School Snow Days

[Neil_F]

Two questions:

• why?
• are teachers still paid for that day?

 

[MK Shrimper]

1) Health and safety issues.
2) Yes they are as was my missus who was off today and works in the kitchens.

I broke my arm back in 1979/1980 at my junior school in the snow as some herbert jumped on my back after I fell over in the middle of a snowball fight. I spent 30 mins or so trying to find a teacher, who when I did, told me it was just sprained.

If that was today my parents would have sued.

 

[londonblue]

Two questions:

• why?
• are teachers still paid for that day?

My son's school was closed today because the road the school is on (which is also the road we live on) was treacherous. It is a steep slope and was covered in compacted snow. Most cars would have trouble stopping at the bottom of the slope. I fully support their decision, even if is was inconvenient to me. The school will be open tomorrow since the road is now clear. Heaven knows how it cleared given the temperatures, but it has.

Don't know, but if the school (i.e. the governors) make a decision to close then the teachers should be entitled to be paid.

 

[Tangled up in Blue]

My son's school was closed today because the road the school is on (which is also the road we live on) was treacherous. It is a steep slope and was covered in compacted snow. Most cars would have trouble stopping at the bottom of the slope. I fully support their decision, even if is was inconvenient to me. The school will be open tomorrow since the road is now clear. Heaven knows how it cleared given the temperatures, but it has.

Don't know, but if the school (i.e. the governors) make a decision to close then the teachers should be entitled to be paid.

I was under the impression that it was the Headmaster's final decision to close or not?:unsure:

 

[Swiss Tony]

Hey look,the kids are rocking on the snowy slopes of England and the teachers are catching some payment for days off,why not?our MPs are at it all year round.:clap:

 

[Mad Cyril]

Schools close because snow does terrible things to suede Hush Puppies and corduroy slacks.

 

[OldBlueLady]

The Headteachers make decisions to close, it's not a Governor decision, though it may be done in consultation. Certainly with the number of Academies, it's down to the Heads.

Schools close more now because teachers no longer tend to live within walking distance as they did 20, 30 or 40 years ago, so they have to travel further which means they have to contend with travel and traffic conditions. As MK says, it's also largely due to health and safety, though I do think that councils should make more effort to make the pavements and paths more easy to negotiate in the vicinity of schools. Blame the claim culture for the fact that fewer and fewer people bother to clear the pathway outside their homes.....that, and laziness and inconsideration.

And yes, they do get paid. Most will be working at home anyway as there is a never ending cycle of planning to contend with. TAs also get paid, but my school was open anyway :smile:

 

[Pubey]

Why does a TA get paid? Are you able to do much from home?

 

[OldBlueLady]

Why does a TA get paid? Are you able to do much from home?

Very rarely, does depend on your role, some can do some prep. I guess if your contract states you're contracted on a day where the school is closed because of the weather, they can't exactly dock you your wages as it's not your fault. In much the same way, if you're contracted to work on a Monday, you're also paid for Bank Holidays, when, for instance, I'm not as my contract is Weds, Thurs, Fri.

 

[pickledseal]

Our school keepers got in at 6am as usual, even when I left at midday after manning reception for a bit and emailing work to all my classes, the paths between our 5 buildings were still not clear. We invested on a sit-on snow plough to try and stay open but the site was just not safe.

I get very frustrated by my Facebook and Twitter being full of my fellow teachers going on about snow days though. Gove does enough to demonise teachers and some really don't help themselves.

Out of interest, how many non-teachers didn't go into work today? I know lots who worked from home which is exactly what my students and I did.

 

[Napster]

Out of interest, how many non-teachers didn't go into work today? I know lots who worked from home which is exactly what my students and I did.

Yeah because my trains suck and I have lots of snow here.

 

[OldBlueLady]

Our school keepers got in at 6am as usual, even when I left at midday after manning reception for a bit and emailing work to all my classes, the paths between our 5 buildings were still not clear. We invested on a sit-on snow plough to try and stay open but the site was just not safe.

That's a good point too, school buildings are so much bigger and over a larger number of buildings in many cases than they used to be, and it's the safety of pupils moving between buildings/blocks - difficult enough at the best of times between classes let alone with the added "slip" danger.

 

[McNasty]

God knows how we managed to survive as school-kids 40+ years ago.

 

[pickledseal]

God knows how we managed to survive as school-kids 40+ years ago.

Your parents probably wouldn't sue if you fell over. Unfortunate state of things these days.

 

[londonblue]

The Headteachers make decisions to close, it's not a Governor decision

You know that for sure do you? Just asking because if that was the case I would be very annoyed that Chair of the Governors asked us on Sunday to drive up and down the road and let her know if the road was passable or not.

 

[Billy Bests boot laces]

Your parents probably wouldn't sue if you fell over. Unfortunate state of things these days.

Andy, the thought of doing that would never have entered their heads, a sign of how much we have 'gone down the pan' in the UK.
I recall at Belfairs (1968-72) when ever there were heavy snowfalls (a yearly occurrence), at break and lunchtime, everyone was allowed onto the rugby/football pitches to have a mass snowball fight. You can imagine the carnage, when a fifth former copped a snowball in the head from a 3rd year pupil?.
In the pathetic PC world we live in today, it would probably have ended in a Court case. The younger pupils parents would allege their son was scarred for life after having wet snow shoved down his shirt.
I also recall pupils slipping over in the playground, and just getting up and carrying on with things.
When did it all start going wrong!!

 

[pickledseal]

I know Tony it's a real shame!

I've known parents to complain about (real, first hand examples):
Their child getting some grit in the face from a snow ball.
Their child damaging their shoulder by THROWING a snowball.
Their child slipping while wearing 'pumps'.

Parents wouldn't mind if it happened down the park, but if there's someone else to blame they will!

(Not all parents obvs, AND we do have a duty of care, but you can see the head's dilemma!)

Although saying all this, education happens outside the classroom too... when Gove is telling us creativity doesn't matter anymore, a day building snowmen, working out what household items can be used as a sled and tactical warfare of snowballs is a learning experience too.

I hope the kids had fun, I'll have them back inside to learn some other stuff tomorrow.

 

[pickledseal]

You know that for sure do you? Just asking because if that was the case I would be very annoyed that Chair of the Governors asked us on Sunday to drive up and down the road and let her know if the road was passable or not.

Head teachers are in charge of operational running of the school, the chair of governors, the strategic side of things. It is heads decision, but may ask for advice.

 

[united we stand]

Your parents probably wouldn't sue if you fell over. Unfortunate state of things these days.

Who are these parents though --- I wouln't sue, nor would my freinds. If my son came home and had fallen over on the ice, playing snowballs etcand had hurt himself at school I would say 'on of those things' as would most people --surely ?

If a government was to do anything then stopping this sue culture should be near top of the list. 20 years ago when it snowed farmers used their tractors to clear minor roads - sometimes fro free, sometimes they were paid - now they are not allowed to do it

 

[united we stand]

I know Tony it's a real shame!

I've known parents to complain about (real, first hand examples):
Their child getting some grit in the face from a snow ball.
Their child damaging their shoulder by THROWING a snowball.
Their child slipping while wearing 'pumps'.

Parents wouldn't mind if it happened down the park, but if there's someone else to blame they will!

(Not all parents obvs, AND we do have a duty of care, but you can see the head's dilemma!)

Although saying all this, education happens outside the classroom too... when Gove is telling us creativity doesn't matter anymore, a day building snowmen, working out what household items can be used as a sled and tactical warfare of snowballs is a learning experience too.

I hope the kids had fun, I'll have them back inside to learn some other stuff tomorrow.

this is incredibly sad , and thsoe parents should be ashamed of themselves