School closures why….

My school is open, my wife who works in Aberdeenshire…shut.

To answer the points above;

The authority has to decide if a school can close DURING the day, heady takes decision in am depending on forecast.

School must have teacher/pupil ratio to agreed min.

Distance;I started off living six miles from my school, local authority moved me 30 miles, to a school I cannot afford to live near/will not uproot kids from school for. Anyway, living near your school means you WILL get grief sooner or later.(My car done by a 15 yo who told me that it didn't matter as when he was 16 the slate was wiped clean)

We have kids bussed in from outlying villages, dangerous in these conditions when minor roads blocked.

Getting approaches and entrances safe (2 weeks of freezing/thaws during holidays=slippy)

The legal action for unathorised holidays issue is a blanket reaction to the number of parents who take their kids away the two weeks before the Easter/Summer break because it is cheaper.Couple of days for snow is not exactly two weeks of missed work, is it?

I would be suprised if many teachers wanted a day less with their senior classes, I don't, we have lots to do and time is running out before exams.

Finally;Blob were you aware school is not a big child minding service? Thought not. Of course, if the school was open and your kid slipped on ice and was hurt it would be "just one of those things" wouldn't it? Oh and could you link how schools being closed makes train drivers stay off?

I would suggest the % of teachers who do not make it in to work is lower than a lot of professions.

An amusing thread. Even more amusing that a fireman started it.

You lost any moral high ground before you began typing, bruneep.

TT
Nope none lost, and WTF has my Job got to do with this? I have never had a day off due to the snow.

As I said previously my 2 sons go to different schools 1 at primary the other at the academy(secondary school "council" not run by a business or the church) They are less than a mile apart 1 is fully open the other is closed.
During the day a.m went to Tesco (still within 1 mile of school)to do some shopping and I meet 2 teachers from the shut primary school. If you can get to the shops you can get to school.

Away to try and get to work, then again if I have to scrape the windscreen clear of snow I may just give up and go back to bed.

Be careful out there you don't want me cutting the roof of your car today.

I'll only attend your emergency if I'm not to busy sitting on my arse doing nothing watching tv, playing snooker etc. etc…………… yawn

😉

Couple of days for snow is not exactly two weeks of missed work, is it?

we were refused permission for 1 day – the last day of the summer term
Reason? the response was the he could not afford to miss a day & it would be reported as unauthorised absence if he didn't turn up

"School is not a child minding service" and "Can you link schools being closed with drivers not turning up"

Sheesh! Do I really have to explain that to a teacher? Who looks after the kids if they're not in school?

Closing a school affects ALL of the families where both parents work.

A significant proportion of school's responsibilities during school hours is the care of the child and it should be recognised that closing a school has far wider implications on the community in which it is based.

bruneep, unless the same staff work at both schools of course there could be differences. If enough people cannot get to the primary then it will shut, unless the school only has 2 classes seeing 2 teachers means nothing other than two of them could have made it. Don't know the forecast for where you are so don't know about concerns about getting home again at the end of the day.
Schools provide an important service, could argue an essential service but it is not an emergency service and a couple of days out of the whole year will not make a significant difference to their education.
As for the teachers having a day off, rescheduling your work to fit in everything you need/want to achieve does not happen on it's own and that, for me at least, is not the fun, rewarding bit of the job by any means. Maybe not a full day but some work will need doing.

edit-sounds like I am over egging that particular pudding, not looking for sympathy for the work I will have to do today (yep, I am a teacher at home) but working from home is still a possibility, even without a class in front of you.

A significant proportion of school's responsibilities during school hours is the care of the child

Wrong, our responsibility is to educate your child. If your child's safety is compromised because of the reasons mentioned above,then the school will not open.Again,you think that school is a cheaper childminding service. Still haven't answered my q about your chid getting hurt have you?

Neep, one day is small beer,however schools have to be seen to be providing education until the last bell summer time.I would add that nobody cares about an una at the end of term(as the reg code shows)

I think we're the only educational place open in the area today (FE college). Mind you, how many of the students bother to turn up is another matter. No snow at all, but they won't need much excuse.

Let me rant about the services that I expect to be there, no matter what happens:

Police – yup
Ambulance – yup
Schools – not in bad weather
Fire – nope – we'll strike

I have expectations of certain professions being professional. I just find the irony in a fireman complaining that someone isn't at work amusing.

if the school was open and your kid slipped on ice and was hurt it would be "just one of those things" wouldn't it?

yes it would

This whole teacher bashing tone of this thread is completely ridiculous.
It is the local authorities that allow headteachers to chose to close their schools.
If, as parents, you are not happy, then stop whinging on here and complain to your local authority.
I am a teacher and a parent.
My school was open yesterday. I live the furthest form school and managed to get there at my usual time of 8.00am. My head has chosen to close today, presumably due to health and safety.
I have just taken my son to school this morning. The area around his school is in a lot worse condition than mine!

Bruneep…MrFC is a firefighter so I'm well aware of how he spends his time. He does not watch TV, play snooker etc.
However, the way the fire service is managed is a complete joke. If I had a problem with the my fire service I would not be so stupid as to blame my local firestation/firefighters.

Stop blaming schools/teachers and get onto the local authority who allow schools to be closed at the first sign of snow.

It's what many geographically-distributed companies do and there's no reason why the schools shouldn't do the same.

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

. I had 3 schools to listen out for on the radio; my own, and my 2 kids.

Mothers are getting younger & younger these days 😉

It is the local authorities that allow headteachers to chose to close their schools

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

so what about late opening? why can't everyone just get up earlier – does everyone have to watch their fav' breakfat tv before thinking about putting on warm clothes and wonder if they can get car out without a bit of manual effort?

our school open this am, one of the few round here, after head rang up at 6am to ask if road was looking ok – where there is a will

What's really boiling my piss is the 'it's not a child minding service' comments. No it's not it's a school and parents are legally? bound to get their kids to school, which in most cases they can do, but it seems that's not the case with the staff.
I think someones missing the point, the kids aren't there for your benefit, you are there for their's.
Why is this happening in 2010? we have good heating and lighting, and surely there must be some teachers without work that could actually be reliable over winter. When is something going to set in place, we've had winters for years now.
I'm sick of this attitude that it's the parents problem if the parent can't get the kid to school, and it's the parents problem if teachers 'won't go to school.
The simple fact is that you the teachers/local authority are failing us.

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

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

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

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

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!!