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AIBU?

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Original poster

Unaceptable taking a "snow day" when schools are open

409 replies

Creambun2 · 28/02/2018 11:28

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!

OP posts:
BiddyPop · 28/02/2018 12:36

We re under a red alert. Our school had planned to open, and had put out the call for local parents to come in early to clear paths (as they did the last time there was bad snow - our school closed 1 day as the boiler packed up whereas most schools closed for about 7 days of school locally - and they had to make those up later in the year).

Red alert happened at 5am, school informed us at 7am that it was shut as a result. Work didn't tell me until after 8am that the building was closed - but my team had all sorted ourselves out, and my boss had got involved in that discussion about 10 minutes before. I'm actually working from home (the others can't in fairness to them).

But if DD's school was open, she would be going in. It's what we did before, even when all the other schools locally were off. If the teachers make that effort to get in, then the DCs should as well.

GUMBYMUMBY · 28/02/2018 12:36

I don't think it is right unless the school is actually closed- there must be a lot of SAH parents is all I can say. They probably take them to Costa after and buy them £45 worth of babyccinos and stale cakes.

Knittedfairies · 28/02/2018 12:37

I'm not saying it's right Frieda, just pointing out that's why many schools close.

Spartasprout · 28/02/2018 12:37

My grand-daughters primary school declared yesterday a snow fun day, so they made snowmen and had fun instead of lessons! (Which I think is a great idea, and I remember happening at my primary in the 1960's)

Keepingupwiththejonesys · 28/02/2018 12:37

Dd is in school today, its a 15 minute walk and downhill (then up the steep hill back) . its not so bad here though and the kids had all their suitable stuff on for the weather. I don't drive so no option of that anyway and I feel its safer to walk in this weather. I did also walk the extra 20 mins into town to take dd age 3 and Ds age 1 to playgroup. It was fine but in hindsight a bit daft. Kids fine, me frozen. I have seen a couple of school age kids off and there really doesn't seem the need here...but...if I had to rely on public transport I would feel different. Buses etc can be cancelled very easily and I'd not want the risk

SparkleFizz · 28/02/2018 12:38

Well, I wouldn’t assume that all the kids out playing in the snow have been allowed to skip school purely so they can have fun in the snow.

Maybe some of them have to go to school by car or public transport because all the schools within walking distance were oversubscribed.
That’s the case with my DC. If we’d got into the local school, they’d have been walked down to school this morning, but as it was oversubscribed, they’re at a school which is too far away for us to walk to, and in today’s snow, I can’t drive them to their actual school (which is open today) safely.

All of which isn’t a reason to insist on them staying indoors all day if we can safely get about on foot. So yes, they have been out playing in the snow in warm clothes. And someone seeing my kids out in the snow or at the local coffee shop all togged up in winter gear could easily, and wrongly, think that I’ve kept them off unnecessarily.

CountryGirl1985 · 28/02/2018 12:38

My 5year old hasn't gone in. Yes the school is open - and treacherous as they've not gritted the roads. It took me 2and a half hours to do a journey that normally takes twenty minutes (not to school, elsewhere) and frankly at such a young age I don't think it'll do him any harm. To put this in context it was only in the last few weeks without the aid of snow just sub zero temperatures a child slipped on the ungritted school area - breaking their leg in several places. Numerous parents had falls too (trust me, I picked two of them up before becoming a casualty myself!). My child has so far done his reading and is now helping me with my work - I've taken a "snow day" to work from home and have encouraged the rest of my team to do the same. We're all nurses, all work for emergency services and my argument will be it puts less operational demand on them not to have to rescue us too! Plus as a bit of team building we've agreed to use our lunch breaks to build a snowman, prize for the best one is not making coffee/tea round for a week! Going in at all costs is overrated, it doesn't mean it's an excuse to get out of work or school but a bit of creativity and both kids and adults can enjoy safely!

beepthemeep · 28/02/2018 12:38

Oh and DM was a head; DB is a head; two grandparents were teachers; cousin works for OFSTED after years of teaching and FIL is a teacher... so yeah, I hear some unbelievable shit stories from their schools too. Highly entertaining when told with a glass of wine, but actually v shitty to work with on a daily basis.

Trendy1 · 28/02/2018 12:39

Oh get a life! I've just had a fab time sledging with my A Level student DS. It will probably be the last time. Let them have fun!!

PlanNumber · 28/02/2018 12:39

When I was a newish school mum, determined to appear to be the perfect mum I would have agreed with you OP and tutted like you. Now my boys' childhoods are almost over, I regret not having allowed more fun.

In most of the UK we get a couple of days proper fun snow every few years. Enjoying that with friends and family is far more valuable than being in a school where all the students and staff are just wondering how soon they can get home.

FWIW I was working in an open school yesterday. The staff were most disgruntled/nervous about their journey home and very little energy was applied to actually doing any work.

Beamur · 28/02/2018 12:40

Our local school is vulnerable to closure during snow. We also have a lot of families who live in rural locations. Head takes a pragmatic view, he'll say the school is open but it's the parents call whether they can safely get kids to and from school.

itstimeforanamechange · 28/02/2018 12:40

What time do most of your kids get home? I would have thought there'd be time to play in the snow after school? It's not getting dark until 6pm now in our area now so at least 2 hours to play.

Beehivesandhoney · 28/02/2018 12:41

Our school is open but has a huge catchment area over at least ten miles each side of the school. Some of these areas are rural and worse snow wise.

While the area the school is in is fine and just a bit of snow I'm not sure ten miles on the snow in worse areas and risk not getting back is sensible.

I say that as someone who has walked three miles to primary in the past and locals having made it in.

Dd has done around seven miles this week each way and I was scared when wouldn't get back yesterday.

So I can understand why some people might chose not to send the kids.

CavoliRiscaldati · 28/02/2018 12:42

I agree with you when I read some of the reasons.
I do find it quite amusing when parents complain that they would have to WALK to go to school that day! The horror!

If they had put their kids in the right catchment school, it wouldn't be an issue in the first place. They are the ones creating problems.

Some people have valid reasons, one of my kids'friends didn't go because his mum has a 2 weeks old baby and she was worried about walking on icy road. I can't blame her.

All the kids were very excited to go to school and play with their friends, and the days are so short in this country, there was plenty of time before and after to go sledging and have snow balls fights. Best of both world, bring on more snow!

Original poster
Creambun2 · 28/02/2018 12:42

jacques nice little stealth boast about your DD there. Well done.

OP posts:
isittheholidaysyet · 28/02/2018 12:43

there must be a lot of SAH parents is all I can say.

If there is no way you can get the car up the hill to get out of the village to get the kids to school, you can't get the car up the hill to get to work either.

If a lorry has crashed (there's a few round here) blocking your only accessible route out of your housing estate to get to school, you can't get out to get to work either.

SundaysFunday · 28/02/2018 12:43

Kids get a bit silly and excited when it snows, so even if the schools stay open I'm not sure how much learning happens.

It's probably best to let them enjoy it and get back to their schoolwork when they can concentrate again.

halfwitpicker · 28/02/2018 12:43

What gets me is that all these parents can just suddenly not go in to work?! WTAF. Fair enough if the snow is bad, but it's not that bad everywhere.

Special snowflakes indeed.

MamTDM · 28/02/2018 12:43

My DS hasn't seen proper snow since he was in Reception. He's now in Y6 and is desperate to go sledging, but snow is so, so rare where we live - he's had a sledge in the shed since 2012 and never had a chance to use it. We're forecast proper snow tomorrow afternoon and all through Friday. We'll go sledging after school tomorrow if enough snow has settled, but if not, I (and I suspect half the other parents in his class) will make the executive decision to prioritise fun just for one day. They've spent the vast majority of this week doing St David's Day crafts so he won't be missing anything vital, and snow is a big deal around here when you're ten!

stitchglitched · 28/02/2018 12:44

Bus services got completely cancelled here at 10am so people who had already used them to get into work and the very few schools in our city that opened today would have been stranded. Nothing wrong with parents keeping their kids off either for fun or safety reasons, it's not like snow is a regular occurence.

Bimbler · 28/02/2018 12:46

There's a lot of entitled posts here and on other threads and assumptions about teachers etc that are just beyond cringe. Clue - if you can't see them, yours are probably right in there

Parents have opinions on teachers and the education system and those within the education system sometimes have differing opinions. Who knew!

MistressPage · 28/02/2018 12:46

Depends on the individual case of course, but I reckon a bit more of this attitude generally would make for a happier world. It's not a good idea to encourage routine laziness, but neither is it a good idea to encourage worker bee dronishness regardless of what else is going on in your life. Our whole society is ridiculously skewed towards turning up and "putting in the hours", with demonstrably negligible effects on productivity and terrible effects on mental health etc. If that's something younger generations might in time come to question, good.

THIS! 100%. LilaoftheGreenwood I salute you. Nice to hear someone talking sense!

LagunaBubbles · 28/02/2018 12:46

What's the "risk" you wouldn't be able to get back from school?! Mine travel by public transport; they've all gone in...

Well extremely high obviously - weather conditions change during the day. My DS made it by bus to Glasgow this morning. There now has been a red weather warning issued for the first time all our buses are off and we dont have a train station. Not quite sure how he will make it home now!

Littlepond · 28/02/2018 12:46

I might not fussed about what choices other parents make but the bragging on FB is tedious - my kids school has a Facebook page and today it's just a mass of parents shouting about how they aren't sending their kids in despite school being open. Mine have gone in, that's my choice, I don't think I'm better, or worse, for making that decision but the FB nonsense is amazing - parents who obviously think they are somehow cool for rebelling, those who judge parents who have sent their kids in (honestly, more than one "bet there's not many kids in, what miserable parents would send their kids in?" Or "saw loads of parents walking up the road, rather you than me, I actually want my kids to enjoy their childhood LOLZ". Ugh)
My kids went to school. I did not go to work (closed! Not my choice) and I'm enjoying a lovely peaceful day!

GETTINGLIKEMYMOTHER · 28/02/2018 12:47

Read somewhere today that the head of a secondary school that's open has forbidden the kids from touching the snow, in case they develop the dangerous condition known as 'slightly cold fingers'.