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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Polling Day - School Closure

150 replies

user1495955132 · 28/05/2017 09:08

Just trying to canvas opinion as they're very mixed amongst my circle of friends & family. DD's (year 3/primary) school is being used as a polling station and for the first time since we've been attending the school it's being kept open for the day. They will only be using the dinner hall and the two sets of internal doors which lead into the school will be kept locked. All children bring or are supplied with a packed lunch, and all classrooms lead straight into the playground, so no reason for them to be in the corridors or anywhere near the dinner hall. All necessary safeguarding measures in place. However, it just doesn't sit right with me. Not sure whether it's in light of recent events and all the political unrest at the moment, but if anything was going to happen at the school, surely polling day, and giving the general public (and random nutters) access to the school, would create the perfect opportunity. I'm a SAHM so it doesn't make any difference to me, and I appreciate that for working parents taking days off for school closures is a pita, but dates like polling day are worked out well in advance so I don't see why the school can't work these around inset days. It's a smallish village school (approx 360 children) but we are close to an international airport and recently had an incident with a gunman on the loose 2 roads away from the school - cue police helicopters, school lockdown etc. Turned out to be the local nutter with an air rifle who was off his face on drugs, but still ..... We have all been informed that keeping children home for the day would not be looked upon favourably, and as one helpful teacher pointed out, if somebody got it into their heads, it would be easy to stand behind the fence and spray the playground with bullets on any day of the week, so why should polling day pose any more of a risk than any other . So, my AIBU is, should I stick with my gut instinct that it's just not worth the risk? There's at least another 3 mums that I know of in DDs class that feel the same, one of the school governors is not happy about it and a friends mum who works for Ofsted also thinks it's an unnecessary risk, so I'm kind of thinking it's not just me being an overprotective parent, iyswim.

OP posts:

wonkylegs · 28/05/2017 09:35

I think some LAs struggle to find appropriate facilities and the short notice of this election has exacerbated that this time.
I am the chair of our community centre and we got an enquiry from the elections officer but couldn't help them as we already had multiple bookings that day - as we are an independent charity (as are many village halls & community centres) we had no obligation to help them and can't risk losing out on regular hirers as they are our lifeblood.

The arrangements you describe seem fine to me and I'd be absolutely ok with it and glad the kids weren't missing a day of school.
It would be a nice thing for schools to discuss why it's going on with the kids so they might start to learn about elections and voting and why it's important. But then I do like a good learning opportunity.

The thing is to take the emotion out of the moment and think about it calmly and rationally and then you realise that actually we do far more dangerous things everyday but because they are in our comfort zone and enable us to get on with our daily lives we just get on and do them.

BarbarianMum · 28/05/2017 09:38

I think you are being totally unreasonable but if you want to keep your child at home and hide under the bed, do so.

harderandharder2breathe · 28/05/2017 09:40

YABU

the school have put measures in place to keep children and voters separate

This election was not planned far in advance and was impossible to plan for when Term dates were announced

Your children are at greater risk on the journey to and from school.

The people voting will be the same people your DC stand next to in shops, who sit on benches at the park, etc etc. They're not some big scary "other"

Parker231 · 28/05/2017 09:41

I don't think any school should be closed for voting day - a public area can be kept separate by locked doors. It should be a regular day at school. When my DT's were at primary school, days off for elections were a nightmare for sorting out childcare particularly as elections are usually called with only a few weeks notice.

witsender · 28/05/2017 09:42

I am quite special snowflake, but this wouldn't concern me overly. You have choices thou, don't send them if you are very worried.

Not sure.on what planet this election was known about well in advance though.

user1495025590 · 28/05/2017 09:45

I think yabu.presumably the school gets income from being a polling station.the doors are locked to safeguard the kids and presumably also to keep the children getting into the polling area. Everyone, s a winner!

ErrolTheDragon · 28/05/2017 09:46

I think it's great for kids to see democracy happening. Low key, low tech, usually run by a couple of patient women.

It's a bit disgraceful churches, esp CofE, would charge anything for the use of their premises for elections though, they should be honoured to make them available.

RaspberryOverloadsOnIcepops · 28/05/2017 09:47

I don't understand why they use schools in the first place to be honest... surely there are enough church halls/ community rooms etc dotted around the place?

Most schools are owned by the councils, aren't they, so I guess it keeps the costs down, as hiring church halls/similar will cost.

But I think the biggest reason is location. For local elections, certainly, the polling stations had to be located within the ward. And in my local ward there is a distinct lack of any alternative place to use as a polling station. The one time the local primary school couldn't be used as a polling station we ended up going to vote in the local Freemasons hall!

Most primary schools are reasonably well located, dotted around within the residential areas. This means that everyone has a polling station nearish to their home. It's about access.

G1ggleloop · 28/05/2017 09:52

We had the same thing with our school for the brexit vote. They sent out a letter asking if we wanted to stay open or to close. The set up would have been similar to the one the op describes. The majority said they wanted to keep the kids off but to be honest I thought it was ridiculous. The kids would be separated by locked doors with no no acces for the public. I can't see what the risk is.

BigDeskBob · 28/05/2017 09:53

I think some of the comments are unfair. OPs school usually closes for elections, so she is unsure of how its going to work in practice. Together with recent events, I can see why she might be worried.

School do have to put in place rebust safeguarding measure, though. Its isn't done without thought.

BlondieJ · 28/05/2017 10:01

It wouldn't bother me particularly knowing that NO ONE can gain access to where the children are. But if you are worried and I mean really worried not just getting caught up in a bit of hysteria, then keep your child off school... the school would understand I'm sure!

DriveInSaturday · 28/05/2017 10:02

Errol, why should churches be honoured to be used for elections and not charge? It is expensive to run a building and they might have to reschedule regular bookings which would normally bring in money.

brexitstolemyfuture · 28/05/2017 10:05

You are bonkers imo.

BeyondThePage · 28/05/2017 10:06

Our school made the council use a portacabin in the car-park because of safeguarding.

They had a similar set up to the OP - dining hall was to be used, door to main school locked. HOWEVER - the fire exit from the hall went into the playground, so the school were not happy to stay open unless a building with no access to the shared space was used.

Everyoneafter3 · 28/05/2017 10:09

YANBU.

Time to stop reading the Daily Mail.

Everyoneafter3 · 28/05/2017 10:12

Oh and errol my choir performs in churches and we pay. A lot. The churches are happy to have us but would probably prefer not to pay for heat/light/water out of goodwill and for the "honour" of hosting...

wonkylegs · 28/05/2017 10:13

Errol you do know it costs money to run those buildings? Without income they cease to exist. Most church/village/community buildings don't make a profit they charge enough to cover electrics, water, heating, maintenance etc and sometimes only barely cover that.
If they gave them for free for a whole day of polling they would still have to bear these costs and would also probably lose out on income from their regular hirers. It's a fine balance remaining affordable for the community and financially buoyant enough to exist.

GeorgeTheHamster · 28/05/2017 10:14

I think you are being daft op

OhDearToby · 28/05/2017 10:20

My dd's school is a large city school (400 kids is large, right?!) and is a polling station. I assume they will be closed on the 8th but haven't actually investigated this yet.

It wouldn't even occur to me that it were a problem if they chose to stay open though! I think you are massively over thinking this.

NoSquirrels · 28/05/2017 10:20

Had experience of this in 2 schools.

First - never a question that the school would be open on a polling day. Inconvenient but we all knew the score, school shut as it's the polling station.

Second - set up as you describe, school stays open and is also polling station.

Except for this year, when governors & head have taken decision to close school for the day to allow the polling station to operate. In light of "recent events and heightened security issues".

I have no strong feelings either way.

Frankie89 · 28/05/2017 10:26

I think you're being really silly OP.

I come at this from the perspective of a parent and a presiding officer. The polling station I usually work at has been both at the local school and the nearby community centre. We tend to be in the latter more often because the school is small and it does disrupt the children, but there's no safeguarding concerns. The police also pop in periodically throughout the day to check on things.

I'm not really sure what specifically worries you OP but I can't imagine a scenario in which your worry is all that rational.

OhGodWhatTheHellNow · 28/05/2017 10:51

Call that a small school? Ours has 39 pupils! The school doesn't get any money and the staff all have to go in, the building is too small to realistically segregate the polling station but for the usual planned election we try to coordinate with a school trip.
There is no other public building in the village as the church doesn't have a hall, but I wonder if they could use someone's house? I would be amenable for a suitable fee

JoshLymanJr · 28/05/2017 10:53

Polling used to be done in local schools where we live, but for years now the polling stations have been in other places - community halls, clubs, etc.

Our local primary school always makes a big deal of the elections, teaches the children about voting and takes them to the nearest polling station for a look (which is sort of not allowed but we let it slide!)

Original poster

user1495955132 · 28/05/2017 10:57

Ok, thanks for all your opinions. I think some of you completely missed the point of my thread - ok, so maybe the date wasn't worked out aaaaaagggggeess ago, but elections are generally held early summer, and a decision made 6 weeks ago was imo enough time for school to say they're closing for a training day. DD's never far from sight when we go to the park or the swimming pool so I don't feel the two situations are comparable. But yes, I agree that there are bigger risks in our day to day lives over which we have no control. It just feels I do have control over this one. As a pp said, the randomness of any acts of terrorism can't be predicted, which I guess is the real worry, and I can't live my life always thinking the worst. So thank you for the reality check, I agree I probably am being a bit unreasonable. I guess I was just looking forward to a bonus days holiday with DD! . And msgrinch - really no need for your dick remarks. She's my daughter, not an it, and to me, yes she is my precious snowflake which is why I give a shit about her safety and well being.

OP posts:

Littlepond · 28/05/2017 11:02

My kids school was kept open on a polling day on the past, I had no issue with it at all. It was all risk assessed, safeguarding in place etc. Didn't bother me in the least. Loads of parents kicked off though, so this time they are closing the school. Which is a right pain for me as I work and don't have childcare so actually at the moment my only option is to call in sick. Which I am really against doing. Humph.

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