Schools shutting because of snow. oh and snow chaos in general

I'm going to go to town on this now.

Right then what is with schools shutting just because of snow?
There is no harm in those who are able to walk it doing so. And a bit of cautious driving for those not to far from the school.

I am aiming really at secondry schools here now. Some teachers are saying they'll get soaking wet. So... They want to throw snowballs and get wet and cold there choice and they so should be made to do lessons in it. Some have important GCSEs and A levels to revise for and cancelling school just because of snow in my words is a bit silly.

Yes there's other factors like hills and stuff.

Yesterday I walked from one end of my suberb to the other this includes down hills and up hills on ice and snow and didn't fall over once to find my placement school cancelled I was actually very miffed because with primary schools its easy just to say its wet play. There mostly in the class room anyways.

I also saw yesterday the children quite capeable of walking to school in what they were wearing as some who didn't know there school was cancelled did that. I didn't see them minding at all some were laughing there heads off through it.

Yes i realise there is another matter of no grit for roads. This yesterday caused absolute chaos on one of the main roads such as a massive hill i walked up and down.

I think even though it is down to money wise I do think we should be more prepared for this type of weather even if it doesn't happen. Forcasters predicted this at least a week in advance i read in papers and we didn't do anything till last minute as usual.

Basically, they have to consider safety.

Take our school for example.
Most of our teachers live trains/cars/bus rides away. The buses are cancelled, which means more children can't get to school, and once they get there they can't get back. Teachers can't get to school because of trains being cancelled, roads being slippy in cars, and basically it being dangerous. For instance, my form tutor lives in south hampton, an hours car journey here, and it would be stupid for her to even attempt that.


So we have no teachers, hardly any students because the roads are so dangerous (bearing in mind most students get the bus, or car, and one of my friends was in an accident on Monday morning as he was on his moped getting to school, so he's refused to get to school if it's like this), heating problems due to oil freezing, and the fact that if they let us in school, we'd be having snowball fights which if they cause injury, the school could be sued for. When we went back on Wednesday, some year 8 kid threw a snowball at another kid and got sent home because of it.

Again, with walking, I walked to school up a hill on Monday, and I fell over no less than four times, and I've seen many people fall over, including dogs and the elderly. Walking down the hill was more dangerous as it's a steep hill and srsly, I was so scared.

So basically, if you put everything into perspective, sometimes they do need to close the school. I still have my work emailed to me, which I am doing now, so it's not like I'm doing absolutely nothing. I am taking my GCSE's and all teachers have offered to email work, so I have all my work here and have been doing it.

But yes, this is Britain, we do always leave things to the last minute, but where's the fun in planning things? ;]

[Asi]

Teachers usually have to travel further than students. It's no good opening the school if the teachers can't get there.

[Tears and Rain]

-Teachers living far
-Cars getting snowed in
-Ice on the roads making it dangerous to drive
-Buses and trains cancelled
-The general idea of parents that there will always be a snow day if there's snow, so don't bother sending their kids in
-Yadayadayada..

It's just one of those things, though it's quite amusing how everything in Britain comes to a standstill where other countries could deal with it.

[charcoal feathers]

I think my nursery and the school next to us were the only school/nursery in our town not closed yesterday. Though, they shut off our car park due to health and safety, so they weren't liable if someone had an accident. Most teachers are not within walking distant of the school they're working at and tbh, it's not even worth the risk trying to get to work, the roads are real dangerous. We aren't prepared for snow, like other countries.

[x-dying-inside-x]

i dont blame them for closeing schools and colleges because i drove to college on monday in the really bad snow and i would hate other people to do that + pubic transport was stopped.

[Puppet Strings]

Another problem is safety around school itself, nevermind getting people there and stuff. Our school did the best they could do stay open at the beginning of the week, but grit supplies are very low in my county as it is for roads, let alone schools, and the paths were getting worse and worse around school due to the lack of grit. When the snow started getting heavier, it becomes very difficult all around, and then even if people do get in there are health and safety issues to contend with.

I'm missing an exam today, and so are the year 11s, and I'm sure they did all the could do take that itno account. The exam boards will be dealing with this problem across the country, so something will probably be done - the exams held next week perhaps, for example.

sorry but for those who have exams today
I'm sorry but whats the problem with you just sitting the exam then going back home again and teachers should have enforced this

[IamJamesGreens]

It's pathetic. What the hell would happen if the whole nursing sector just had ONE snow day? People would DIE.


So why is it the rest of society is so incapable of getting on with life? PC this Health & Safety that. If kids fall over, they fall over FFS.

I mean I've got an painful hand abrasion which makes riding my bike difficult. I still however managed to put on some waterproofs, gloves, pull my up hood up, ride slowly through the blizzard to work, work for 8 painful hours and ride home. All for a less-than-stellar wage.

[x-dying-inside-x]

^ but then you have the problem of people getting in for the exam and getting home. they dont tell you not to go out if you have to for nothing it's to make sure people are safe and don't get killed.

[Bleeding Angel]

yeah but what if you cant get in to do the exam?

[griddlebone]

The school I work at didnt shut, but its was completely ridiculous. Nearly everyone was last, including teachers, parents were dropping in all through the day to take their kids home. Because so many kids werent in they couldnt deliver the lesson plans. Teachers spent the whole day on their phones to their own kids because their schools got cancelled.
Every school has the opportunity to stay open, which I also think is ridiculous, if the majority of schools are shut,they all should be. I know the headteacher at my school was under a massive amount of stress, she didnt want to close the school because people had gone to work so where would the kids go? So if the school was just shut in the first place then the parents wouldve had to take the day off anyway!
The KCC's official stand point when it comes to snow days is that all schools should stay open, even if the schools are effectivley babysitting children. Most of the reason why schools close, is that members of staff fill out risk assesment forms in which they say weither or not they could make it school and if there arent enough skeleton staff,they usually close.
Ok so children can walk to school,but (and im using primary age as an example) imagine your a parent, trying to keep two children under control,in the snow,youre trying to stay upright and your trying to keep your kids safe, I can see why parents thought '**** it!' basically.
But there should be a much clearer guidelines set out for schools and it shouldnt just be down to each school individually.

[over and out]

In my opinion, the school has a right to shut if they feel it necessary, it isn't just teachers they are thinking of its the pupils as well. Most school heating is **** therefore going to school and sitting in wet clothes all day in a freezing school isn't fair.

And also most teachers in all the schools I have been to live at least a town away. My sister drove to work yesterday, it SHOULD have been a ten minute drive, it took over an hour. I panicked when she hadn't got there after half an hour so text her to check she was ok. The roads were at a standstill. she text me when she had parked up to explain. So my point being, these teachers have family who would be worried that their 45 minute journey to work was taking over two or three hours.

Another story was of my sisters boss doing a five mile journey and it taking two hours. This was at half past ten at night.

So in reply to what you're trying to say is I find it perfectly reasonable for the safety of both adults and children for the school to shut. If you are bothered about exams and stuff, REVISE instead of sitting on-line complaining about it. It does make a hell of a lot more sense than wasting time when you could actually be helping yourself. but meh whatever. It has saved me this week because I have been ill since Tuesday and the school I am doing my placement at has been shut for two of those days so I only have to pick up two out of the four days I have missed.

Exams, consider the chaos and stress that will cause, as the people who can't get there will panic about not being able to get there.

We had to postphone our UK Maths Challenge & Enterprise Day.

And apparently, the hilly path our school has is really icy and dangerous, and someone's fallen over on it.

[Sans Peur]

This is what they wrote on my uni's website to explain the closure this week.

.

Quote:

..campuses have remained closed throughout the week commencing 2nd February. The decisions to remain closed have not been taken lightly. The primary reason for the continued closure has been the danger of the extremely slippery surfaces, in the car parks and on the pathways round the buildings. Every effort was made by estates staff during the week to salt and clear the snow and ice, but unfortunately surfaces remained dangerous. Ultimately the judgement to remain closed has been based upon the safety of students, staff and visitors and it was considered too great a risk to re-open the campuses this week.

Quote:

Directors of Studies are working with Course Leaders to review the plans for the teaching of the semester 2 units. Students should particularly note that the exceptional circumstances of this week will be taken into account in the planning of assessment for semester 2 units. Staff will be able to advise students on their return of any revisions to the timetables or the schedule of assessment.

Im still frustrated with this, guess the reason for it being closed is valid enough- the car park is on a steep hill.My course is nearly all workshop based within the uni so has taken a week out of this work that will have to be fitted in within other weeks. **** happens. The lie ins have been nice though :p

[over and out]

Oh, I forgot to add if it is just because of the paths etc, well if you fall on a path that has been treated (gritted) you can sue whoever treated it, however if it is not treated and you fall its an act of god and cannot be anyones fault. Therefore going back to what Tiff said about falling over. the school WON'T/SHOULDN'T treat things so their only other option to keep the pupils and staff safe is shutting the school.

[lungs locked lips locked]

Erm, snow meant I had a valid excuse to spend an extra night with my girlfriend's at hers, it also meant that I didn't have to go out of my way to get back from London after a gig wednesday night, this therefore meant I could spend more time with friends that I love having a good giggle and generally being happier than I would have been otherwise.

So, even though its really cold, and annoying, snow has its good points.

Plus, its like a few days every year, and its a fun break...lighten up?

[Dreaming.]

I'm always amazed by the people who moan at snow.

It happens, to this level, what - every five, six years or so? Relax, enjoy yourself, celebrate the unplanned holiday.

In terms of work, you can still do some work at home, reading up or revising, looking at online sources. It's possible.

And what with people already moaning about how the gvmt. spends money, think of the outcry the Daily Mail and Mirror would make about OMG! GVMT WASTING MONEY ON SNOW PROTECTION when there's only five days of heavy snow per year.

Other countries can deal with it, but other countries have to deal with it on a regular basis.

[tigris]

I'm having quite a lot of fun really.... I'm at boarding school and none of us can go home because loads of the roads around us have been closed due to accidents on the ice. Only a few of our teachers can make it in and it's taking them all like an hour and a half to drive 5 miles, so we have a few lessons but not all of them. We all have loads of coursework atm so basically we are having free days to catch up with work and go play outside.

It is really slippy and we can't really walk anywhere - but we have food and we're having fun so we're not complaining! This doesn't happen very much so we should make the most of it....

Also I read on bbc website this morning that the Severn Bridge has been closed because big sheets of ice were falling off the overhead road signs and landing on people's cars and smashing their windscreens.... however slowly you are driving that is incredibly scary and dangerous, and you shouldn't really try to go anywhere in conditions like that.

[IceBerg]

In all fairness, today i was in school, and we were in lessons, kind of learning, whilst it was blizzarding, but the the office had a phone call from the police to tell them to shut the school.
So, it is a matter of health and safety, but not insane health and safety. The fact there was insanely wet roads/sludgy stuff, and snow on the paths, then they couldnt have waited until the end of the day, because it would have been more dangerous, as it had been snowing for three hours with no sign of stopping, it was getting worse and worse.
It was dangerous enough for us to get home at half twelve, even though it was stopping snownig a bit. But it was hard, becuase the snow was becoming slush, and very hard and unsafe to walk in. The roads were also very dangerous.
Monday, the journey to school for me took double the normal time, and we didnt even get to the normal bus stop, we got off early and walked, mainly becuase we werent moving. On tuesday however, i didnt try to get into school, because a) it was the same situation, snow wise, as monday, and b) it was shut anyway.
My friends school was open on monday, and then shut on tuesday. One of the main reasons it was shut on tuesday, was that someone broke their leg on monday, due to falling on the ice at school. So it isnt extreme health and safety? Its actually protecting you.
Schools actually have to shut if the boiler is broken, and the temperature in school is lower than it should be (not sure what it is).

The country goes to pot when it snows, mainly because it doesnt happen here much, especially this much, like down south here, and that sorta places. So, we arent prepared for it.

With the exams, yeah, sure you could go in and then do the exam ad go home. But, what about those people snowed in, or with an amount of snow leading them unable to get in to do the exam.

To be honest. Today, i didnt want to go home at lunchtime, because a) my fave lesson was interrupted, and b) i should have had been able to go to the gym today.
But, monday and tuesday, it made sense for my school to be shut. It was a stupid idea to try to get everyone into school, there was so few of us, and so few teachers, that we went home by half 10 anyway.