Unaceptable taking a "snow day" when schools are open

[Creambun2]

It really annoys me that the vast majority of schools are open in my area, yet many, many children have been taken out of school by parents "to enjoy the snow". Talk about lack of respect for the staff and other pupils who bother to turn up. We only have a couple of cm of snow!

@creambun2 go have a glass of wine and chill the fuck out - really uptight people annoy me but hey .. we all have our crosses to bear

Our area has vastly differing takes on the seriousness of the weather. My daughter's school is closed, my son's school isn't. I work in a different school and my school is closed. What would you do? Son has had a snow day too!!

For me it’s about safety. I have medical problems in that if I fall over some of my joints will break and I will be in hospital. I took DD (5) in this morning as it was only a light dusting but now we have a couple of inches and it’s taken me over an hour to get home. If it’s this bad tomorrow or icy we are not going in. Not worth the risk.

Personally I think if people can get to school safely and it’s open then they should go, but once it’s not safe or there is a chance of it being unsafe (like the child who would have an hour of public transport and is at risk of not getting home) then it’s up to parent judgement.

My kids' school won't let them play in the snow. They have a beautiful big field, covered in virgin white snow, locked away from the children. I can only assume this is so they don't get wet. They are also not allowed on field when it's rainy, presumably so they don't get muddy. It makes me furious, because my kid needs his runaround, and they end up reduced to a tiny asphalt playground where if they slip and fall they get hurt. Why is tjhaoyt better than getting wet or muddy? I want my kids to get dirty. That's what I always said to them when I said goodbye at the school gates when they were little "Have fun! Play hard! Get dirty!" I kept my 10 year old home today because he was in tears at the thought of having to slog through 7 hours in the classroom without any outdoor playtime. Apparently with a grassy field full of snow they could be playing in yesterday they kept them in to watch bloody dvds. Even adults get tea breaks avery couple of hours. My boys need to move their bodies at regular intervals. Why not have the classroom open for those who don't fancy it (that would have been me at 10) and let the others out to play? The school is notoriously hot, with hyperactive underfloor heating, so if they come in wet and cold they will be warm and dry soon enough. The school could also invite them to come in home clothes and boots suitable for snow play. Sorry, hijacked the thread for my own rant!

I will decide if it’s safe enough to drive my teenagers to school, I won’t be basing it on anyone else’s thoughts because we have different driving confidence, experiences and suitable vehicles. We live in different areas. I am not getting paid to take the risk or the hit on my insurance if something did happen and the kids aren’t going there be learning much when there’s a skeleton staff and less than a third of pupils have made it in.

If we lived a walk away they would be out the door first thing though.

Well said 👍

My son's school told us it would be closed today, however, that message only arrived at 0810 hours which gave no time for us to arrange child care since both I and his mother work.
Ironically I'm a teacher and my school remained open.
If schools are to close they should give more notice to working parents

Not only do our school not allow our children to play in the snow, or even venture outside onto the (un-snowy) playground - the teachers pull down the blinds if it's snowing so they can't see it :( Pushing it a bit far methinks, we rarely have snow in our neck of the woods.

The Met Office recommended not travelling on the roads unless essential here. Schools opened normally, expecting many parents to travel .>5 miles on narrow, ungritted roads.
The council then directed them to follow advice and close, so they did.

I find it a bit odd, tbh, that schools feel its appropriate to tell DCs to get there, when even adults are told not to travel .
Going for a short walk, or playing out, near a warm house with plenty of dry clothes to change into, wouldn't be as daft as travelling on roads, IMO.

I work 15 miles away from my child's school as a single parent I cannot risk a post going onto social media with 20 mins notice that I have to come pick up as they have decided to close early. It's easiler to keep my child home with my mother who can't drive. I don't like misssing school but you do what's best for you and safest if involves driving.

I'm sure the teachers will be happy to have an easier day with less kids!! And the kids there will probably enjoy more attention and maybe a more fun relaxed days with movies or outdoor play time in the snow? What's wrong with letting your kids stay home & creating some fun snow day memories! I think it's a win for everyone :)

Lol mine have been enjoying it since it started falling, they love it, and I like seeing my kids play out and be kids, not stuck in a classroom when they should be getting frozen, throwing snowballs, and enjoying a hot chocolate afterwards. But then we home ed lol, so we've decided we'd learn about snow, ice and precipitation! ;-)

Yeah yeah, they'll miss a day of school...big whoop. If it doesn't affect you, let it go! (or should that be snow?) :D x

I have happily kept my 6 year old daughter off school for the past 3 days - not because I disrespect anyone but because she is 6 years old, we don't get snow often and I wanted her to thoroughly enjoy it. She doesnt even remember the last time it snowed like this and it may not again for another 5 years. You are only a kid once and we then spend the rest of our lives as grown ups with pressures & responsibilities. As a 6 year old - we have completely fulfilled her prime 'job' and have had 3 wonderful days sledging down hills, having snowball fights, doing snow angels, building an array of snow creatures, looked for animal tracks in the snow, walked through snowy fields with Nanny & Grandad, had frozen fingers & toes, etc... On day 1 her school tweeted photos of children in classrooms making snowman pictures, reading books about snow and writing snow stories - not a single child actually out in the snow because they were not allowed! That for me confirmed I had absolutely made the right decision for my child - she'll have these snow memories when she's grown up & I hope will make the same decision for my future grandchildren so I can build a snowdog with them instead of them being at school . Also - with mental health among children becoming such a huge problem, maybe we ought to take away some pressure & let children be children from time to time ...and what better than a cheeky few snow days 😁
Ps: I'm a part-time teacher myself (day 3 my school was closed but my daughter's wasn't!)

Now here’s where I sound ancient but...when I was a kid we all lived within walking distance as was the catchment area. Majority of teachers also lived in the catchment area. When the weather was bad, we walked to school as usual with a few extra layers maybe and a pair of indoor shoes. The teachers walked in. With this ability, therefore, the school day carried on regardless with fun to be had at playtime and dinner time (on the way to and from school too!). The only time I ever remember the school closing in bad weather was if the boiler packed in and so the school was too cold to work.

Meh. I decided DS2 was going to have a snow day even though his school was open, because he travels by taxi to a SS and quite a long distance. I didn't want him to run the risk of getting stuck there or back, as he wouldn't understand why the car wasn't moving and would get really anxious. I also suspected the school might close early anyway, and that it'd entail a lot of hassle getting the taxis back or parents to come out.

An hour after I made that decision, his school decided to close anyway and sent them all back in their taxis.

I'm merely mentioning this because there are all sorts of reasons why you might autonomously call a snow day if your school hasn't already done so.

Well my kids went to school on Wednesday and then had the trauma and worry of trying to get home the 20 miles on the school bus wish I had kept them off regardless of school being open as we are still in amber warning can’t even get to the local shops as cars have been getting stuck in drifting snow all day today and school have taken the wise decision to remain closed til Monday. Sometimes school at home can be just as beneficial life experiences that can’t be had in school not to mention quality family time that these days can be few and far between yet a snow day tends to give that to kids where both mum and dad get to play and have fun far more important than a maths lesson or a day in school lighten up folks.

Why is tjhaoyt better than getting wet or muddy? I want my kids to get dirty. That's what I always said to them when I said goodbye at the school gates when they were little "Have fun! Play hard! Get dirty!"

Because not only do the children get wet, the school floors get wet too, as snow melts off shoes and trousers. Wet floors are a hazard. Who mops them during the afternoon? Teachers?

And nobody wants to face the cleanup after a few hundred children have spent lunchtime romping in a muddy field either. Or the damage to the grass that happens after trampling in very wet and muddy conditions. It costs money to clean a school and keep grass on a field.

Plus not all parents are enthusiastic about washing mud off what might be a child's only uniform, or spending an evening cleaning mud out of shoes.

We’ve got lots of snow here and schools stay open. I want my kids to enjoy it as we don’t get snow too often. But we went last few days to the park for an hour in the morning on our way to school and then till late (past 6pm) after school.
I think everyone is a winner here

Our school opened, some turned up some didn’t not my worry their kids education is not my worry. DS (yr 2) had the best day ever at school, teachers v students snowball fight and Snowball related maths. His teacher is amazing! Although looking at the roads out there which have became significantly worse as the day went on I’m pleased they’re closing tomorrow.
The main person who was moaning about the school opening locally was a childminder who pretty much admitted if they had a snow day she could charge extra for her wrap around kids for whole day care! Cheeky!

Going by the amount of hand wringing threads started on here about kids missing a few days of school, it seems to me that most people in the UK are unnaturally preoccupied with school attendence! It's not the end of the world to miss a day here and there, let them live a little! If that's not your thing, that's ok too. why do you care about other people's children?

I think schools in this country are far too preoccupied with 100% attendance and then many parents become equally as zealous. I have no idea what catastrophes they think might befall a child who misses a few days of school a year. So silly.

Mumsnetters really can get riled up over nothing.

Wow, you are so incredibly judgemental. Firstly, my daughter is in year 1 and has only had one day absent so far, due to a severe cough. We also never take her out for holidays. I live by the coast and it's the first time in 6 years that we have had more than a few mms of snow. Damn straight I kept my daughter off school. We sledged, went walking, built snowmen, spent a completely quality day together, just the two of us, it was beautiful. Wonderful, memory making stuff. You cannot get these experiences all the time. Sometimes real life is more important than the classroom. Loosen up a little, your kids will thank you.

HNRTFT But I would like to add if it hasn’t been added already. If you live in an area where the snow is constantly falling allowing for soft pavements/roads don’t assume it’s safe. I work outside in all conditions and I had to cut work short today because under that soft fluffy snow was very slippery ice that even the spikes on my boots couldn’t grip. Maybe don’t judge unless you’ve done the walk/drive and know for sure it is safe for a child to step out without cracking their head open!