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AIBU?

to thonk 7.30am is too late to make the call on closing schools?

82 replies

k2p2k2tog · 17/01/2018 07:17

Snow chaos here last night, loads of cars stuck on roads, crashes, more snow. Amber warning in force until 8, Police saying don't travel unless you have to.

Council being crap as usual and won't be making the call on whether schools are closed until 7.30. There is someone manning the council social media so it's not like they can't get a message out. Lots of people will have already left to try to get in by 7.30. They should have decided overnight.

Grrr.

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Sirzy · 17/01/2018 07:18

Presumably they need someone - normally the head or caretaker - to be able to try to get near the grounds before a call can be made?

Who would you like to stay up all night to make the call?

CheapSausagesAndSpam · 17/01/2018 07:19

Well they can't win can they? If they say the night before, then it clears a bit, people freak out for having to have a day off work.

Theyre trying to be certain it's really needed.

Temporaryanonymity · 17/01/2018 07:20

Where are you? It isn't the council's decision where I live. It is down to individual schools.

FrostyThirties0 · 17/01/2018 07:20

Overnight? Presumably they were sleeping, you know, what with having a full time job and all that.

Ski4130 · 17/01/2018 07:21

Ours left it til 810 last time it snowed, and said they’d open at 10am to give people time to get there. Massively helpful that!!

Ski4130 · 17/01/2018 07:23

I don’t think it’s the council that makes the call by the way, it’s down to the individual schools. We had one school shut (eldest dc) and one open (younger two dc) lady time, and the open school was one of only two in the county that opened. It’s at the school (head teacher’s) discretion.

Dipitydoda · 17/01/2018 07:23

We had this a few weeks back 830 before the school confirmed and then via a closed Facebook group not everyone is a member of! No one needed to stay up all night - the HT could have got there at 7 and decided! It’s not exactly the middle of the night.

MaisyPops · 17/01/2018 07:24

My guess is that the site staff and others were not at work last night and might have been sleeping.
7:30 is reasonable.

Could you imagine if they announced closure last night and it had cleared by 830? You'd have people all over social media bitching about how they sorted childcare for nothing.

It happens. They are doing their best.

mumtomaxwell · 17/01/2018 07:26

At our school (very rural, large secondary) the decision is made by the bus companies. If they say they’ll run, we stay open. Often don’t hear until around 7.30, by which time most staff are there already.

k2p2k2tog · 17/01/2018 07:26

It's not the Head who makes the call - it's the Council. They have had people out all night snowploughing roads who will know exactly what the roads are like.

6am or earlier they could have sent a tweet or facebook post rather than waiting. I'm not expecting everyone to be in the council offices overnight but this is something which affects thousands of us.

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Readermumof3 · 17/01/2018 07:27

I doubt my council will close schools even if half the staff crash trying to get there this morning. After all the uproar from parents in 2010 about kids missing childcare education there have been very few closures. I am facing 10 miles on rural roads but hey! As long as a few kids turn up at school it'll be worth it . My own school can't shut until the HT gets there/tries to get there and makes the call. In 2010 she got stuck 4 miles from anywhere which makes that judgement all the harder....

Spurtle · 17/01/2018 07:29

Our HT lives 20 miles from the school and will probably find it difficult to get in at all never mind at 7am. I work in a school and know that HTs are under massive pressure from bosses to stay open. And as for parents, obviously you can’t please everyone. Some will be happy the school is closed, some will be furious. I wouldn’t be a Head for all the tea in China.

Readermumof3 · 17/01/2018 07:31

@Spurtle neither would I! And they wonder why they can't recruit mgtment 🙈

Spurtle · 17/01/2018 07:31

Readerofmum3 - Fife?

Readermumof3 · 17/01/2018 07:32

Indeed 👍🏼

k2p2k2tog · 17/01/2018 07:33

Our Head is local but lots of the teachers aren't - the kids had extended registration time yesterday as so many teachers were stuck on the roads.

Usually in my area (East Dunbartonshire) the Council takes the decision for all schools. Whether they speak to the Heads before doing this I have no idea. Probably not as their communication is pretty poor in general.

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Spikeyball · 17/01/2018 07:36

Sometimes the council makes a decision. In some areas particularly large counties it will individual school decisions, often based on what bus companies decide.

Lweji · 17/01/2018 07:38

Well, then people shouldn't leave for school until they hear if it's open or not, even if it means getting in later.
7:30 seems like a good compromise to me. Close enough to be sure and not too late. Presumably they want schools to open so will wait until it's clear it won't be possible.
Be patient. It's not business as usual.

BlackeyedSusan · 17/01/2018 07:38

it apopears that a lto of parents complained when the school closed for safety reasons once, an email followed about how dangerous it had been on site and the tone implied parents had complained.

BeyondThePage · 17/01/2018 07:38

Police say essential travel only, don't go out if you don't have to - that is good enough for me - as a parent - trying to ensure the safety of my kids - school can open if it wants to - if the police say don't travel, why would you. If advice changes in the day, take them in then.

(yes I understand people have jobs etc)

TheHungryDonkey · 17/01/2018 07:39

I think 7.30 is too late. Many parents will be on the way to school for 8am breakfast clubs and older children senior school.

OhYouBadBadKitten · 17/01/2018 07:40

It's pretty obvious what the criteria should be. If the police say don't travel unless necessary, schools should close.

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k2p2k2tog · 17/01/2018 07:41

Well it's now 7.40 and radio silence from the COuncil despite a tweet last night saying that they'd update at 7.30.

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Aspieparent · 17/01/2018 07:42

Our school doesn't let us know till late. Ds sets off at 8 and the school office doesn't open till 8.30 and it's after when we get a decision if schools open or not. It's not a council decision here they leave up to individual schools.

k2p2k2tog · 17/01/2018 07:43

Oh there we go. 7.41. All schools open. Kids gutted. We're within walking distance so they'll just have to leave extra time to get there.

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