to wish that when we have snow and the school is in the back of beyond, it would just shut?

[Sevenfold]

dd goes to a sn school in a rural spot, it is not the local school.
due sto its situation there is a chance it will be closed tomorrow.
I have no probs with that as if the staff have trouble getting in, so will the pupils, who are all in wheelchairs and apart from boarders will have to travel in on buses.
so why can't they just say it is shut?
then we don't have to get up at the crack of dawn and have a long long day.

It's more sensible to stay open if the staff can get in

That way the pupils who can make it are free to go

agree it would be sensible to just close.
Not only is it dangerous to try and make it in, but it is also bound to cause anxiety to the children who are attempting to get in.

It also then risks that more snow may fall and children are stuck at the school with no way of getting home.

Schools can't just shut because there's a bit of snow. The country can't just come to a standstill. I wonder sometimes how stupid the UK (well really just the south of England) must look to countries that get a considerable amount of snow for several months every year.

that is the thing they can get stuck there, dd did once and school transport refused to pick her up, they seemed to think it was ok for me too, it was when we had very bad snow, not like now, in the end I contacted ss and a man in a 4x4 went and got her.
so they do have to take that into account as well, also the safety of a school full of young people in wheelchairs.

well quite frankly i don't think my sons peers who are wheelchair bound, oxygen reliant and on various medications that need to be administered at precise intervals really care about the economy. I think they are more worried about remaining safe and err, alive!

Well, here's hoping that the nurses and doctors who your son's peers may need over the bad weather can get into work. And if they can, there's really no excuse for others.

I live in the north of Scotland, our schools do close occasionally, there have also been occasions when the schools open in the morning but if it worsens they'll close during the day. It's got to be pretty bad though.

Obviously common sense should prevail, if it's a very disabled child maybe their parent should make the decision to keep them home but to suggest closing the school entirely is unreasonable.

sevenfold, I can ask what the conditions are like at the school, if you want? I haven't heard today, but last night it was snowing enough for my friend to let me know, so a reasonable amount...

do you not have a snow awareness contact chain?

my dd1's school is also in a remote-ish area, and I will get a text by about 7am tomorrow if it is shut.

I would be happy to let you know tomorrow am what the conditions are, if you want - my friend would happily oblige, and she is up at that time anyway. Let me know. (doens't help with the forecast and worsening conditions over the day etc, I know, but it's a start)

Yeah, I can see your point about vulnerable children - but if you think it's not safe for your son, make an executive decision and keep him home.

When I was at school, if it started to snow, those of us in the villages were sent home. Just as well, sometimes we were on the last bus or train that got through for several days. This was in the Pennines though. I still can't help that second of excitement when I wake up and see snow - although sadly it's quickly replaced by 'oh nooooo' these days as I worry about my commute/ds's school being shut.

(Which is nonsense, we are in a town in the home counties - the head argues the school is up a steep hill and seems incapable of suggesting people either walk or park their cars a little further away and complete their journey on foot. And I know full well plenty of teachers live within walking distance or travel on main roads, which are perfectly passable.)

Doctors and nurses are usually able to get transport in via local authority extreme weather cars. basically 4x4's that are equipped to drive through these conditions and drivers who have been trained to use them.

they are not expected to get into a massive minibus with one semi retired driver and an escort who, whilst lovely would be of no use in such an emergency.

I think it comes to perspective.
No i don't think the country should just slow to a stop at the first flutterings of snow. But i think that common sense should state that certain situations are not worth the risk.

And since sevenfold was asking about her daughters SN school in a REMOTE setting, then yes i agree with her, it would probably be wise to close the school.

having said that, i am at work today after battling through the snow and will be again tomorrow.
But that is because i am able to drive myself, have the ability to take responsibility should i get stuck and am not disabled.

Excuse me? I live in an area that gets quite a bit of snow (not this year mind), my sister and daughter are both nurses, both live several miles from the hospital but have to make their own way to work. You're telling me that your NHS hospital has a fleet of 4x4's at the ready to fully staff the hospital? That is absolutely not universal.

I said individuals should make the choice fir their own kids and should do so without judgment but if the school can open it should. Lots of people can't afford time off work or childcare costs.

OMG! A small amount of snow and here we are trying to close schools again! When I was at primary school, I lived in a remote area with no nearby school so had to take myelf by two buses into the nearest town to go to school. We had snow and more snow and more snow and we were not allowed to stay at home. In those days, we did as we were told and used a tremendous facility that had been provided for us by the state. Think about those children who have to walk 7 miles a day to go to school (and 7 miles home) and they feel privileged. Mollycoddling parents. Get out the cotton wool, Nurse!

My bro lives in Poland and they have snow & -27 deg all week. The roads are clear and buses running to time even in rural areas. Farmer get out with their buckets & clear their own bits of roads. Because they have it from November - Feb they get geared up for it, their world does not fall apart as it is part of their winter.

Historically we have often had winters where there has been no/little snow so it hasn't been worth councils investing in snow clearing equipment just to have it stand idle for most of the year.

However it seems we are going to have a spell like this most winters now so we all need to re-think our habits so that life can continue.

If the roads are unsafe OP I would keep your kids at home regardless of whether the school is open or not. I have decided if the school bus isn't running my 2 can have a home school day and just do some coursework at home.

Im not entirely sure why your tone is quite so aggressive. I am very sorry that you feel the rest of the world should be as super human as yourself.

RuleBritannia Sun 05-Feb-12 13:08:45

OMG! A small amount of snow and here we are trying to close schools again! When I was at primary school, I lived in a remote area with no nearby school so had to take myelf by two buses into the nearest town to go to school.

yes. only you could WALK

OP is talking about a wheelchair bound child attending a rural SPECIAL NEEDS school.

Slightly different to pampered prudence who attends the local comp, no?

Well you're quite clearly worried about tomorrow so keep her at home
sorted

So, if the parent is uncomfortable putting her child in to school she should keep him home, the school should remain open for those that do choose to take their kids in though.

When schools close it is not automatically a decision totally in the hands of the head. If it is in a rural position bus companies may refuse to drop off or may phone the school ( if the snow starts during the day) and say we will collect the students at a certain time or not at all. Sometimes the police will also ask for a school to close because of safety concerns.

And in these days of inclusiveness I'm not sure it's helpful to have schools for children with disabilities to have special dispensations. While the severely disabled children may well be best kept at home ( this should be up to the parent/ carer) other parents may be upset that their child cannot attend school while possibly their able bodied child can.

RuleBritannia - presumably you didn't notice the OP was talking about a special school for, you know, vulnerable children?

I remember our rotten village policeman making us walk on the pavements when it had snowed. The roads would be cleared by chucking all the snow on the pavement so it was feet deep - way over the top of any wellies. My feet were soaking...

YANBU. It seems common sense to shut a SN school where a majority of the students will find it much harder than average to get there and stay safe. Especially if some students have problems with circulation or regulating their body temperature.

I think all schools should stop guilt tripping parents about taking snow days off. They should try and stay open obviously, but my ds's school goes over the top with trying to stay open and they have only shut when the LA has closed every school in the district. I chose to keep mine off once because the road we live on has been particularly bad and I had a toddler. I got a phonecall from the school (after I had already told them we wouldn't be going in) saying that I really should make the effort That pissed me right off, especially as my dc are lucky enough to have been able to achieve very good attendance.

Our school closures are dictated in most part by how many staff can get in so there are adequate staff/pupil ratios but also by the bus services as so many are bussed in. (secondary school)

If the bus companies say no then over 3/4 of the kids can't get in.

it seems ridiculous to me that parents should be made to feel guilty, or that they aren't trying hard enough to get their child into school.

yes it is "only" snow. But when Local authorities have failed to adequately prepare for the adverse weather, making even short journeys perilous I don't see why mothers should be taking the blame for not risking broken bones.

it has become clear that the British climate is changing. Snow is likely to be a regular winter occurrence and as such we should be budgeting and preparing.
What the economy loses each time it snows, would pay for the equipment needed and more. Speculate to accumulate and all that.

This is not directed at parents with SN kids, but on these snow days that you think you shouldn't be guilt tripped into taking your kids into school, I take it you don't allow them to go out sledging? That could be considered more dangerous than going to school I think.

If you choose not to go out in the snow and dont feel safe doing so, don't. Others may be ok with it and should have the choice.

Sledging round here, where we don't have any decent hills, mainly consists of children pulling each other around and trying to make the most out of the slopes we do have. That is not the same as trying to take small children along with older children out in a car on icy roads.

People have died from car accidents in icy conditions, I doubt that same can be said of a bit of sledging. Even if you don't take it to the extreme of fatal incidents, minor accidents are very common in the snow.

But my point is that if you're not happy driving, and there's no alternative, public transport or walking, you should be free to stay at home. The school shouldn't close just because some may bit be comfortable driving, that's then penalising those who can drive quite safely in adverse conditions or take public transport or walk. Lots of people simply can't afford to lose hours at work or pay extra childcare costs, closing schools should be an absolutely last resort. Every effort should be made to keep them open.