffj.
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And I've been such a bad bad boy miss.

Because Hospitals have too

so it's possible then?

Hmm.

They were saying on the news that something like one in five people are 'working at home today'. In central London ambulances are going out for life-threatening emergencies only. So it seems a bit unfair to single out teachers. And anyway what sort of miserable git would begrudge kids a once in a blue moon chance to play in the snow?

Mind you I can remember in the winter of '63 (now that was a proper winter) going to school when I was knee-high to a grasshopper and the snow was up to my waist (blah di blah di blah).....

Some of them returns from Google image search were a bit interesting 😆

Mind you I can remember in the winter of '63

me too - I was 5
I remember them digging out the school gates so we could get in
That's when teachers had a bit of commitment 😉

our school is open, but we do get a bit nervous when it snows, as a couple of years ago the staff that did make it in ended up stranded (our school is at the bottom of an ungritted hill) and another time Staff had to volunteer to sleep in school and care for some children overnight whose parents couldn't get to them until the very early hours.

Nearly a third of our class didn't show up today anyway... they can't all have had flu! ;0)

As said above, it's due to staff:student ratios. If you work in a office shuffling paper, the paper can look after itself until 11:00, or whenever the deskjockey turns up.

If your kid had to stand in the playground till their teacher showed up, you'd be pretty unghappy.

The private school I work for is still open 🙁 I've got a 30min drive to work and managed it. We have about 150 boarding students so as such the school can't close although there is enough on-site staff to keep them sorted.

Although we had about 300 kids with blue hands after massive snow ball fights at break time trying to write with pens afterwards!! Was great though to see the kids playing and I did think it would be cool for them to be at home and able to play in it all day (nothing about having the day off so I can go riding).

Well my youngest is at private school and it's closed today.

Mind you it is out in the sticks a bit so no complaints just meant the missus had to have the day off as well.

Just found out just found out my company is sending us home at 4 today as more snow is expected........happy days.

In the three lessons I've had today, I had 13/20, 9/21 and 8/20. Might as well have closed the college, to be honest, as there was no point teaching anything to less than half a class.

Why Mike? - I'm sure they benefited

We were introducing a new topic, after completing some coursework last Friday. I'd have just had to go through it all again next lesson.

Why FFS, just tell the idle ****ers that couldn't be arsed to turn up to catch up in their own time!

Everyone at my place turned up for work today and some of them live in the arse end of Northumberland, half way up a Cheviot (and some of them live in Darlo Mike and they made it to the toon so your students have no bleeding excuse). All this 'we couldn't get there' bollocks from teachers and others is just laziness as far as I can see. I just looked at the ****ing weather forecast last night and got out of my pit earlier this morning - and lo, I was at ****ing work on time, even though the council had been 'Caught by surprise' and neglected to grit any of the roads.

Jeez it really winds me up, we get a couple of inches of snow and everyone uses it as an excuse to either not bother or skive off. Tell you what, me and my colleagues will all skive tomorrow, see how you like that!!

and breath......

Teachers don't close schools, it's their bosses- headteachers . I don't think teachers are any lazier than any other group of workers its just that when a school closes it probably impacts on more people, in the form of parents. For many places of work a few staff down is an inconvenience a few staff off school means childrens safety can be at risk through lack of supervision. As I understand it Teachers must make every effort to get to work or they run the risk of not being paid and then in theory should offer themselves to the nearest school that is open.

I took the day off, so all you essential workers could have a trouble free commute to work today. you ungrateful ****ers

I made it to work at school on time - 16 mile commute, abandoned car and walked last half mile, to find school shut. I'm chuffed they shut.
Whose kids are they again?
Not one mention of their EDUCATION suffering - just the usual moans that the free 'childcare' service let you down.
There's a thread here somewhere about schools not allowing kids to go on holiday in term time........... ??
I came home (via two lifts) and emailed work to my sixth form. The younger ones can go and play in the (all too uncommon) snow, learning all sorts in the process.
Sorry if its inconvenient because folk are self employed.
To late to suggest:[img] [/img]

............recorks fuel and stands back...........

ust the usual moans that the free 'childcare' service let you down.

Free? - Have you seen how much tax/NI most of us have to pay?

Got home from work and my kids told me (gleefully) that school is closed again tomorrow. Apparently, all Bradford Met schools are closed on Tuesday. Thankfully, my 3 are old enough to look after themselves.

Free childcare Its your job FFS!! Your choice of profession.

...and what would happen if I couldn't get to work(fire & rescue service) and there was a fire at your home or you were involved in a RTC???????????

"sorry someone will be to deal with your request for assistance once the snow has stopped"

Get off your high horse bruneep you didnt seem to care too much about our house fires or RTC when you when on strike in 2002 and 2003.

and how exactly do you know if I withdrew my services or not?

You presumptuous c0ck

Sorry, had to go and do a load of marking.

What were you saying about choice of profession?

I haven't avoidably missed a days teaching for a decade or so. Having my own kids has meant missing a day here or there.

Litigatious pupils parents' cost the taxpayer a tidy sum every year. Head teachers don't want to be sued - though most LEA's settle out of court as its much cheaper.

I was away booking a holiday for my [u][b]only 2 weeks off[/b][/u]in summer.

I was waiting for teachers' holidays to get brought into it.

Then I take it bruneep you showed the same disdain to your fellow workers for striking as you show to teachers for not going to work in the snow, at least you would be consistent.

So who can't be bothered to go to work today (southerners anyway)

Nothing but utter mass excuse to skive off work, if buses and trains ran ok thirty years ago why can't they now. I don't know a single person that drives that did'nt get to work yesterday.

I'm at school now, just ignoring the kids and wasting tax payers money on here. 😉

I wouldn't say trying to keep up with the kids' computer skills is a waste of tax payers money
You get all the new skills you need, don't mind the cost

i haven't been given the option. Because of the weather my employer has decided to shut for the day (again). All those with access have been asked to work from home, the rest get a freebie. Seems reasonably sensible to me; for those folks nothing needs doing today that can't be done tomorrow that's worth even a small risk for.

I'm at school now with waht feels like the start of 'flu. But cover for another member of staff who has a real reason to not be here would be stretched if i weren't.

bruneep nice split standard there. calling someone for being a teacher and its' their job they knew what they were siging up to then highlighting your paltry 2week summer break.

<checks state of glasshouse re all the stone throwing>

bruneep nice split standard there. calling someone for being a teacher and its' their job they knew what they were siging up to then highlighting your paltry 2week summer break

Yep can't argue with that...Firemen knew what the wages were when they signed up too!.....cracks me up when you saw them all moaning they needed a 2nd job to survive.......how many full time jobs actually give you enough free time to run a building company in your spare time?

Fire service job ads are massively oversubscribed if you don't want to play pool, darts etc for a living, with the occaisional fire to deal with, move along...plenty out there would take your place!

Fire service job ads are massively oversubscribed if you don't want to play pool, darts etc for a living, with the occaisional fire to deal with, move along...plenty out there would take your place!

Sorry are you stuck in the 70's? Its not like that anymore.

I'm more than happy with my 2wk allocated time with my family at summer. I just think that 6-7wks off is not good for anyone, be it teacher or pupil. To take a day off at he drop of a hat because you can't be arsed to struggle in due to 2cm of snow is madness.

Sorry are you stuck in the 70's? Its not like that anymore.

What bit?...2nd jobs? ...occaisional fires?...help me out cos I know a fireman who runs a building company....and saw lots of them on the news during the strikes with 2nd jobs.

Also interviewed an individual highly placed in a local brigade who told me there were only a fraction of the number of fires to deal with there used to be....so I'm confused

Things have gone pretty badly for the Police...not seen them on strike!

I agree with dr death and bruneep - providing education to children is exactly the same as providing emergency medical and fire cover.

In fact if A&E departments can stay open 24 hours a day, then I fail to see why schools too can't stay open 24 hours 😕

Apart from the fact that teachers are a bunch work-shy ****ers of course 🙁

No, we didn't stop 10 year olds working in mill or down pit so that they could spend their days making snowmen, get the evil little brats back to school - and bring back corporal punishment ffs.

Oh and bruneep, the reason you only get two weeks holiday is cause you do fukkall the rest of the year, as you eat, sleep and look at porn at the tax-payers expense.

And apparently in your case, you can't even be bothered to go on strike preferring instead, to leave it to your mates to bump up your wages and taking the coward's way out by booking a holiday instead.

BTW I've never heard the "we didn't have fires in the 1970s but we have loads now" argument before 😯

GG - I once remember getting caned on a very frozen hand after spending all dinner-time playing in the snow
I can still feel the pain as I warmed up.

Made men of us though 😉

I just posted this in response to wingeing on our local paper's website:

When it snowed before Christmas, many people were unable to get into work before 11am. Would you like your kids left standing in the playground for two hours until their teacher arrived?

Schools have to make the decision on whether or not to open very early, otherwise parents may have dropped their kids off and then set off to school. Would you like to arrive at work at 11 only to get a phone call telling you to go back to school to collect your kid? As it might take you two hours to get there, little Johnny could have spent four hours shivering and turning blue in the playground...

Yesterday turned out to be nowhere near as bad as before Christmas (were the roads gritted this time but not last time?), so many schools could probably have opened, but would you like to have made that call at 7am yesterday, when the media was full of headlines like "Snow brings morning chaos - and there's worse to come"?

http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/4093288.Snow_brings_morning_chaos___and_there_s_worse_to_come/

I haven't really read this querulous CBI-inspired piece of whining. In our neck of the woods there was tonnes of snow, schools closed, few people went to work. Kids who would normally have been grinding into school to spend another day of the rest of their lives learning that Hitler was a bad man, osmosis is something to do with slugs and "handjob" is a naughty word spent the entire day playing, with their parents, in the snow. It looked rather good fun.

I went to work, because no-one I love wants to make snowmen and drink cocoa with me and it was the best pretext for a 2-hour ride. But I didn't do anything much when I got here, just giggled about how much fun the ride had been and looked forward to heading home.

Snow is great, just roll with it. No-one lies on their deathbed thinking "if it wasn't for those workshy teachers I would have spent less time with my kids".

😀

You have'nt got a grumpy twelve year old to get out the door in the morning because his school out of the eleven in the area is the only one open.

When do the excuses end? what happens if it snows again?

Snow is great, just roll with it. No-one lies on their deathbed thinking "if it wasn't for those workshy teachers I would have spent less time with my kids".

Yep, my daughters were both at school and nursery yesterday and I was in College working. Looking at what I achieved yesterday and what they will have done at school, I'd rather have stayed at home and played in the snow.

My wife is a teacher. Yesterday the staff all managed to get to their small village school in the middle of nowhere, but at 10 to nine when no kids had turned up and plenty had phoned in to say they weren't coming they decided to close. She stayed there most of the day though doing planning/sorting etc. which seems to take more of her time than the actual teaching anyway (usually she's gone by 7.15 am, back at about 6 pm and does a couple of hours planning after tea each weeknight). On the other hand my daughter's school just up the road in town closed from the off, but as I was helping at my son's nursery yesterday morning (voluntarily, like many of the parents do) I took her with us and she had a nice time playing with the little kids.

Today we had more snow on the ground but a better forecast but luckily my wife's school, daughter's school and son's nursery all decided early to close for the day - so we've all just spent two hours outside with most of the neighbours and their kids sledging down the hill at the side of the house.

PS - my wife, the teacher also pays NI and taxes. Surprised a cyclist would want to bring up the subject of hypothecated taxes given the ire that not cyclist motorists tend to heap on us for daring to use the roads with vehicles without tax disks even though we've all got cars at home.

"It's snowing" is not a mere "excuse", it's a [i]reason[/i].

🙂

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Keep flogging it lads.