Another "Is our school BU?"

[MNingatmidnight]

Our school never updates their website and doesn't use parent mail. So when it's snowing we have to get up, get ready for school, bags packed, lunches done etc and wait by the door. We then call in school at 8am to see if they are open!

Anyway, today they decided (after the children were there about 11am) that they would close at 1.30pm. They've called and emailed us all. Today it's ok as I am not at work and it'll be lovely to have dd home for a few hours. However, they cannot say about tomorrow and will ring us during the day again, if they decide to close early.

I understand why businesses are closing early, so people can travel home without risking missing last trains, last trains from London are leavimg at 7pm instead of 11pm etc. But is 3pm really that late for people to leave school? Plus the fact that they will not tell us when we drop the children off if they will be closing early, they will just call us during the day if they are and then we have to make quick arrangements.

It might be more understandable if we were in a remote village or in a part of the UK that has had heavy snowfall. We have had a couple of inches at most, none since Saturday and then about 2-3 inches last night - hardly severe weather conditions.

I know school isn't free childcare, but why not just give us the option not just close for the day rather than messing people around with their work. We could then take a day off and play int he snow. Problem is when they do reduced hours if you decide not to take the kids in at all it goes down as unauthorised absence.

It is a bit of pain in the arse, but i suppose they try to open and if the weather gets worse, then they have to close just in case transport is cancelled and everyone is stranded.

Could you make arrangements for someone to look after your dc just in case?

Re the morning thing, does your local radio station not give an update? That's how the schools get the message out where I live. Or the radio station website?

As puppymonkey said local radio or your locol council website for closures.

Nope, no local radio station or website message, it's a joke actually.

The thing is, it's very hard to be stranded here. There are hundreds of bus routes into and out of London, 3 train lines that are totally seperate and run right into central London in 12 minutes ish and cabs are in abundance too. One out of 3 train lines had been shut off this morning, they are now running again, most buses are running and I got a cab to my friends this morning. We are in London with 2-3 inches of snow, not in snowdrifts out in the countryside.

i guess you could make your own decision, if there is similar amounts of snow tomorrow then it would be reasonable to assume that the school will close early and either, keep them off or make arrangements to have them picked up.

Does it REALLY matter if they have an unauthorised absence? genuine question not being sarcastic - ive heard that phrase alot recently and surely, as a responsible parent, i shouldnt be penalised for those who do keep their children off all the time, if i want to make my own call about weather conditions or take a family holiday??

Lucy, I do usually feel the same about the un-auth. absences, but they start moaning and sending home letters. We had a few already when we went to Disneyland Paris in October as our heads policy is never to authorise any holiday. None at all - not even the 10 days she is allowed to authorise.

I suppose it doesn't matter in that sense, it's more the principle of the matter.

I'm going to answer my own post i think:

No, not really i don't suppose you can - because ok, if you decide to keep them off, you have to take a day off work and get a slapped wrist for daring to have an unauthorised absence. Not the end of the world. But then if you look out the window in the morning, decide to send them in and go to work and a foot of snow is dumped the ground, the school closes and you battle to get back to pick them up - its a giant pain in the arse.

I think that the fresh snow is always the worst of it, when you are taken by surprise - DP, DD and I nearly had to abandon the car on big freeze day 1. We had gone to the woods, there had been a dusting of snow where we live, nothing where we parked up for our walk. We were gone for probably two hours, it had snowed a bit but obviously we were under tree cover - got back to the car and it was armageddon! No worries go home, isnt it pretty bla bla bla - hurray we can build a snowman. Um, Gridlock on de roads!! because of course, they were ungritted - its a bit of a rollercoaster of hills, well tiny ones, near us, but enough that lots of cars were really struggling and our automatic nearly didnt make it - DP didnt tell me that til we got home because he knew i would freak out but he said he was bricking it!

We had to go in front of an education tribunal with DD1, oooh, a good few years ago now - there had been a horrible bug going round the school - we had been on holiday and then the school was shut for a week due to snow - we were horrified and worried, we phoned the school in a panic and said WTF??? they said, oh, don't worry, due to the bug and the snow, most of the children have had this letter and it will just be logged at the meeting and passed over. All due to maintaining over 85% or whatever their figures are absences - bloody government tish tosh if you ask me!

I don't think schools can do right for doing wrong at the minute. I think we just have to grit our teeth (ha ha) and get on with whatever happens.

In my experience an 'unauthorised' absense matters more to the school, than the parent, looks bad on their Ofsted inspection.

It doesnt really matter to a parent if a child has one unauthorised absence, unless your child then goes down with something like chicken pox and has to take 2 weeks off of school as well. This could result in you having to provide medical evidence for EVERY day your child has off and being reported to the LEA attendance officer.

its daft isn't it claw. I know there is a problem with truancy, especially in secondary school but i really really cannot see the harm in taken a primary school child out of school for a week, no more really, for a holiday and if they get chicken pox well, shame.

But in answer to your ORIGINAL question - YANBU, the school should keep you informed in good time.

Its bloody ridiculous thats why im spreading the word! unfortunately with all the rules and regulations, it leaves no room for common sense.

Ds was recently off for just over 2 weeks, gave the school a copy of his hospital discharge sheet. I now have to provide evidence of every minute he takes off of school and meet with the attendance officer to discuss what i can do to 'improve' his attendance!

The word DOH springs to mind, a drain on the nhs (unnecessary visits to my GP) a drain on education and im sure their time and money could be much better spent elsewhere.

Wow ive got right on my high horse about this one havent i!

Time for a coffee and counting to 10

They should let you know what's happening in time to make arrangements.

Also when I was young (and cars were horseless carriages etc ) we just went to school in all weathers. If someone couldn't get there because of the weather then they just didn't, but there was no official closing of schools the moment they saw two snowflakes and all the fuss they make now.