Interesting topic ..... only on a NHGPC thread could it get so inflammatory without upsetting anyone (OK .... nearly rose to the bait).
How is it that my early retirement from teaching began on the day of the first snow dump ..... uncanny! Just to get this bit of weather into perspective. I have had six and a half years in my last school (Derbyshire ,High Peak) and there were only three days in total lost to the weather .... snow in each case. On each occasion quite a lot of the staff turned up. We were willing to shovel snow .... sorry, not allowed no risk assessment done! I tried (until caught by the Deputy Head) to do some work (workshop) sorry, it constitutes lone working ..... against the Schools/County H&S guidance. H&S and allied risk assessments are now the biggest hinderance to education and kids having full exposure (poor word choice) to the childhood expereices I enjoyed. Every single practical lesson i taught had to be covered by a time consuming risk assessment it kills everything to the point where you stop doing things because everyone is backside covering and no-one will back you when Sally cuts her finger (I was not even allowed to put on the plaster unless a qualified First Aider). Schools don't close because teachers are lazy, skiving so and so's ..... it's because the implications litigation wise are now so enormous and too quickly triggered by the odd parents. Logistically and structurally they also find it much harder to function when they are 25% staff down than say a factory or business. Parents (possibly goaded) by their off-spring also easily collude to keep them off school .... some are very protective. Not many would send their child to school in quite severe weather if the school announced over the radio they were open but could not guarantee proper supervision/meals/enlarged classes/school transport. It's a bit more complex than it seems ......
But less of that ..... I wouldn't have had the flying lately if I'd been working.
I managed to get to Leeds and back to work in temperatures of -10c in snow drifts all week and did an interview with the acting head of a school in the dales that's surrounded by 2 foot of snow but all the kids are in school and all is well.
And I bet you were wearing your Y Fronts on top of your trousers!!!!
So if H&S is to blame, this however does not explain two schools one mile from each other one open and one not, different H&S rules? But clearly this H&S is a massive crippling load of nonsense.
Lets for a moment pretend that this cold snap lasts for another week, a fortnight, a month.! Just how long would it be before someone not only stood up and started shouting, but made change to the system so schools can open again.? I recall Brown announcing during the start of it all turning to shite a year ago that there will be "help now" for the unemployed, cash incentives for business to take on new staff. This help NOW took over 8 months from him publicly announcing this to it actually being available.!
I also feel H&S could very easy be used as an excuse at times.!
Good photos Ed I was in Keswick yesterday and I don't think I've seen the Lakes look so Beautiful. I couldn't believe there was so many people walking on Derwent Water some even pushing prams across
Heavy snow forecast for the east today so I think I might lite the fire again and roast my chestnuts.
Well Northumberland County Council must have spent a fortune hiring in private contractors with JCBs to clear the playgrounds, paths and approach roads of all their schools to ensure they were safe to open last Monday.
On the News last night there was a report of a young girl had who slipped on the ice at her school, unfortunately she died as a result of the head injuries she sustained.
The reporters comment,,,,,'The parents will of course need to know if the area had been properly gritted'
As the Headteacher has the ultimate decision as to the closure of a school, would you want to be that Headteacher now? What would your decision be the next time conditions are difficult?
Maybe now people will have some understanding and compassion for the very difficult decisions Headteachers have to make!
its time we take a stand on litigation, do they grit the hills that the kidds will be going down on there sledges?
its time we all take are own safety and risks as ours, we make the choice to leave the house every day and there is a rask that something might happen. we all live and die and no matter what you do when the grim reaper comes a calling there is no hiding.
take the poor mother who took a freinds child to uni to save her taken the day off work last week, only to skid off the road and when her and her son crossed the rad leaving there car they were hit by a wagon and she lost her son.
it can be a cruel world yet we seek blame all the time yet acceptance is less destoying.
Agree Gary, I sometimes wonder why do I run a flying school with all this blame and claim going on.
What is really wrong big time is the huge amount of money the legal eagles are making !
A lot of the time most claims are not worth the paper they are printed on but the insurance companies pay out because they get the jitters and don't the legal eagles know it...
Maximise your time & dosh do both Hanggliding & Paragliding
According to your train of thought here the uk should all stay at home unless the conditions outside are perfect. If that happened there would be no tax to pay your wages Brian.
The world is a harsh and frightening place at times, its about time schools employed more people who have been out there and experienced it, to pass on some experience of what its like outside the molly coddled walls of the school.
You will also have noticed in the news that i was only one of very many who were not impressed with the schools closing so flippantly.
Ps
I thought this thread had long finished.
Pps
If anything is to change it will only be made by people who are not frightened to speak there mind in public in case they loose there comfy seat and special coffee cup in the staff office, there very safe wage and rosy pensions seems to keep there mouths firmly shut unless its about upping their pay. Compassion?.....