School Closures because of Snow WHY

Hi
I just can't believe how many schools just shut up shop when the snow falls, its unbelievable other business have to open staff have to get to work, you can't just ring up and say its snowing so I'm staying at home.

Some of these schools were reporting they weren't going to open the night before the snow came, do teachers get paid if they don't turn up ?

What do you think

The trouble with snow is that 7 in the morning it might start, the parents may get told don't bring the kids in then it stops snowing 2 hours later.the parents lose a days pay!. On the other hand the kids go to school as usual in the morning, stars snowing heavily all day the roads become treacherous and then there's chaos can't collect kids. Its a no win situation...just a thought

i had walk to school ever day sun rain snow it was a nightmare i hated it cold wet then got cain for being late how quick did they think i could walk next door [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

If anyone saw the programme the other night ''the big freeze 1963'' they will know what a hard winter is. If you didn't see it try to catch it on BBC iplayer. This country simply couldn't cope if we ever get a winter like that again.

The main issue for head teachers is linked to health and safety- if a child falls over on the ice or snow in the playground or school premises they are sued for negligence - if they fall over at home and are injured its an accident.
Most schools don't have staff to clear all the playgrounds,paths car park etc so it's safer to close the school - even though staff still have to report to work

Hi,

If that's true then the law needs changing, anyway it shouldn't take a lot of work to grit and clear a path from the school gate to the main building and similar between buildings if necessary.

It seems more to do with teachers than the children.

I was listening to the news earlier and there is some suggestion that offsted monitor the attendance levels at schools and the suggestion is that in order to avoid a black mark for perhaps low attendance they close the school, not sure how true that is, but knowing the systems we have I could well believe it.

Do the staff have to report for work ? if the school has declared itself to be closed, and do the staff get paid if the school has declared itself closed and they don't turn up ?

Leapy wrote:

The main issue for head teachers is linked to health and safety- if a child falls over on the ice or snow in the playground or school premises they are sued for negligence - if they fall over at home and are injured its an accident.
Most schools don't have staff to clear all the playgrounds,paths car park etc so it's safer to close the school - even though staff still have to report to work

Hia

when I worked at the nursery school we closed a couple of times in 2009/2010 due to weather and heating situation and each time we got paid BUt because we had out laptops we were given work to do

but if we just said on a snowy morning that we were not coming in we probably would not be paid the permission as to come from the head who is suppose to notify her chair of governors and the local council (I think)

It amazes me that the Police, Ambulance, Doctors, Nurses, Council workers, Power Station workers, car builders the list goes on and on all have to and do get into work as I have never heard of a Hospital, Police Station, etc etc closing because it snows, but Schools seem to at the first drop ?

Something needs to be done, just imagine if your main district hospital closed and sent all the patients home, or the Police said sorry we can't work today just in case one of our officers falls over we will be sued

We have had no postal delivery for 4 days because of the weather and there was no refuse collection either yesterday- so its not just the schools



My neighbour went to work yesterday but was sent home due to health and safety -he couldn't see any holes on the building site due to the snow and it was considered unsafe

on tv this morning 1 in 6 schools closed for couple days not bad better than some ikdd sliping and hurting them selfs

The vast majority of those kids will be out running around in the snow enjoying themselves with probably 10 times the likelihood of slipping and possible hurting themselves, than they would have been in a classroom being taught.

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Extract from link above:-
Monday saw hundreds of schools closed. While many children enjoyed sledging, injuries were reported by ambulance services.
Sixteen-year-old Liam Stafford remained critically ill in hospital after hitting a tree while sledging in Normanby, Middlesbrough.
East of England Ambulance Service also issued a warning after it was called out to attend at least a dozen sledging-related injuries, including broken bones or head injuries requiring hospital treatment.

The Ambulance staff were able to work in the snow

Our dustmen are late but they haven't stopped working they are just held up.

And again did your hospital close and send all the patients home because the staff or new patients may hurt themselves getting into the hospital.

Have your Police stopped working because they may fall over in the snow

Teachers want to be treated and paid as the elite in this country and compared with the likes of Police, Doctors etc. they need to act in the same way when things get a little tough they still do the job

vat man wrote:

on tv this morning 1 in 6 schools closed for couple days not bad better than some ikdd sliping and hurting them selfs

sorry got to disagree with you when your locking after some ones else children total difrent rules.we are not talking about men and women going to work we talking about children most teacher still turn up

I think we will have to agree to disagree,

yes

Way back when I was at school, schools never closed for snow, no matter how thick it was. We were all expected to turn up and we did. I have to say that we had the best fun in the snow. The best thing we did was make 'slides' (where you run, slide on the snow and eventually turn it into an ice strip). Health & Safety would not allow this to happen nowaday which is such a shame as todays kids miss out on so much.

Yes, I was still at school in 1963 and I remember that winter well. My Dad worked in London and travelled to Stevenage daily, he always got there, allbeit late