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!

[gness]

Really, Spicerack?....Now I'd have thought you'd have looked at what has to happen before a school closes...
Your little answer has surprised me..... :-)

[Spicerack]

Alright, they can't then.

[gness]

:-).....That's the sort of come back I'd have had from one of my Year3 lads, Spice......'cept you should have added.....Miss.......xxx

[jourdain2]

No one closes a school unless they absolutely have to, I promise. One reason I couldn't get into school once was that (although I had a 4x4) the road was completely blocked by cars. Do the carpers have any idea what a Pennine Winter is like?
One school I was in, in Halifax, closed at 2.00 p.m. because the snow was about 8 inches deep (since lunchtime). The kids could walk home. I found myself in a whiteout on the ridge between Calderdale and Airedale - it was terrifying. Driving about 5 m.p.h., window open, scraping snow off windscreen with my hand. You people complaining about closures need to think what it is really like.

[Spicerack]

Left at 5:30 this morning, drove 80 miles, humped some lovely warm steel bars around a construction site for 9 hours, got back in car drove home 80 miles in traffic jam.
So you'll have to forgive me if my achey heart don't break at the trials and tribulations of our hard put upon teaching fraternity.

[gness]

Odd isn't it, J....folk seem to think teachers just want a weather day off......
I loved my job.....loved every day I was in school and was so sad when I had to leave....x

[Buenchico]

>>> I'm up first checking the Internet to see which schools are shut

I wish the internet had been around in my teaching days. WE had rely upon local radio, which must have broadcast the news that the school I taught at was closed after I set out for work.

So, because all bus services in Sheffield were cancelled, I walked the 8 miles to work (from where I lived before I moved closer to the school), taking about 2½ hours because the snow was thigh-deep in places, only to find that the school was closed and that I'd then have to walk back home again!

[gness]

That sounds tough, Spice.....but why be grumpy about others who choose a different path in life......you could have gone along that road had you chosen.

[Mamyalynne]

School closures here aren't that common are they?

To read this you'd think it was a regular occurrence.

I also think years ago a Head Teacher had full say, now there's red tape from the LEA added in.

[gness]

They're not common, Mamya......but this happens every year....it's just....let's see how we can have a dig at teachers.....x

[tonyav]

I also think years ago a Head Teacher had full say,


Used to be in my school day's, Mamya ( I know I know, long time ago )
No radio announcements back then, you'd turn up at school only to be told to go back home. Usually due to the boiler had broken down or teachers hadn't turned up due to very deep snow.

[Buenchico]

>>> now there's red tape from the LEA added in

That's certainly unlikely with secondary schools, Mamya, as hardly any secondary schools are now under local authority control anyway.

For example, Sheffield has nearly 40 state-funded secondary schools but the last one withdrew from local authority control, and adopted academy status, earlier this year.

While many primary schools are still run by local authorities, the numbers continue to fall, as more and more switch to academies.

[Mamyalynne]

Happy to be corrected.

[Spicerack]

Perhaps if you teachers had done your job properly I'd have a nice job.
I'm obviously the most intelligent poster on this hill of beans and yet I have to 'hump stuff' for a living. :-(

[Davemano]

The simple answer to the question is that the children refuse to hand over their winter fuel allowance.

[gness]

True, Spice....I too had a dreadful education and was dragged out of school as soon as I was fifteen....didn't even make the end of the term....
If my uncle hadn't been cheating on the sister in law of my head master things would have been better....
But I pulled up my socks in my twenties....evening classes....volunteer work in schools.....and joining the kids at my local comp for A levels......hard work but it enabled me to get a job I loved and to take a day off when it snowed.... :-)

[RobNorth]

The answer is...like a lot of things nowadays,
Because we can!

[gness]

Don't get too excited, Rob.......you're not being original.......that's been said before and it's not as smart as you think it is.........you need to give it more thought before posting....... :-)

[Barmaid]

^^^ you sounded just like my old HT then, Gness.

[RobNorth]

Gness, it wasn't supposed to be smart, I'm not clever enough, but I do know one about dogs and their habits....