Would you expect your children be sent home from school in this scenario?

[powerfail]

Named changed for obvious reasons.

Dc school had a power cut this morning. It was off for roughly around 40 minutes before a decision was made to send the children home. The children were in class at the time but I do understand why the decision was made. However the power issue was fixed quickly and the power came back on while the children were in class before the children were dismissed. They still dismissed them.

I understand that the power may have possibly gone off again although it was a specific issue and therefore should not have when fixed.

They sent the children home around half an hour before the text system from school worked.

One of the areas the children are going home to still has no power (they got the school area back on first) and therefore some children are going home to empty, dark, cold houses were they cannot heat or make food. Particularly those who might be on free school meals some of whom might not have easy eat none cookable food in the fridge at home.

They told those children who could not access homes to stay in school but I cannot imagine many of them did!

I cannot decide if IABU or not but honestly I think if the power came back on (and it is still on) then they should have been told they needed to stay.

None of the primaries have been dismissed from what I can gather and when this happened for a much longer period in primary they were not dismissed although I understand they do not move rooms as much in primary.

Reading the thread and considering the likely reasons for the decision, I understand why the decision was made.

But I would be livid if I was not told in advance and my children were sent home without checking an appropriate adult was around for them. That would be my issue here'

Claudia, my mum got deprived kids through O Level French and German in the 1970s and 1980s in Portacabins with ice on the inside of the windows (she was quite hard core though).

I also taught in Portacabins with inadequate heating in the early part of my career before BSF, as did generations of teachers before me, and frankly people just got on with it. You didn't have a choice.

I have also taught piano successfully to kids wearing fingerless gloves and anoraks on the odd occasion. And practised music like that myself in cold church halls and practice rooms.

Seriously, this has been normal for as long as there have been schools and it's only recently everyone wimped out like this.

Wimping out is not professional. For me it's up there with teachers who show crappy videos for the last fortnight of term without proper teaching plans. Defeatist.