A little snow had began to fall....

[Bob Eager]

I wasn't suggesting that. We get pretty good information here in Kent - the local radio stations broadcast details of school closures, and they also appera on a web page.

It's not just H&S. The number of teachers required to run the school is not far short of the 'normal' number. If just a few can't get in (and as I said, many will not live on the doorstep) then it becomes non-viable. And quite a few schools are placed so that school buses can't get in either if there is snow. There is more than one reason for a school to close, despite what the tabloids like to spout.

[Dave Liquorice]

True but all schools *must* have a means of contacting all parent/guardians of their pupils. All schools have phones, one person making calls would take a long time to work through 1,000 pupils contact details thats why your don't do it that way. Our primary school has a very effective cascade "call out" system involving a few members of staff and volunteer parents. Should the school need to be closed for any reason (not just bad weather) a few calls are placed and then those first people called have a list of further people to call. It's very effective and very fast and not rocket science.

The BBC local radio station also regulary broadcasts any closures. On Monday this list was rather long, it might have been better to say which schools where open!

Agreed. I can remember going to school and having en-mass lessons in the hall 'cause there wasn't enough teachers in for normal classes.

Maybe some decent planning will emerge from the chaos of the last couple of days. It's not difficult to do a few "what ifs..." and come up with plans of action.

[Grimly Curmudgeon]

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold. I remember "Dave Liquorice" saying something like:

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Don't be silly - the school authorities can't be sued if a kid gets hurt while at home. That's the whole reason for closing schools - not the actual health or safety of the kids.

[David]

Had a wonderful time on Monday & Tuesday; was off school due to poor weather conditions.

[Jules]

Hmm, I think it works well for all of them except the first one, though (which is making my eyes wig out for some reason :)

[tony sayer]

And seeing that a lot of pupils have mobiles and their parents to what's wrong wiv a txt :?..

Our daughter was told this bu other pupils txt'ing her around 7 am that morning;)..

Come on now!, with the local authority round here website telling users to check with their local radio station ;!..

[tony sayer]

In article , Grimly Curmudgeon scribeth thus

[Andy Champ]

ISTR when the pitches were frozen, we went on a cross country run instead. To protect the grass...

Andy

[damduck-egg]

I liked it when my school did that. The sportsmaster had negotiated a course amongst local farmers and the route passed over the farm next to ours. I just ran home. He changed the course one year, a load of us got a lift in a pig trailer being towed by one of the lads uncles. We got out just out of sight of the end then checked in with a record time way ahead of the Athletic types. And then ran home.

G.Harman

[Andrew Gabriel]

We didn't. I recall we had to carry on playing hockey when the snow was coming down fast enough not to be able to see very far along the pitch. We only stopped when the ball started getting lost in the snow on the ground.

[Tim S]

Andy Champ coughed up some electrons that declared:

Frozen? It was never too frozen for rugby - probably on the basis that cracking your chin on the frozen ground was mild compared to all the other ways you could get injured...

By the 3rd year, I'd elected to do cross country running so I could be happy that I'd only be frozen. It took me until the 5th form IIRC to work my way into badminton so I could doss in the warm :)

[Grimly Curmudgeon]

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold. I remember Jules saying something like:

I find grey snow rather moon-like.

[Bob Eager]

By the 5th form, I'd worked my way into ice skating - on an indoor rink. I still have a scar...

[Mark]

Ive got some picture I took in 63, the most amassing thing was the icicle hanging from all the roofs and guttering we had some over 4ft long. We could not open the back door for over a week as the snow which was halfway up it had party melted and then re frozen. The ponds on Clapham Common froze solid and were turned into ice skating rink. That winter seemed to last an (ice) age But the schools buses tube and life in general carried on as normal. We now seem to be breeding a class of wimps that need H&S guidance before getting out of bed in the morning.

-

[Jules]

Hmm, and I just found out that someone copped it a couple of days ago trying to do just that :/ (well, not sure about the frozen pond bit)

Funny the stuff we used to get away with as kids...

[<me9]

The policy when my wife was teaching was that if a teacher couldn't get to their school, they reported to the nearest school run by that authority. This meant that there woould be enough teachers . That policy has probably changed with local managment of schools introduced beteween 1979 and 1986.

The one time SWMBO couldn't attend her school (due to floods) she couldn't get to the nearest appropriate school, but spent until lunchtime attempting to. On the same day I took until 2 pm to get into our nearest depot.

On Monday our local school closed because a local hill wasn't gritted. It never is. 17 bus loads of pupils come from the other side. It's not a difficult detour down the motorway and back (which was clear). The other local school was similarly affected, but their (head's) policy is to /never/ close.

[<me9]

Our local school (the one that didn't close) doubled up some classes but coped admirably. The other one just shut up shop.

[<me9]

Fortunately the snow was on Monday*, the day the binmen do other jobs like sweeping the roads. So they were available for gritting. They came for the wheely bins and recycling at their normal time on Tuesday.

• So that they don't have to modify days for most bank holidays.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

The Steptronic in my car only over-rides your manual selection if you attempt to go either faster or slower than the makers reckon is safe for the engine. At the upper end this equates to the same speed it changes up with the pedal to the metal as it were - so can be used to slow the car if you wish. What it won't allow though is a high gear start for icy roads etc - the highest it will select for starting off from rest is second.