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AIBU?

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Original poster

To expect a refund when nursery closes for snow??

87 replies

Lou1324 · 10/12/2017 20:28

Just had a phone call to say my DDs nursery is closed tomorrow because of the snow. The nursery is part of a big college and the head has made the call to close the college. We had heavy snow fall last night, but the main roads are now fine, we've been out and about all day.

We've been told no refund! I'm now going to have to pay for alternative childcare as I work for the NHS, which does not close no matter what the weather! DH is saying we should insist on a refund... Anyone ever managed to do this?!

OP posts:
LoneParenting101 · 11/12/2017 00:49

Don't forget - If you were using a Childminder, you would likely be paying for two weeks per year (give or take) that they weren't providing care, so that the Childminder can have a holiday! May not be the case with all Childminders, but certainly most as far as I know. Think yourself lucky! It's just life unfortunately. The Nursery staff are legally entitled to be paid if the Nursery suddenly has to close. If you worked there and they closed then didn't pay you, you'd be furious! If they paid their staff AND didn't charge/refunded parents, then they'd lose THOUSANDS of pounds! Whereas each parent loses either one day's pay or the cost of a days childcare. Not ideal no, but the best of an unavoidable situation really

Sprinklestar · 11/12/2017 00:54

Exactly Jessikita - what happened to stiff upper lip and just getting on with it? IMO a lot of schools use a sprinkling of snow as a convenient excuse to close. Not all, obviously, but there's a certain type of head who will always open and another you can guarantee will close...

riceuten · 11/12/2017 01:21

Pretty standard contract, 'mfraid. People don't get a refund on their season ticket when the reason for the closure is out of the company's hands, and I assume the same is the philosophy here. Rent, staff, heating, utilities need to be paid irrespective of occupancy.

araiwa · 11/12/2017 05:20

Presumably you dont get paid for sick days or holidays by your job because youre not there so why should they pay you?

daisychain01 · 11/12/2017 05:48

I'm sure it is standard, I just don't see how they can demand payment for a service they have not provided

Think of it as a retainer, you have to continue to pay your 'subs' so that you stay in the Club, otherwise your DCs place could be given to someone on the waiting list. Their bills don't go away, they still have fixed costs to pay for the upkeep on the nursery. It's a business not a charity.

Spikeyball · 11/12/2017 05:58

"But, at the risk of sounding like my mum, it never used to happen"

It happened 35 years ago when I was at school.

AliciaMayEmory · 11/12/2017 06:07

I would just accept it as one of those things. It doesn't snow very often in the UK, well not like it has done where I live this weekend, so closure days like these will be rare. And whilst it is a pain you state you have a contingency plan, so I'd go with that and think no more of it. I work in a big city centre college and they have decided to close as many students and staff have to travel quite a distance to get there. The snow may have stopped, but the cold temps will mean there is ice on the roads and pavements which can be more dangerous to commuters.

To the PP who said that schools never used to close because of the weather, I have very fond memories of our schools being closed for snow days on the 80's and 90's. They were the best days!

TwoPoint · 11/12/2017 06:37

Would you be happy for your company to close and not pay you for the day?

Tanith · 11/12/2017 07:15

"But, at the risk of sounding like my mum, it never used to happen."

Yes it did. There have been snow days for decades. I remember my own schools closing for bad weather in the 70s and 80s and my mum remembers it too - also remembers having to wear black shoes to school when the King died!

Purplelion · 11/12/2017 07:20

People who say “certain kinds of heads will close schools” or “the school round the corner is open” Colleges will have staff that have to travel to work who may not be able to make the journey. People need to realise that if many staff are unable to travel then the decision is made for the school/college. I work in a school that is closed today. 99% is the kids can make it to school, that doesn’t mean the staff can!

ny20005 · 11/12/2017 07:21

Look at the wording in your contract. When mine were little, the nursery closed at 12 due to storm & we were given about 1 hrs notice to pick up our kids. I fought for a half day refund & got it

My contract stated that I didn't have to pay if nursery was closed

Original poster
Lou1324 · 11/12/2017 07:22

My DH isn't really in a better position, he's out on the road all day. And if he takes the day off he looses the pay, plus we are paying for a nursery that is closed- double financial whammy!

OP posts:
Glowerglass · 11/12/2017 07:32

I never got one. But because my employer was very good at letting me work from home/ take special leave that didn't cause me a problem.

What really gripped my shit was when the nursery manager decided to shut for the royal wedding (William & Kate) and no refund for that when it was clearly an extra day in addition to the days that we were advised they would be closed.

I'm still not over it.

meditrina · 11/12/2017 07:46

Yes, it's a PITA

But if you couldn't get to work because you were snowed in at home, you'd be losing the same day's pay and nursery fees as well.

Nurseries might refund (in arrears) for insurabke events for which they have had a payout (ours did, after an infrastructure fault) but not for non-insurable events, such as weather.

Amanduh · 11/12/2017 08:07

Believe me, at school we take it very very very seriously to close. It's more hassle than it's worth. We've opened in severe weather before. But here there is a lot of snow still, the roads are covered in ice, the pavements are awful. We'd have too mamy accidents if we opened. The schools and nurseries are all shut locally today.

Op, it will be in your contract.

borntobequiet · 11/12/2017 08:29

Anyone who thinks schools just close on a whim is a fool. It's a massive PITA for everyone trying to make up for the time missed. I'm retired from secondary and now working in FE in a big college. All the staff in my dept (including me) are stuck in the snow (excess of 20 cm here with higher drifts) miles away rurally, so it's a good thing the college is closed. However we will have to reschedule this weeks' courses, and that's not easy on a tight timetable. (The college has a nursery and I'm pretty sure that will be closed too.)

MsHarry · 11/12/2017 09:38

I do think that some people just won't try to get to work. Because snow is so rare here, we have no experience so people panic. In Germany and France they are used to it so life goes on. We could do with a few TV ads reminding people of precautions to take when driving in these conditions.

MsHarry · 11/12/2017 09:42

do they close all winter in Sweden? Grin

curryforbreakfast · 11/12/2017 09:43

It's something that happens only about once a decade anyway.

If you had a nanny and they couldn't get to you because snow, would you still pay them?

MsHarry · 11/12/2017 09:44

Seriously though, I wonder how many staff would try to get to work if they weren't going to get paid.

Checklist · 11/12/2017 09:53

The nursery has fixed costs, such as the property (presumably bought on a loan or rented), purchase of furniture and equipment, software, light and heat, water, etc - alll of which go on, even when the nursery is empty. Then there are the variable costs, of which staff wages will be the biggest, printing and stationery, other teaching materials, etc. Finally, a rational owner has to make more money out of the business, than they would if they left their money in the bank and lived off the interest.

Say all this adds up to £1/2 million pa. The owner needs that much to pay all of the above - if they refunded snow days, then they would simply spread the £1/2 million across days, the children were in, so day to day fees would be higher. You would not be any better off overall! As a pp said, this is a business, not a charity!

mirime · 11/12/2017 10:53

@araiwa

Presumably you dont get paid for sick days or holidays by your job because youre not there so why should they pay you?

Some places you only get SSP. My previous employer you didn't get paid for the first day.

Holidays are planned for, I assume that's taken into account when setting a wage for a job.

Pammie70 · 11/12/2017 12:26

I run a Pre-school we have had to shut (first time in 17 years) as most of my current staff don't live locally so we couldn't maintain ratios. They will be paid as it isn't within their control. We will also be refunding parents but I know a lot of places who are offering parents an alternative day or don't refund as it is in the parent contract.

SandyDenny · 11/12/2017 12:34

do they close all winter in Sweden?

Comparisons with countries with different climates just aren't valid when it comes to school closures or travel problems.

It would be stupid for England to have the same infrastructure for weather that colder (or hotter) countries have for a few days every couple of years.

Where do you think the money would come from?

It's a very short term frustration for most.

I don't remember getting a refund for a snow day when my dc were at nursery, tough but probably in the contract

Neverender · 11/12/2017 12:38

I'm only gutted DD does a half day on a Monday - could have done with the money!