Closing a school of 700+ for polling day

[Mosschopz]

Who decides this? My DC’s school will close to all pupils on the 12th. That’s a three form entry school, closed, as they have been every single polling day for the last umpteen years, so they can stick a few plywood booths in a room for the day. The head has complained to the council who have declined to change the location as the school is the most central to the ward. AIBU to think that’s incredibly poor decision making?

It’s a general election, what do you propose they do? Hold it out on the kerb? Give your head a wobble - you’ve already said in your OP why it makes sense to hold it there.

Our school managed to get the polling station moved last year so understand the utter PITA it is to rearrange/book time off etc.

The other school in our town stays open....but it has a completely self contained bit with a separate entrance which is what they use for polling.

'Give your head a wobble'

If parents of several hundred children need to take time of work, it's pretty inconvenient isn't it. My polling station alternates between a school and a church hall so it can be done. Maybe less easy in rural areas.

My friend works at a school that has tried to change this, to no avail as the LA dictates, I believe.

My daughters primary school is closed for the day too to be used as a polling station.The next official polling station is the village hall which is 3 minutes walk away.....it is beyond a joke

YANBU, that seems very disruptive. If it's all about the location, then I would be surprised if there wasn't another suitable venue locally which could be used.

Yes, give your head a wobble. It’s a pain but it’s hardly the end of the world and it’s one of those things that comes with having children.

Yanbu

YABU. Schools are used for a variety of reasons, one being they are usually always accessible for disabled people. As you have already stated it's been this way for years and should really not come of shock to you. Sorry school isn't free childcare, and the future of the country might be slightly more important then you having your children home for ONE day.

I agree with you OP. Parents can’t take their children out of school without it being recorded as an unauthorised absence. Schools are under huge pressure and constant scrutiny to explain how they are using their time. Seems mad that the LA can do this. A school with a three form entry doesn’t sound like a small rural outpost without other options either. Working parents are stretched enough trying to use a small amount of annual leave to cover school holidays as it is. I don’t think this is fair.

I would say it's better for the school to be closed than to have it open but filled with all kinds of random people wandering through as they come in to vote. Better to keep the children safe by closing the school for the day. Yes, it's annoying though.

Well, our council uses all the parish halls and community rooms dotted around the town. So there are alternatives to closing an entire school.

Schools normally know well in advance about polling days, so if they have to shut they use it as an INSET and it is on the term dates at the beginning of the year. Obviously this election wasn't expected so there is not much schools/LA can do about it.

My MIL is a governor and has been complaining abiut this same thing. There must be other venues. What about mosques and churches and sure start centres the latter might remind voters they used to be open?!

Also as this wasnt planned, what happens about minimum days in school?. The students wont be doing 190 days this year.

A general election the most important reason you can have really. It can change the whole of the country including education. So in my mind YABU. My child is off school and will be coming to vote and learning about democracy.

A General Election is the most important day in five years to the whole country. So your kids have to have the day off school. 🤷🏻‍♀️

I get where your coming from.

It's not that I disagree with schools closing as such for polling groups as they are often the best locations and also have the space large enough.

It's that we always hear how our children's education is affected by 1/2/3 days off sick against the back drop of necessary 48 exclusion for d and v. How we get sent letters when our children's education falls below a certain point 98% in some case and how we are fined for taking children out for holidays. Even just flying 8n a Friday to keep costs down and 1 day missed is lectured.

Yet they don't ever seem to apply the same logic when they close a school due to a general election. Surely a days missed education has the same effect regardless of the reason? It's complete double standards!

Our school is a polling station too, the head makes it into one of the inset days so the kids don’t miss out of a day at school.
They usually save booking an inset day just in case of a surprise election.
They have to have 5 a year anyway so why not a Thursday?

My dc's school managed to get it changed to a local sports club 3 minutes walk away.
I can understand in rural areas there could be a lack of alternatives, but in a town it sometimes needs the Head/Governors to find and push the alternative.

My DCs secondary school is closing. I was surprised because it's usually the primary school over the road. I've just found out it's changed because the primary school parents complained so much.....some of their DC have now moved to secondary school, and they're really not happy

I voted in my local pub one year, that makes more sense than closing a school.

Jayzus you would burst a blood vessel if you were living in Ireland where schools regularly close so that the halls in the schools/beside the schools can be used as polling stations.

It really wouldn't take a lot to move polling days to a Saturday or Sunday when the schools are closed but that doesn't seem to have been raised (or if it has, it's been thrown out)

There is another way to look at this.

Don’t have elections, have a one party state where the Government makes all decisions without consulting the general,public.

That way, no one will be inconvenienced by schools shutting to exercise a hard won right with the associated high cost to be able to put a X in a box choosing who represents you.

The GE was called as this Parliament was getting nowhere with BREXIT, post election, hopefully, the people will have decided what they want to happen

If JC gets in and implements his 4 day week, it may include teachers working 4 days, so the problem becomes academic

I don't understand why they don't just hold the election on a Saturday or Sunday. It would do many people much better.

For 1 day in four or five years ,I think it is not unreasonable TBH .Churches are places of worship not ,a Civic Hall ! Voting is an important event and needs as many of us to exercise our suffrage as possible at the nearest venue .If people think they have to go even slightly out of their way then they may not do it!