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Original poster

Schools as polling stations

220 replies

notedbiscuits · 01/05/2024 15:52

For some parts of the UK, there are elections tomorrow (2nd). The school that my friend's DS goes to is closed tomorrow as its polling day. She is fuming to waste a day's annual leave as her DH is away for a week on a course and has no one to look after DS.

She said in the past, both the village hall and the church hall have been used. So why use the school which is then open for one day, Friday 3rd and not open again til Tuesday 7th as Monday is a BH.

Both the village and church halls are disabled friendly and have plenty of car parking.

When I lived 100 miles away, my polling station was a small mobile on a green area between two streets.

Do you think schools should be used as a polling station? Friend says they shouldn't unless the polling day moves and stays on Sundays which is the case for many countries around the world

OP posts:
cardibach · 02/05/2024 11:38

Needanewname42 · 02/05/2024 11:36

That's fine for the planned local elections and often they tie national elections to that which are normally now, first Thursday in May

But If they decide to call a general election at some other random point in the year how do they tie it to an inset without disrupting schools

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They just change one later in the year and make it a school day instead. Most 8n set days are in house training so can happen any day.

Abouttimeforanamechange · 02/05/2024 11:36

Elections should be held on a Saturday. Madness having it mid week and disrupting schools, work and traffic.

How is traffic disrupted? There's probably less disruption around schools that are closed for polling, because there's no school run.

Needanewname42 · 02/05/2024 11:36

cardibach · 02/05/2024 11:23

Everywhere I’ve encountered this they rearrange an inset day.

Show quote history

That's fine for the planned local elections and often they tie national elections to that which are normally now, first Thursday in May

But If they decide to call a general election at some other random point in the year how do they tie it to an inset without disrupting schools

Bartoz · 02/05/2024 11:27

Elections should be held on a Saturday. Madness having it mid week and disrupting schools, work and traffic.

Cygnetmad · 02/05/2024 11:25

if it's a polling station, it would be an inset day which the kids would have anyway. It's not an additional day off. Your friend is talking nonsense

CandiedPrincess · 02/05/2024 11:24

When my children were at primary school, the school fought back against this and the switch was made to the local church hall.

cardibach · 02/05/2024 11:23

Needanewname42 · 02/05/2024 10:01

If schools are closed for elections and its not one of the inset days, how to the kids not miss a days schooling?

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Everywhere I’ve encountered this they rearrange an inset day.

gubbinsy · 02/05/2024 10:48

Our school is used as a polling station and it is absolutely an inset day - teachers are in, just not pupils. It would just be used elsewhere otherwise.

echt · 02/05/2024 10:20

Saturday is voting day in Australia. And polling stations have to run a sausage sizzle - it's the law. Grin

Weirdly, political parties can canvass right outside the station. Much prefer the UK system in this respect.

Needanewname42 · 02/05/2024 10:01

cardibach · 02/05/2024 01:07

They don’t miss a day’s schooling. They will have exactly the same number of days every year (except for additional royal events like the Queen’s funeral etc).

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If schools are closed for elections and its not one of the inset days, how to the kids not miss a days schooling?

SudExpress · 02/05/2024 09:18

Theeyeballsinthesky · 02/05/2024 08:06

YANBU - in other countries they often use schools too but they also vote on sundays do the disruption is minimal

Here in Italy, they vote on Sunday and where I am (and teach) the schools are closed from the Friday to the following Tuesday. (Saturday is also a teaching day).

chaticat · 02/05/2024 08:08

I think its ridiculous. They have a right go if your child misses school but when they say so then it's ok

Theeyeballsinthesky · 02/05/2024 08:06

YANBU - in other countries they often use schools too but they also vote on sundays do the disruption is minimal

Hols24 · 02/05/2024 08:02

CaptainMyCaptain · 02/05/2024 07:17

Why did you quote me? I have also said schools can be used if they can arrange separate access.

Schools can't just declare an extra day's holiday for children and staff. In the past they used Occasional Days which were holidays, these were replaced by INSET Days which are working days for staff. Schools set their own INSET days but if they don't use the actual day can do the hours over 2 or 3 late evenings.

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Schools are allowed to take it as an extra day, losing one of their 190 teaching days -see link I posted earlier.

FoxtrotSkarloey · 02/05/2024 08:01

AllProperTeaIsTheft · 01/05/2024 18:40

But I still think it takes the piss and is hypocritical when other venues, albeit requiring more effort, are available. Don't miss a day's school, don't you dare, nope, not even one. Oh, what's that? Polling data again. Too much effort and cost to sort something else out, we'll just tell the school we need their hall again.

Hypocritical of whom though? I wonder if the schools have any choice in the matter. In any case, there is a difference between individual children missing out on a day of learning which will actually happen in their absence (so they actually miss the content) and all the children being out of school, so the content can be squeezed in for all another time.

Don't get me wrong, I think schools can be very heavy-handed about attendance, but they have little choice in the matter, but they are pretty much forced to be, as they are judged on it.

Hypocritical of "the council". Now I know it's the CC in charge of education and fining and BC who decide polling stations, but there is obviously a clear link if the BC can commandeer a CC school to be a polling station. And everyone^^ is aware of the push to up school attendance.

I am well aware it's not the school, I have no issue with them.

And for those who keep saying cancel the cheque it will be an inset day. For the THIRD time it isn't. Perhaps some are, mine isn't. My school's calendar is aligned with two others which aren't used as polling stations and they have exactly the same calendars in every other respect.

As per my first post, I just think the school is an easy target and I think that's wrong.

CaptainMyCaptain · 02/05/2024 07:17

ACynicalDad · 02/05/2024 01:01

I am a governor at my kids school and can assure you this is not the case for us. Only one campus is closed, the other carries on as normal, some schools use it this way but it is wrong to say that because it happens in your experience it happens at all. It simply does not. Whilst the local elections can be predicted it’s still possible there is a general election this school year, schools haven’t held an inset back just in case.

Show quote history

Why did you quote me? I have also said schools can be used if they can arrange separate access.

Schools can't just declare an extra day's holiday for children and staff. In the past they used Occasional Days which were holidays, these were replaced by INSET Days which are working days for staff. Schools set their own INSET days but if they don't use the actual day can do the hours over 2 or 3 late evenings.

sashh · 02/05/2024 06:31

Kpo58 · 01/05/2024 15:56

I don't have an issue of a school being used, but I can't see why it can't also be used as a school at the same time. They only need a hall or classroom for the polling, not the entire building.

My school's 'annex' was used but the rest of the school was still open, we were fairly pissed off that we didn't get a day off.

Stopsnowing · 02/05/2024 05:07

Yes schools have always been used but now parents are guilttripped over every minute of school counts, fined for taking kids out of school etc etc. Either it counts or it doesn’t. If it is a planned inset day fine but has that been the case here?

IwishIdidntlikesugar · 02/05/2024 04:50

It’s an absolute pain in the neck for the teacher who has their classroom used for this - imagine having to totally clear out your room after school then get it all put back in before school starts the next morning.

pinklepea · 02/05/2024 02:12

I don't see how the government can fine any parent taking their child out of school when the government have the right to close the school

Hols24 · 02/05/2024 02:05

cardibach · 02/05/2024 01:20

They aren’t missing school for voting. They’ll still have 190 days.

Show quote history

Not necessarily - schools are allowed to lose a day's teaching if being used as a polling station:

https://thehub.naht.org.uk/management/use-of-schools-as-polling-stations/

Use of schools as ‘polling stations’ - Management & Leadership - The NAHT Hub

5 minute read.

https://thehub.naht.org.uk/management/use-of-schools-as-polling-stations

Hols24 · 02/05/2024 02:01

No schools closed here - they're using library, village hall, scout hut, etc.

Catsmere · 02/05/2024 01:43

My first thought (from Australia) was surprise that voting isn't held on a weekend. Schools are used as polling places here for federal and state elections, but they're on Saturdays.

cardibach · 02/05/2024 01:22

Clearinguptheclutter · 01/05/2024 20:13

Our school is closed but it’s an inset day.
not sure what they’ll do when the GE is called as all the insets are fixed for the next academic year

annoying yes but no more so than any other inset!

They’ll move an inset which is being provided in house. Easy enough to do when it’s not an external speaker.

cardibach · 02/05/2024 01:20

ACynicalDad · 01/05/2024 19:56

I like the idea of moving voting to Sunday so that schools aren’t closed. We’re fined if we take them out for holidays as they shouldn’t miss school.

They aren’t missing school for voting. They’ll still have 190 days.

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