Not many people like to defend teachers, it seems, when schools are forced to close because of extreme weather.
However, I’d like to point out something that many parents don’t seem to take into account.
When we send our little darlings to school we expect them to be looked after and cared for as if we were in the room. The problem with extreme weather is that if only 2 teachers are unable to get to work then it leaves the school with up to 65 children to cover for.
And therein lies the rub: Would you want your child to be insufficiently supervised while at school?
Probably not, I’ll wager.
A business of 15 staff can still function if 2 or 3 workers are unavailable. But because of the supervision challenges of being short staffed, a school (especially a primary school) would struggle with the loss of staff.
It’s not a question of numbers, it’s a challenge with being able to offer an acceptable level of supervision. No parent would want their child to be improperly supervised at school.
Now, you might be wondering why they don’t just a cover/supply teacher in. The difficulty with this is that there is a limited number of supply teachers. Bad weather means that demand soars and available cover is taken quickly. So no cover is often available.
I know it’s a pain but please, when your child’s school closes due to bad weather, remember that the decision to disrupt so many parents’ lives is not taken lightly and is usually made with your children’s interests and safety in mind.
I found your article very interesting. I must admit I have been biased regarding school closure in the past because of the inconvenience it causes to me with my Company. I will now be more sympathetic in the future. Thank you.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m in business too and it’s pain when schools are closed due to bad weather.
But as a parent (and ex teacher) I know the constraints that head teachers have when it comes to adequate supervision.
The other important factor is the safety of the site, a lot of schools are split across buildings with outdoor areas that students have to cross to get between lessons. Unfortunately we’re in an increasingly litigious society and I suspect that some of the same parents that complain about closure might also be quick to take action if their child slips and injures themselves.
Schools are just like the rest of the country, they don’t cope well with snow because it doesn’t happen very often. In other countries where heavy snow is common they would have snow clearing equipment and the site would probably have been designed with snow in mind. It would be a poor investment for schools or councils to buy lots of snow clearance kit for it to only get used once every few years
I completely agree Dave. Sadly it’s no-win situation for schools.