School Closure

The BBC News has just been on about thousands of schools being closed- and although it doesn't affect me, its got me a bit amused.
When I went to school at St.Peter and Paul's on Daubhill (quite ) a few yars ago- we never closed for a bit of snow. There's at most a couple of inches and most of that has disappeared off the footpaths now.
Why is it that schools close so readily when there is a bit of snow around. We got there through snow a lot deeper than this.
Is it because teachers want to skive a day off. Or because so many kids get driven to school now and parents can't get there because of clogged roads.
Or is it health and safety in case a kid falls over in the playground.
Or is it because they're all wimps thse days?
Do we breed 'em too soft and they should be made to go,snow or no snow.
Some of my best memories were chucking snow balls at kids from the other school further up Derby St.

What are your thoughts?

So much for the so-called "British fighting spirit".

rammywhite wrote:The BBC News has just been on about thousands of schools being closed- and although it doesn't affect me, its got me a bit amused.
When I went to school at St.Peter and Paul's on Daubhill (quite ) a few yars ago- we never closed for a bit of snow. There's at most a couple of inches and most of that has disappeared off the footpaths now.
Why is it that schools close so readily when there is a bit of snow around. We got there through snow a lot deeper than this.
Is it because teachers want to skive a day off. Or because so many kids get driven to school now and parents can't get there because of clogged roads.
Or is it health and safety in case a kid falls over in the playground.
Or is it because they're all wimps thse days?
Do we breed 'em too soft and they should be made to go,snow or no snow.
Some of my best memories were chucking snow balls at kids from the other school further up Derby St.

What are your thoughts?

In fact there are a couple of issues as to why schools close during snow nowadays.

1. Health and Safety are more "on the ball" than they were a few years or even decades ago. Its like when a match gets called off due to fans safety outside the ground - same principles.

2. Bus companies - as not all bus routes are gritted anymore (policy is to keep main roads gritted at all times but estates or other roads only on a can-do situation), therefore buses may not be able to travel so a school may have to close early i norder to make sure than the children can get home.

3. If a child has an accident on school property due to the snow or ice the the school is open to litigation by the parents - fear of being sued!

Also do not forget that unlike the "old days" primary schools are not just there for the surrunding areas but for the whole of the borough nowadays - same with secondary schools, so the logistics of getting children to and from school is totally different to what it was before the late 1990's

If school were only for the micro-local area (i.e. the 1 to 3 km circumfrence of the school) then it would be easier to keep a school open.

Shut up Amos you bellend. The simple answer is people have become soft. If todays generations were living 100 years ago they'd all be dead.

You're spot on Nat. As a nation we've become soft, and expect everyone else to make the decisions for us, but Amos is right with some of the things he says. Its a combination of all things, so long as there is no risk to anyone, in any way. In my day, it was the responsibility of my parents to get me to school, and home. Apart from a 10 foot snowdrift, or deep floods, they just got on with it. Once we were in school, it the playground wasnt safe, we bloody well stayed in the classroom. I personally think the media should be fined for causing alarm for no reason.

Natasha Whittam wrote:Shut up Amos you bellend. The simple answer is people have become soft. If todays generations were living 100 years ago they'd all be dead.

Its not that the nation has gone soft its just that changes in legislation - Health and safety, education, and due to lack of funds from Central Government because of austerity measures - the head teachers have to take the hard decision.

Also do not forget that, also, in the bygone days it is now easier to announce school closures due to texts and emails and tweets etc etc. Whereas in the old days there were only 2 forms of communication - phone and in person!!!

Schools were closed and judging by the lack of traffic on my way home from work tonight a fair few decided it was too dangerous to even consider thinking about maybe going into work. It really gets on my tits all this Health and Safety, risk assessment bollocks, all it has achieved is a legal profession consisting of ambulance chasing chancers and an army of clipboard carrying tosspots. Nobody takes responsibility for anything any more.

If you trip or fall, maybe you should watch where you're going in the chuffing first place.

Rant over. Going for a pint

I agree Nick.

I'm old enough to remember the winter of 1963 which was the worst I've ever seen and as far as I can remember the schools were open and people got to work even if it meant they walked it there and back.

I've tried to find a picture of the time to give people an idea how bad it was and the nearest I can find to Bolton is a picture taken in Burnley at the time - back in the day you had to simply get on and do things - there wasn't really any alternative - maybe things have got far too easy these days?