Staff to make decision whether they will travel or not?

[Piggywaspushed]

What do we think of this ?

All the schools round here are shut : but not DH's (private) school.

Mine announced it was shut just now which was annoying enough after all other schools called it yesterday afternoon . But his staff have just had an email saying they 'intend to remain open. More snow is forecast at 4 pm when his school finishes.

The email says 'they will understand if staff decide they cannot make the journey' Really?? How many kids do they think will turn up??! How is he supposed to know what the journey is like exactly?

What does anyone think union stance would be on forcing staff (and parents...) to make decisions about their own safe journey?
I reckon they will frown upon people who don't try and that he will go in and end up doing lots of cover. What really even is the point. (we all know it's so they don't have to issue refunds...)

Not sure who will be handing out the medals...

Dh got home because someone covered his last lesson for him (with its 3 students!).

I am now looking out of the window at a veritable blizzard. All the trains were also stopped after 3 so I hope everyone still at the school has got out and home OK.

No one came to look at his heating or even to give him a little heater
:(

parrot teachers can't delay arrival at work by a few hours...

They can and do. In most cases, if it is snow related, classes are smaller and classes are combined and covered by the staff that have managed to get in.

On Wednesday at my school some staff were delayed getting in and some didn't manage it at all - those there covered. Similar on Friday (we closed Thursday) but we also opened later which allowed everyone more time.

DD's school opened with reduced staff, and some staff coming in later on Friday. As classes weren't full they combined classes. Same as at most of the schools locally.

Well, it would cause much tutting at our school. If you can announce in advance that you will be late, that's one thing, of course. But if you are stuck en route and in a car you can't keep updating people.

What I meant is as a general rule you can't just set off and say 'oh I might be there by 2 and then I'll stay a bit later'. I thought that was what was being implied : ie working flexi hours.

Any, anyway, at DH's school they didn't combine classes : ne need as the staff had dutifully trudged in. It was, of course, the students who didn't bother make it.

The opening later type of thing is logical but lots of schools seem not to extend to logical thinking!

You know if schools opened at 10 parents would be complaining that they needed to be in work by 9. You can never please everyone.

This is true. Hadn't thought of that. (Well, I did, but after I posted)

Anyway, many posters don't realise how in thrall to bus companies most rural and semi rural schools are (and even urban schools with wide catchments). It takes huge negotiation of Brexit proportions to change the times of school buses! (Except for when the bus company wants to do it)

Count yourself lucky. We were all told if we couldn't get in it would be unpaid. Cue exhausted staff having made such long, crappy journeys into work, not many kids and those that made it in had to be kept inside all day. What was the bloody point?!

That's a shocking attitude for a school!

tea
That's a shocking attitude from a school.
I'm not surprised. My car broke down after school and the head saw it being towed away. I lived over an hour from school with no public transport and no 2nd car. A friend drove me home. I asked the head what I should do if the car wouldn't be fixed by the time the garage closed. Their response? 'Whatever you like. If you need the day/morning off then take it but i'm not paying you.' I had to arrange to stay at a relative's house for 3 days and get lifts from them/friends until I could get my car back. Bloody disgraceful.

Should add, we thought it was going to be a quick fix job (I wouldn't have expected to be paid for all 3 days if I was stuck).
But the fact that they'd seen/heard it break, watched it be towed and couldn't even give me a morning to try and sort a courtesy car out made me realise what they were like.

As it happened the garage was out of courtesy cars (hence thr bail out from friends and family).

I really don’t understand your concern, I drove to work on Friday (with care). My child’s school closed early on Friday, but they have boarders. It seems to me that the school have it right - the individual is best placed to decide if they can get there or not.