To consider keeping dd home Friday due to weather?

[Lovemusic33]

I know I'm probably being over anxious. Dd travels to school by taxi a hour away from home, we live rural so it involves country lanes as well as driving through villages and towns (taxi collects 2 other children on route). We are forecast 80-90mph winds and are on a amber warning. Its the last day of half term so they won't be doing much, dd has sn's so if the taxi route is delayed or has to reroute due to falling trees she will get very distressed. So AIBU to consider keeping her home?

If its going to be as bad as they say, I would.

How old is your DD? If she's Primary school aged I'd keep her home. If she's in her GCSE year then I think every day at school matters.

I'm glad we're on half term this week and definitely planning on staying close to her on Friday.

She is GCSE year but is at a SEN school so only sitting 3 GCSE's and only likely to pass one so its not that important (if that makes sense).

It would be wiser not to start down that route tbh.
Once you start the ‘no school today because of X’ it doesn’t take long for them to decide that school isn’t a priority and they don’t need to go.

I know a couple of families with school refusers. It’s been a nightmare for them for years.

Sounds like a good idea OP. She can revise at home for one day.

@PostThenGhost

It would be wiser not to start down that route tbh. Once you start the ‘no school today because of X’ it doesn’t take long for them to decide that school isn’t a priority and they don’t need to go.

I know a couple of families with school refusers. It’s been a nightmare for them for years.

It's not everyday that we get danger to life weather though. The op can make that clear to dd. It's not just, oh it's a bit of a rubbish day today, or there's a cm of snow, let's stay home. It's the fact that it's borderline tornado out there already.

Why not wait and see what the situation is actually like on Thursday night and Friday morning? Weather forecasts are very often wrong.

@Lovemusic33

She is GCSE year but is at a SEN school so only sitting 3 GCSE's and only likely to pass one so its not that important (if that makes sense).

In those circumstances I'd keep her home. I also have a child with SEN and anxiety so I can understand the worry of any incidents on the journey. Perhaps ask for a piece of work to do at home instead so it's not quite a day off, just a sensible precaution.

There's no need to decide now - see what it's like when you wake up on Friday morning.

Of course you should keep her home. If the winds are that high it would be reckless not to.

Depending on how the forecast changes, I'd consider keeping her at home, but not 'off school' if that makes sense - I'd make sure she was doing school work at home. You don't want to make staying off school too much fun in case she gets a taste for it!

I'm torn.
On one hand I think it's very easy for 'you don't have to go in today...' to end up becoming another reason and another reason, especially if the parent is prone to being anxious (not saying you are OP, just seen it happen in schools lots).

On the other hand it's fairly uncommon to get these sorts of weather warnings, and if she's in GCSE years then it's not like she has that much time left. Is one day going to make that much difference?

If you're happy that it's genuinely a one off, you tell your DC that she is revising from home due to a bad weather warning and then she revises at home then YANBU.

Without hesitation. Have a day at home. Stay safe

If the school is open send them in. If it's too dangerous they will close the school and tell people not to travel.

Keep her at home. We are forecast gusts of 80mph here, too. I have cancelled DD’s dental appointment and we aren’t going anywhere. We had 60mph winds a few years ago and the roof blew off. Everyone should be staying home, wherever possible, if you ask me.

@PostThenGhost

It would be wiser not to start down that route tbh. Once you start the ‘no school today because of X’ it doesn’t take long for them to decide that school isn’t a priority and they don’t need to go.

I know a couple of families with school refusers. It’s been a nightmare for them for years.

Shes severely autistic, she wouldn't even know why I was keeping her home. She gets really stressed when the weather is bad or if her taxi journey is delayed in anyway, she doesn't have anyone with her in the taxi (no support) so no one to calm her down if she gets anxious.

I'm not against your decision as a parent to make whatever choice you deem the right one for your child's safety OP, it does look very bad for Friday, I agree...but please, could people stop with the narrative of 'it's the last day/week of term so they won't be doing much'?

This really isn't true anymore in the very vast majority of schools (and hasn't been for years now!)

I actually can't remember when we were allowed to relax our timetable even for one afternoon, let alone a whole day, or god forbid 'the last week of term', as some people still seem to think happens in schools. I'm in primary...maybe it's different in secondary schools, I don't know, but I've worked in 5 different schools since coming back from working overseas in 2015, and I can promise you, in not ONE of these schools, or any others that I know, is this 'a thing'. The exception might be a whole school event at the end of the summer term, or a class party to mark the end of summer/Christmas (not even that in my current school though!)...but literally, that's it!

It's quite sad in some ways, as our children no longer get a single minute to breathe in the daytime...it's completely 'on timetable' without a second wasted! They are shattered...and so are we 😢

Caveat: I do of course know that 'some' schools (a minority) will have lovely heads/SLT and they will STILL be allowed an afternoon occasionally to do 'nice things' with their teacher...good for them! Sadly, these schools are a quickly dying breed...if your children attend one, don't move them! If you happen to work in one...don't leave 😅

I’d keep her home

I would absolutely keep her at home. Our DS has missed 4 days this week as my husband and I have covid (he is negative).
He has suspected ASD and we decided being the last week of term it wasn't worth the hoo ha of getting him to school.
He has 100% attendance before covid but I've got a bit of perspective now on days off.
Keep her off school she is your daughter and you know her best.

@PostThenGhost

It would be wiser not to start down that route tbh. Once you start the ‘no school today because of X’ it doesn’t take long for them to decide that school isn’t a priority and they don’t need to go.

I know a couple of families with school refusers. It’s been a nightmare for them for years.

She’s already in her GCSE year so it’s not really ‘starting down that route’ and the weather is a danger to life.

OP let her stay home

keep her home. if you lived ten minutes around the corner and collect her its a bit different to an hour taxi ride on her own in a storm. We had to drive through one of the last named storms in our area a couple of years ago and it was terrifying. Visibility was shit, branches everywhere.

My sons autistic and I do take him away from stressful situations eg fire drills - I get tipped off and he goes on later

Keep her at home. I'm worried about the trees coming down.

OP go with what you feel is best.

Given the circumstances, I would do exactly the same.

Thank you. I will keep an eye on the forecast and if it’s the same tomorrow I will cancel her taxi for Friday. She loves school so she won’t see it as an excuse not to go, she’s in her final year and rarely has a day off, even when she’s ill she wants to go in. I don’t want to keep her home unless I feel she’s at risk going in.