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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To have not sent DD to school in the snow?

67 replies

Resultsday · 30/01/2019 11:14

It's snowed heavily overnight.
Her school is seven miles and two buses away (the only suitable school that had space when we moved her due to bullying issues)
The bus company cancelled all regional services from a certain depot for the first of her two buses until 11am.
All three local secondaries including the one on my street are closed due to 'dangerous and icy conditions.'

She COULD have walked forty minutes in the snow from village to town to see if the other bus company was running a connecting bus.

She could have walked an hour to town in the snow and ice to see if her second bus was running.
If it wasn't she would have had to do the walk in reverse.

She is in year 11 which is why I'm more stressed about it, she has some additional needs if it's relevant and up to yesterday had had 100% attendance since September 2017.

OP posts:

SnuggyBuggy · 30/01/2019 11:59

I think as a country we need to be more relaxed about people having to stay home due to hazardous conditions on the roads. Perfect attendance isn't the be all and end all and better for the roads to be quieter for those that really have to make the journey.

TillyTheTiger · 30/01/2019 12:00

Get her to use the day to catch up on/get ahead with all her coursework, homework etc. Then she hopefully won't be too disadvantaged by it.

LittleSwede · 30/01/2019 12:03

Use it as a revision day at home. If she hasn't got her school work with her there are loads of websites she could revise on. Or if she's sitting English literature she could maybe rewatch one of the dramatisations of an exam text. If you can find one on catch up or Netflix similar.

WrapAndRoll · 30/01/2019 12:06

I think you've done the right thing, but why would your DD have to walk out to find if the buses were there? Was phoning the bus companies not an option?

Nothisispatrick · 30/01/2019 12:06

I bet there loads of kids out and probably lots of teachers too, are you sure the school is even open? If it is I doubt they’ll do anything important today.

Iloveautumnleaves · 30/01/2019 12:12

Stop worrying.

One (or even a few) day(s) off school are not going to make any difference.

It would have been unreasonable to have made her walk, possibly even dangerous (depending on her SEN and/or the weather & roads). Given stagecoach cancelled busses, I wouldn’t have got her a taxi either, you have no idea if they have any experience of driving in the snow and ice.

Her safety is a million times more important than any day at school.

Peridot1 · 30/01/2019 12:14

I wouldn’t have sent her either. She is in Year 11 so old enough to be planning her work etc. Presumably she has work she can be getting in with and revision she can do.

Good day to set up a revision plan and timetable I would have thought.

halfwitpicker · 30/01/2019 12:14

Yeah it's fine if she stays home

Myshinynewname · 30/01/2019 12:17

I would have made the same decision as you. Make sure she gets a bit ahead with her homework today so she has time to catch up missed lessons later in the week. It’s January, the exams don’t even start for 4 months. One day now will not affect her exam results.

Willowtreecottage · 30/01/2019 12:18

Of course you did the right thing.

I’m more surprised at the poster who would stand their child in whatever
Yes, GCSE exams are important- not over the health and safety of your child though?
surely

Nothisispatrick · 30/01/2019 12:22

I bet there loads of kids out and probably lots of teachers too, are you sure the school is even open? If it is I doubt they’ll do anything important today.

Peridot1 · 30/01/2019 12:25

My DS sat his GCSEs at home having not been at school since the previous November. So I’m a bit relaxed. Well not really! He is currently doing A level mocks at home in the afternoons as not at school again due to a recurrence of daily migraines.

OneOfTheGrundys · 30/01/2019 12:26

Lots of schools buy into online learning platforms like gcse pod. You can get free trials for some too so she could do lots of work online independently.
Check out The Learning Scientists for free, research based easy to understand revision techniques.
(I’m a teacher who has used them!)

recklessruby · 30/01/2019 12:30

No I wouldn't have sent her. You'd be worried all day about her getting home especially if the snow got worse by home time.
Poor kid could walk miles and not even get a bus.

Armadillostoes · 30/01/2019 12:32

One day off will make no difference if her overall attendance is good. Comments from people saying send her in because she is in an exam year are idiot in these circumstances. If she slips and breaks an arm trying to work in snow and ice that would be far more damaging to her exam prep.

Jaxhog · 30/01/2019 12:38

No school buses = no school. I am not going to drive down roads that the bus company has said are unsafe for their buses.

This is the point really. I walked home last week in the ice and snow and fell and broke my wrist on the way. So I wouldn't want to take the risk of a young woman walking alone in this weather.

WaxMyBalls · 30/01/2019 12:46

Nah. Ours is shut today but I'd already made the decision that DC wouldn't be going in.

thesmallissue · 30/01/2019 12:50

I think this is a really sad indication of the immense exam stress that is placed on children (and parents now), that anyone could be worried about this.

One day, or several won't make a difference. It really won't. As others have said, the physical strain, possible resulting illness or accident, of trudging through thick snow and cold could have potentially led to more time off anyway.

A day of rest might actually do her the power of good.

MrsWillGardner · 30/01/2019 12:52

Someone I know just kept her yr11 daughter off school for a dry cough. A week when she would have been doing mocks. She did it to keep the peace with her other daughter who was off the week before for the same amount of time.

Op you quite clearly take time off seriously so with the weather as the culprit, school will not be too worried.

PinaColada1 · 30/01/2019 12:52

If it’s too hazardous for my child in my opinion I won’t send him. Whether the school has closed or not. I’ve texted him in sick once rather than send him in Gale force winds. My job is as his parent to protect him, the school might be open but not everyone has to make a long journey so it’s our call.

Take no notice of 100% attendance! I wouldn’t put my child’s health or safety at risk just for a silly certificate.

Butterfly84 · 30/01/2019 13:05

Yep, you did the right thing by not sending her. She can still revise from home. Stop worrying.

morningconstitutional2017 · 30/01/2019 13:06

I wouldn't worry over one day. The walks sound rather lengthy and would take much longer struggling in the snow so it seems likely that the connections would be missed anyway. Then she'd have to walk all the way back again. She can't possibly be the only one who's stayed at home.

Original poster

Resultsday · 30/01/2019 13:44

OneOfTheGrundys Thanks that's really helpful will get her to have a look.

OP posts:

SeaToSki · 30/01/2019 13:51

Speaking as someone who lives in New England with lots of snow and ice, the biggest worry with walking any distance on snowy icy roads and pavements is that some prat is out driving and cant cope, the vehicle goes out of control and hits your dc. Even if she could walk safely, its a very dangerous environment to be walking in. If the roads arent safe for busses, they arent safe for dc walking. Can she skype or facetime into some lessons? Hopefully the teachers could be creative about her learning from a distance

BlueTrees123 · 30/01/2019 14:00

YABVU

She's in year 11, and coming towards the most crucial stage of her school career. If there was a way of getting to school, she should have gone. You really need to stop babying her and start teaching some responsibility and work ethic.

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