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?

We are in the 80-90mph expected zone too. 1987 is still quite raw here as one of the worst hit areas so I think a lot are planning to.

Would school do remote learning if she was self isolating?
If so, then I'd ask if she can do that.

Where are all these kids with anxiety coming from? When I was at school, going to school in a storm would have been adventure and if there was a tree down, well hey, more time out of school while we found a new route. It would have given us lots to talk about (and embroider) once we got to school.

As kids, my mum used to have to make decisions based on the weather as we lived rurally away from the school.

My mum needed 40 mins to get to us and 40 mins back home safely down a country lane if the weather turned bad. In the end she just told us to ring her if the weather turned, mainly snow, in the school area and she would just come for us, as the teachers were not reliable enough to do so.
It was only needed an a few occasions.

Although i do remember her ringing telling them we wouldnt be in as we were snowed in, they answered with, "well its clear here", 40 mins the school was closed and all kids sent back home, luckily we didnt go in, mum wouldn't have been able to get to us 🤣

With the added SEN, i would keep your child off

Thanks OP - I would be staying at home in the West Country unless the track of the storm changes quite a bit (for example, downgraded to a yellow in your area). Be aware of storm surges in tidal areas as well.

I'd keep her home. We have a similar situation- daughter has a long taxi journey to school. She is off this week for half term, but if she were in I'd be keeping her home on Friday. If nothing else, you'd probably be worried all day until she got home, which isn't good for either of you. Do what feel right.

@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 the last day before half term! Thursday can easily be the last day before half term.

@Lovemusic33. In your situation I'd keep her home.

@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).

I think her safety and overall health is more important than her qualifications, which she can chase later as an adult any way.

I'd keep her off.

@CannibalQueen

Where are all these kids with anxiety coming from? When I was at school, going to school in a storm would have been adventure and if there was a tree down, well hey, more time out of school while we found a new route. It would have given us lots to talk about (and embroider) once we got to school.

Perhaps the fact she has SEN and attends a special school is a clue.

Would YOU go out in it in your car and transport her somewhere?

If so, then she’s fine to go
If not, then no

Speak to the school. They might not be open anyway. They provably have a bad weather protocol and closing in gale force winds is very likely. I’m assuming it’s a school serving a wide area or a special school.

I'm inclined to agree, you're putting the taxi driver at risk too. I'm currently debating making a call on not opening the office as there's so few people planning to be in it seems silly to run the risk of people having travel difficulties.

I'd keep her at home.

Where are all these kids with anxiety coming from? When I was at school, going to school in a storm would have been adventure and if there was a tree down, well hey, more time out of school while we found a new route. It would have given us lots to talk about (and embroider) once we got to school

FFS. Did you not see that she is autistic? Bit of empathy and understanding wouldn't go amiss.
Neurotypical teenagers might think a storm is a great adventure but that's not the same for everyone.

OP, just keep her at home. There's too much that could go wrong.
If she got stuck in the taxi somewhere and became distressed, how would the taxi driver deal with that and you might have difficulties getting to her. It's just too risky.

As a parent it’s totally your choice, but last year there were 37 severe weather warnings for England that’s a lot of potential days off.

Yes but they were not all in the same place. I simply would talk to the school. If the taxi turns up specially for DD and you haven’t said anything, that’s hardly fair on the driver. The school may well be taking a view on this.

@RestingPandaFace

As a parent it’s totally your choice, but last year there were 37 severe weather warnings for England that’s a lot of potential days off.

But were all those weather warnings in the same place? And how are you defining severe?

@RestingPandaFace

As a parent it’s totally your choice, but last year there were 37 severe weather warnings for England that’s a lot of potential days off.

It’s pretty rare to be under a Amber warning, most of the uk is under a Amber or Yellow warning, high chance of trees coming down, roof damage etc.., I now people up north are used to it 😬 but we are not.

There is a chance school will close and/or transport will be cancelled.

I will keep an eye on weather as things may change. I can call school tomorrow and I have a contact number for the taxi driver.

You are absolutely right I had a deeper look at the data and it’s quite spread out, the North West for example had 7, as I said though it’s a judgement call that only the parent can make, everyone’s risk tolerance is different.

I would keep her home. I'm actually kind of hoping that my DS's school is closed on Friday because the forecast for our area is so bad. I had a very close escape walking to school in the 1987 storm, which might be colouring my view slightly, but given her circumstances I wouldn't want to risk it.

The taxi might not even come anyway if it’s that bad. I’d consider contacting the school and asking for some worksheets for Friday but not letting on to your DD so that if the weather is good she can go, if it’s bad she can stay home and do the worksheets.

Take your daughter out of the equation

Would YOU travel in it?

No not at all. Do as you see fit. I'd probably keep her off too

It's very stormy with us today and we actually got blocked in at work when trees came down on our entrance road. It's rare to see traffic lights shaking and I found it all a bit scary. I'd keep her at home.

Well I went to school in the war, when bombs were dropping on schools and houses, and in 1947, had to walk through 6 ft snow drifts, in sub zero temperatures, school was about half an hours walk away. There was a farm up the road, and the farmer took his three children to school on the back of his tractor when it was seriously bad weather days.