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Original poster

To keep child off school. Sen child, bad weather.

19 replies

User36362746362 · 12/12/2022 07:03

weather is pretty bad where I live. Ds (secondary age) school is opening normal time but they know kids might be late. It's a mainstream school. I can imagine a lot of kids are going to be late.

he has sen with quite complex needs. He usually gets a taxi to school, taxi isn't operating. I drive so could take him not sure how comfortable I am driving in the ice etc, the road to the school is very rural, not treated and very windy and hilly. I wouldn't get him there at normal time. I could obviously try and take him in later but the roads were awful all day yesterday. I also have Dd to get to school, her school is opening late which she will be fine with.

as well as that, it's going to cause DS some massive disruption and anxiety. Time schedule, routine etc is very important to him. Me taking him in when it's usually the taxi and going in late is just going to increase his already high anxiety. I'd struggle to get him there he worried about being 'late' even if today it is acceptable. He is not used to me taking him to school either.

wwyd? Usually my kids go to school unless they absolutely need to be off or ill

But the taxi not running and I have no experience driving in these type of conditions - it doesn't happen here very often.

OP posts:
MeMyCatsAndMyBooks · 12/12/2022 07:05

If taxi not running are you sure school is even open? My son attends Sen and when taxis are off school is closed. YANBU keep him off send him tomorrow. Xmas Smile

parrotonmyshoulder · 12/12/2022 07:06

Keep off school if you are able to. Little point in adding to anxiety at this time of year and it sounds like a reasonable adjustment to allow him to stay at home.

SomethingNastyInTheBallPool · 12/12/2022 07:07

I’d keep him at home.
We’re waiting to find out if our school transport is running. If it isn’t, we won’t be driving DD to school - where we are is incredibly hilly and the side roads aren’t gritted. Getting stuck in the snow with a dysregulated SEN child would be a nightmare for everyone.

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Original poster
User36362746362 · 12/12/2022 07:13

MeMyCatsAndMyBooks · 12/12/2022 07:05

If taxi not running are you sure school is even open? My son attends Sen and when taxis are off school is closed. YANBU keep him off send him tomorrow. Xmas Smile

School is definitely open normal time - the taxi firm is based in another area where conditions are worse so been cancelled.

OP posts:
Original poster
User36362746362 · 12/12/2022 07:14

parrotonmyshoulder · 12/12/2022 07:06

Keep off school if you are able to. Little point in adding to anxiety at this time of year and it sounds like a reasonable adjustment to allow him to stay at home.

Thank you. The school are quite hot on attendance. He's not had much time off but they can be difficult!

OP posts:
LondonWolf · 12/12/2022 07:15

I'd keep him off. I have two children with additional needs.

upfucked · 12/12/2022 07:15

Keep him at home. His regular staff may not be in before him or in at all and I imagine that would be very stressful for him on top of everything else.

Original poster
User36362746362 · 12/12/2022 07:16

SomethingNastyInTheBallPool · 12/12/2022 07:07

I’d keep him at home.
We’re waiting to find out if our school transport is running. If it isn’t, we won’t be driving DD to school - where we are is incredibly hilly and the side roads aren’t gritted. Getting stuck in the snow with a dysregulated SEN child would be a nightmare for everyone.

its very much like that here too. Main roads gritted, we are 9 miles from the school and irs an awful road at the best of times. I drive but have little experience of this weather. My partner is at work.

it's not actually much snow here, it's sheets of black ice on the roads!

OP posts:
debka · 12/12/2022 07:16

Keep him off, life is hard enough for SEN kids as it is. I kept my 13 year old autistic daughter home in that 40c heat in the summer, she would have had such a bad time.

MintJulia · 12/12/2022 07:19

Well, you won't get any experience if you don't try.

If you explain to both DCs that snow days are special, mummy does the driving, everyone gets to school late and it will be fun, then I'd still try to take them both in.

But you know your ds best.

ChristmasCrackler · 12/12/2022 07:20

I would keep him off too. The last thing you and he needs is for you to get stuck in the awful traffic with these conditions.

Sirzy · 12/12/2022 07:22

I think the most important factor is you not being confident with the drive in this weather so it’s best not to do it.

Original poster
User36362746362 · 12/12/2022 07:22

It's not snow here, it's sheets of black ice on untreated roads. Very rarely gets cold enough here for the roads to get bad. I've been driving since I was 18 and never experienced it. The roads are dark, steep and windy, mix of rural and coastal roads. It would be much simpler if it was main roads!

getting Dd in is not an issue as the school is walking distance.

OP posts:
Original poster
User36362746362 · 12/12/2022 07:24

debka · 12/12/2022 07:16

Keep him off, life is hard enough for SEN kids as it is. I kept my 13 year old autistic daughter home in that 40c heat in the summer, she would have had such a bad time.

I can imagine. Although it was hot here it wasn't quite 40 degrees, more like 30 which was bad enough!

OP posts:
Sindonym · 12/12/2022 07:24

Do whichever best for him. Ds1 used to go nuts when transport wasn’t running, so on the very rare occasions school stayed open with no transport I would drop him in late. But if that had made him more anxious I would have kept him off.

I said yo dh last night that I was relieved we were out of school years because we would have had the transport issue today. It is so icy here. Untreated roads here will be treacherous until about midday (I was trying to get somewhere yesterday!)

gogohmm · 12/12/2022 07:33

My autistic dd went to mainstream school, would have caused her more stress to miss a day as she would have hated having to tell the teacher why she was off. We didn't have transport and were urban though, they provided a city bus pass, it was direct from outside our house to outside the school gate.

Original poster
User36362746362 · 12/12/2022 07:42

gogohmm · 12/12/2022 07:33

My autistic dd went to mainstream school, would have caused her more stress to miss a day as she would have hated having to tell the teacher why she was off. We didn't have transport and were urban though, they provided a city bus pass, it was direct from outside our house to outside the school gate.

It's hard isn't it. DS doesn't seem to care if he has the day off but does get distressed being late! I think it's because he's missed some is his day already, he won't settle!

most children go on the bus from our village. But can't imagine that's going to be running this morning. The roads are lethal!

OP posts:
Kapalika · 12/12/2022 08:12

I would absolutely keep him home!

Original poster
User36362746362 · 12/12/2022 08:24

well that went better than I thought, made contact with the school to say taxi cancelled and I'm not sure whether I'll get him in due to our own safety and his anxiety - they told me straight away to keep him off and not worry about coming in! So at least I haven't got the school on my back 😅

OP posts:
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