To think 'snow days' are pathetic

[Toddlerteaplease]

I understand if you live very rurally and genuinely can't get out. But snow in cities is rarely that bad. NHS staff don't take days off for a bit of snow. Last time we had severe snow. Not one person on my entire unit missed work. Even though schools were closed.

We haven't had any snow this year but were one of the areas badly affected by the beast from the east last year.

The schools that didn't decide early enough on the first day were in big trouble with parents because the kids that lived up to three miles away DID trudge in but then had to trudge back soaking wet when the decision was made to close (no buses and staff living 40 miles plus away so couldn't get in).

Contrary to above posters, my ds's private (with boarding) school made the decision to close much earlier on each day (well the day before) than the state schools. Easier to make the decision to keep people coming in from up to 50 miles away safe when you're your own authority.

Mind, the American families did want to know when the days were being made up (they weren't!)

Gives people a day off we all work too hard. Nothing wrong with a relax now and again.

All of the schools where we are have been closed,we've had quite a bit of snow but it's not that bad,I think the problem our local schools have is that lots if not all of the teachers live in very rural areas so they just can't get into work.

Our DC have really enjoyed it,snow ball fights and building snowmen so for us it's been lovely but I do understand that it can be a nightmare for lots of over people so no I don't think YABU.

I went to work but left at midday as it was still snowing and I was worried about the condition of the roads. It is a two hour walk without snow, so driving is the only option.

School was closed for the day. We live within walking distance so DS could have walked in (if he had been given permission to wear hiking boots instead of school shoes), but not all children and teachers live locally.

I'm wondering how effective those pay-back days at the very end of the school year are. I think in North Carolina they take them from Spring Break.

Our spring break is only 6 days so taking 5 days out of it isn't going to work.

Here most people assume the school will take all 5 snow days during winter, so the end of term will usually be around June 19th rather than June 12th. Everything basically just moves back a week and the teachers don't have to get stressed about finishing their curriculum in less time than planned.

My mum (who's 86) says that there were no such things as snow days in the 30s/40s. She remembers having to sit in a freezing classroom with her coat on, and eating frozen milk with a ruler. Sher also remembers the outside toilets freezing up, and the caretaker having to break the ice before they could be used!

Totally agree
Absolute overreaction yesterday in the south east

You do realise that parts of the south east e.g. Basingstoke ground to a halt including closure of the motorway, blocking of major arterial roads by jacknifed lorries and hotels all booked up leaving people to sleep in stations or travel by rail to London? If schools had been open and that had come in an hour/half hour earlier, this would have been thousands more cars attempting journeys and even more chaos.

My mum (who's 86) says that there were no such things as snow days in the 30s/40s

Because everything was local. Not many people had a car. Teachers lived near the school and it was just as cold at home as it was in the school.
They didn't have central heating in houses or double glazing and the inside of the Windows used to have frost on them.
I'm in my 60s and it was a like that in my childhood home. School was cold but warmer than home.

My docs surgery cancelled my sons asthma appointment on Wednesday due to snow, they then had the cheek to ring me yesterday with shitty attitude saying we didn’t turn up & should of cancelled, I then said I had a voicemail at 7.59am stating the nurse was unable to make the appointment! I managed walk my youngest child to school in the snow though!!

mamaduckbone the parent who didn't turn up to collect their child until 2 hours after receiving the message probably had a v good reason for the delay.
They may work in a job that doesn't allow staff to have their phones on them at all times.
They may have been busy working.
They might not have been allowed to leave work early. (Not all employers are as reasonable as the Mumsnetters on this thread would have you believe).
They may have had to use public transport, or walk if the weather was too bad to drive.

I havent rtft. Hopefully, this has been pointed out already. Schools are not closed because the 'teachers cant get in'. It literally has nothing to do with the teachers. Schools are closed if the roads are deemed too dangerous for the PUPILS to get in. 90% of our pupils are bussed in. The bus company refuse to pick up pupils in dangerous driving conditions like snow. They call and tell us they are not going to pick up, we have no choice but to close. They have also called to say they are coming to get pupils early when the weather has taken a turn during the day. We either agree or the pupils get stranded with no way home. The second reason schools close it due to the health and safety risks of the site itself. Kids are idiots. They see snow and they climb, throw it, jump in it, 'snowman' each other, fall over, throw ice etc. We have had a light dusting of snow, yet I personally dealt with 3 first aid incidents on Friday. One ice ball to the eye, one nasty fall due to a pupil trying to skid and slide on the ice and one kid who had gone 'out of bounds' to play in untouched snow and had fallen over. The heavier the snow, the greater the risk.

We all understand that. Remember many teachers are working parents too. Part of the reason for closing schools first thing in the morning is that we appreciate it is going to be a logistical nightmare to get some of the kids home if the weather deteriorates during the day. It bears repeating that schools are not normal workplaces. Pupil safety is our first concern.

Here's the gist of the thread Loki: schools close because some teachers are lazy and can't be arsed going in when it snows, and it is a massive inconvenience for hard working parents.

I suspected as much, which is why I didnt read it as it would make me angry.

If 4x4 drivers want to volunteer & take in the teachers & children to school on snow days they might open. There is a 4x4 volunteer service that bring in NHS staff to work if they can’t get in where I live, they are always asking for more volunteers so don’t assume it’s easy for NHS staff to get to work.

I'm from NE Scotland and our local high school had emergency bunks in case rural students couldn't get home. I also remember being at college in the city with senior staff going round all the classrooms teling country students to go home NOW before the buses stop running. My central Scotland village is at the mercy of staff being able to get in for the primary school but the high school children are the first to be off due to the school buses not being able to make it out of the village on the steep road despite only light snow. There's been occasions when shopping and the school run are done by tractor for those just outside the village.

When my dd was in prep school the HM asked local parents if they were able to offer staff a bed for the night if we had bad snow, to enable them to walk to work if needed.
As a child I remember walking 5 miles to school in the snow cos buses weren’t running.
Agree it’s pathetic!

when we were kids you put your wellies and anoraks on and got on with it. schools did not close if you fell over you got up again no one sued the council for their pavements or roads no panic buying of bread and milk on wednesday just gone the supermarket had been stripped of milk by lunchtime it ridiculous last year the high school was closed as it is on a hill and they were worried the children may slip over. when we were kids hills were heaven to us slip sliding down then great fun

Limensoda I totally agree with what you're saying! I'm a teacher and pray for snow days, but my mum just doesn't get it!

Our school was warmer than our house if push came to shove and your clothing was inadequate you were given a (teachers) cardigan to warm you up while lost property was raided (ok they said lost property but pretty sure it came from there homes as no child would dare leave there clothing behind)

We had two gas fires and a paraffin heater at our house single glazed no duvets no heat upstairs (No bathroom upstairs either) ahhh nostalgia

Lots of teachers live a long way from their schools (some because they don't want to bump into their pupils all the time, some because it's a compromise living between where they work and where their partner works, some because they can't afford house prices near their school). So they may have more snow where they live.

Schools make closure decisions based on health and safety rules, probable number of staff who can get in, specific access issues relating to the school site, school and public transport running, plus weather forecasts which may or may not turn out to be accurate. They have to predict the potential issues because they may not know all if this by 7 a.m. Closing school at 7 a.m. is better than having to contact all parents to collect their children at midday if the weather turns worse.

If there is an accident, or if a decision is delayed and inconveniences parents, or if something bad happens because there were insufficient teachers to supervise the children, the school will be liable and parents will be up in arms.

The idea that schools close because they 'can't be arsed' is fucking laughable.

Schools have to have certain teacher to pupil ratio

Oh and there may be all sorts of reasons private schools stay open. Less regard for the rules state schools have to abide by. Teachers who can afford to live locally. And , in the case of boarding schools, many teachers who live on site (plus an inability to send the kids home!).

My school was open but we are rural and the buses didn’t pick the children up as all the lanes were not gritted. So only had 50% there. Unfortunately we are now in a suing culture and god forbid one of the little darlings falls over and busts their ankle, where there’s blame there’s a claim.

It also massively depends on where the teachers live, I’m an hour away and got in simply because my roads were gritted, before I moved house there’s no way I’d have made it as the lanes aren’t gritted.

In previous years I’ve always tried, decided it’s too dangerous and turned round because a) if children can survive being taken out of school by parents (had one off for 10 days with tonsillitis recently come back with a tan...) they can survive a single snow day b) my own children are my priority and there’s no way I’m risking my safety to teach yours Shakespeare c) if I slip and fall, break my ankle that will means weeks of a supply teacher as I can’t get to work. Weeks of supply v. The odd snow day. Which would you prefer??!

Last week it took me 3 hours to get to school because of accidents due to black ice on the major roads which then clogged up the arterial roads. Some kids who lived in the same street as the school didnt bother coming in as they thought the school might close. Was a bit peeved as I had risked it to get to school. We nearly closed as the staff:pupil ratio was not safe for a short while but teachers braved the conditions of the really bad ice and arrived ready to work. We closed yesterday because of the safety of pupils on site. It wasnt safe again today when I should have gone in to help with the rehearsal of the school production but that had to be cancelled due to the risks on site.
I live 30 miles from school. Whilst it was ok to go out where I was as I live so close to the coast, in the valleys the conditions were treacherous in places and the head felt it was too much of a risk. Plus 70% of our pupils are bussed in and most of the buses were cancelled so there wouldnt have been enough pupils in to teach effectively anyway. But damned if you do and damned if you dont.