Why Do We Close Schools When It Snows These Days?

[ToraToraTora]

https://news.sky.com/story/temperatures-to-plummet-bringing-snow-to-parts-of-uk-11149445
I lived through some of the harshest winters in living memory and I cannot remember a single day when my school was closed. Even when the heating broke we did lessons in our coats. What has happened? Why are we such a nation of softies now? Gawd I can remember doing games in the snow, football rugby etc now when a snowflake falls the little darlings are tucked up in front of Xbox!

[ToraToraTora]

the whole travel thing is different I get it but it's still their responsibility to get in. If they don't turn up then dock pay. What do they do in Canada etc? Seems like a lot of excuses for skiving to me.

[emmie]

probably more to do with health and safety standards now, and whether half the staff can get into the school.

[ToraToraTora]

I think Doug has it, BA to him.

[gness]

But it's a faff, BM even when it goes no further than the endless meetings about why little Chardonnay slipped on the wet step into the school.....or even if it's just MrTattoedalloverman threatening to do us over because Bruno fell on his bum our side of the school gate.....

I fell over in the school playground endless times......many of you will have...... Dettol on a cotton wool ball.....my parents wouldn't have threatened the staff......parents do now.....x

[gness]

Schools in Canada have closed, TTT for a lot less than a snowfall.

[emmie]

i don;t remember not getting to school when the weather was bad, either my junior school which was walkable, or my senior school which was some way off, so one had to catch the bus.

[douglas9401]

Cheers, I'm going to celebrate with a nice glass of Snowball. :-)

[hc4361]

Policy in Canada:

Here are a few situations:

When it is not safe for teachers to drive their vehicles to work resulting in high staff absenteeism then schools will probably be closed.
When it is not safe for school buses and school taxis to follow their routes picking up students then school bus routes will be
cancelled.
When it is not safe for parents to drive their students to school in the family vehicle after discovering the school bus did not pick up their children then schools may be closed.

https://www.minus40.info/ice/weatherday.html

[fiction-factory]

There have been several good explanations here. We live in different times from 40 years ago in terms of distances travelled, especially by teachers, health and safety obligations (including no water for toilets) and fears of litigation. I think schools do sometimes err too much on the side of caution but I also know that when schools have stayed open in difficult conditions there have been problems of either insufficient teachers, support staff, lunch staff or insufficient pupils (meaning lessons would have to be repeated anyway) or other problems such as no lunches. To put this in perspective, however, I have only had one day off as a teacher due to a school closure in the last 10 years and I didn't get told until I was nearly there (as I'd set off early knowing the roads were bad).

[jennyjoan]

You were soaked to the knickers - that's what I remember.

[gness]

Thank you, Hc....that's very informative...amusing.....and I can tell you....very true!....x

[zebo]

Most has been said about staff and pupils not being able to get in safely or to have a safe, comfortable productive environment when they're there, but any teacher will tell you that trying to teach when there's a good amount of snow outside is a nightmare! The presence of a snow is totally distracting, they are hyper before break and soaking after break! I recall as a student the coach for Teaching Practice not coming so I dashed into town, caught the train, slogged through two feet of snow up to the school, got there at break and was told by the Caretaker, Yer mad b@@@@r, we're closed. Bless today's messaging, no such thing then.

[youngmafbog]

It's because of all the "snowflakes"

Sorry, I'll get my coat .....

[Old_Geezer]

To annoy the parents (and the neighbours).

[murraymints]

outdoor toilets in first primary school...loos froze over taps wouldn't work..we had an open coal fire in the classroom which we sat around with tin mugs of heated milk..ice on the inside of the windows..but school went on....

[gness]

Would it if your teachers had lived miles away, Minty and had no means of getting to school?..x

[jennyjoan]

You were lucky Minty - we had only one radiator in a class of primary school 30 kids. The nun went over to it - lifted her habit and toasted her ar$se - we were trimblin but didn't we survive.

[ToraToraTora]

I can remember my hands dropping off with cold after making snowballs and running them under the cold tap which felt warm, when I got into the building!

[Barmaid]

OOoohhh Minty, that brings back memories. Outside loos and that horrid scratchy paper. The boys urinals thing looked like a pig sty.