Afternoon:
10°c
Boroughs blame icy playgrounds for school closures
Tim Ross, Education Correspondent3 Feb 2009
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- Big freeze set to last the rest of week
- Jonathan Prynn: The day I skied Les Trois Parcs de Londres
- Simon Jenkins: When London became a great white wonder
- Pictures: The big freeze continues
- Transport round-up
MORE than 500,000 London schoolchildren were given the day off today - delighting them but angering many parents who were left with childcare problems.
Every state school in 10 boroughs was shut following yesterday's heavy snowfall.
Councils in the rest of the boroughs reported that "most if not all" their schools were closed, many for the second day running.
Some blamed transport problems affecting teachers and pupils alike. Others, including Wandsworth council, said ice-covered playgrounds were too dangerous.
An Evening Standard survey found:
●All state schools were expected to be closed in Bromley, Enfield, Hammersmith&Fulham, Hillingdon, Hounslow, Kingston, Merton, Newham, Richmond and Tower Hamlets.
●In Sutton, Islington and Haringey, most if not all schools were closing again today.
●In another 14 boroughs, at least 650 primary, secondary and nursery schools were shut. Most of the remaining councils advised parents to check for themselves as the majority of their schools would not be opening.
A total of 1,000 schools and nurseries were closed across London. The Government told headteachers to use their "common sense" when deciding whether it is safe to open.
In Barnet, 96 schools were closing today, along with at least 70 in Ealing, 57 in Hackney and 55 in Greenwich. More than 50 schools and children's centres in Camden were confirmed to be closing but Great Ormond Street school for children at the hospital was one of the few to remain "fully open".
Many private schools closed down and schools across the South-East were affected. Local authorities in Surrey, Kent, Hertfordshire, Essex, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire and Oxfordshire said almost all their schools were shut.
But many parents were annoyed that they had to find alternative arrangements at short notice for their children for a second day.
Margaret Morrissey, of the Parents Outloud campaign group, said: "It is terribly difficult for parents. You've got to go to work and you've got the added problem of what to do with the children."
She warned that children given the day off might grow into adults who think "when things get difficult you should just stay at home and have fun".
Yesterday, London boroughs confirmed that 700 schools were known to have been closed, with hundreds more closures not documented. Across England more than 3,000 schools closed due to the snow yesterday and many remained shut today. In advice to parents, Wandsworth council said: "The severe conditions have forced the closure of many of the borough's schools as teachers, teaching assistants and support staff cannot get to work.
"In most cases frozen playgrounds mean it would be too dangerous for children to attend school.
"The council has been advising parents to contact schools directly to find out whether they are closed and when they expect to re-open."
Westminster council said parents should assume "most" schools were closed "as the weather continues to hamper safe travel for pupils and teachers".
In Bexley, 87 schools were closed and only two open. The council said: "All available resources are being employed to deal with the aftermath of the worst snow the borough has seen since February 1991. Many schools are closed for a second day due to icy conditions."
Bromley council told parents: "Due to major disruption to transport in and around the borough, the majority of our schools have been unable to provide sufficient staff to be able to operate satisfactorily We are advising all schools to remain closed on Tuesday."
Reader views (35)
Michael in London - you write such rubbish and come across as such a fool in your ranting. Ask any hard working teacher to let you shadow them for a couple of days and see the real world inside a school - not the fairy one inside your head.
- G, N, 12/01/2010 00:11
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I am just old enough to remember the exceptionally bad winter of 1963/4. Despite occassionally being down on numbers our school never closed. I cannot, in fact, ever recall a school closing because of snow. Some children I spoke to half an hour ago would have loved to go to school and meet up with their friends. I suspect part of the problem is that in my day teachers were dedicated whereas now they can use a sprinkling of now as reason for an extra day's holiday!
- Michael, London, 11/01/2010 23:11
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It's "Elf 'n' Safety" gone mad.
- Roger Slade, Winchester, Hampshire, England, 11/01/2010 23:11
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Goodness you are a judgmental and uninformed lot aren't you? Bandying about accusations like lazy, workshy, less dedicated, use any excuse to get an extra day's holiday, 'in my day' blah blah blah?
Actually if the school is shut the teachers cannot go in, and the decision to shut the school is not made by the teachers. I repeat, not made by the teachers. Get your facts right before you sound off!
- Lewis, London, 11/01/2010 23:11
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The Elf'Safety mob are just like Cromwells Puritans,anything that you can have fun with is a NoNo.It is the new political religion of the do gooding mafia.
Wish they would get a life instead of ruining everyone elses.
- Nigel, london, 11/01/2010 23:11
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This has shown that there is no contingency plan for the city or the country at large against any disaster. I strolled to my children's school on Tuesday morning and disappointedly found no one in the school lest to talk of any work been carried out to ensure children are back in school asap. This is outrageous. Someone should be questioned for this unfortunate incidence or may I was wrong.
- Olusegun Opanuga, Dulwich & Norwood, 11/01/2010 23:11
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To 'R.F.' of Yorks:
Teachers do not get 'overly generous' holidays. You try teaching for 15 years in Britain, as I did, and see how many 'real' holidays you get.
When it snowed, I used to take the children out on the field to build snowmen. Just as useful, in its own way, as any Ofsted directed activity.
Remember that teachers have to cope with Britain's transport problems too, many unable to afford to live near to the schools they teach in- so it's a long journey at the best of times, unlike 1963, which I also remember, when more teachers lived locally.
- Tim, Beijing, China, 11/01/2010 23:11
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"Icy conditions on the roads made the school run dangerous while playgrounds were judged to be too slippery". Then how precisely did the child in your picture get to Alexandra Park?
- James Thornley, Mansfield, UK, 11/01/2010 23:11
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I live opposite St georges C of E School corunna rd sw8 4js
It has a live in caretaker If he had cleard a small area of snow at the entrance on Monday morning The school could most certainly have operated as normal It has a large Covered pavilion which the kids always use in the rain, I guess that as with most public services in this country he simply could not be bothered.Why bother to have a very expensive live in caretaker in a very nice house!
Public service ethos Forget It, It does not exist here
- Nyron Gristwood, battersea London uk, 11/01/2010 23:11
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If the playgrounds were hazardous then why not keep the children in class rooms during break time? I hope the teachers will "make up for time lost" by working on one day during their overly generous holidays.
- R.F., Yorks, UK, 11/01/2010 23:11
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And the Telegraph beats you to the exclusive of at least 4 London Parks closed to kids!!!
With all that snow to play in!
Health and Safety gone crazy!
- Dave, cumbria, 11/01/2010 23:11
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I do agree with the education for advising the head teachers to use common sense,as my childrens head teacher has the right to keep the school shut untill the snow has melted as the playground is a death trap even on a rainy day due to subsidence,so god nows what it would be like being icey,i will be keeping my children home untill the ice and snow has gone for there own safety as well as mine,stop moaning get on with it and enjoy the time with ya kids!its only once every 18 years remember there only young once!
- Kelly, beckton newham, 11/01/2010 23:11
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My God. Just enjoy it. It's a rare event. Yes, inconvenient, but I doubt the snow storm will cause long term pyschological warping of the children, as Margaret Morrissey suggests. (Imagine being her child.) A day off from school and work is a perfect opportunity for children and parents to spend time together. Those type of opportunities are few and far between.
- Mike Formerly Of Se15, PA. USA, 11/01/2010 23:11
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The comment about teachers having a day's holiday - try being a teacher and see how many holidays they really get, as they work through a lot off their holidays marking - planing and organising the classrooms for the children returning to school.
also when most people finish work at a reasonable time their work carries on when they get home, sometimes very late into the evening.
I have witness all this, as my granddaughter like many teachers are dedicated to their job.
- Norma, Essex, 11/01/2010 23:11
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Blame the 'Claim Culture' the next thing will be a ban on throwing snowballs.
- Trudy, London, 11/01/2010 23:11
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If the teachers refuse to make up for lost time by working during their over generous holidays - then they MUST be forced to lose a day's pay for each day lost
- R.F., Yorks, UK, 11/01/2010 23:11
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How about using the snow as an excuse to play with your kids and enjoy the time off. Hasn't everyone forgotten about having fun? This miserable, moaning attitude doesn't teach our kids anything. We need to let them see the positive in everything and if that's an extra day with Mum and Dad that's great. I for one couldn't walk the 1.1 miles to my son's school as I live on a steep hill and have a one year old that I need to push in a buggy and I don't need to risk all of our lives for the sake of a day off school. Not sure how the smart ones out there overcome steep hills and small children as well as school age ones. It sounds to me like people can't wait to get away from their kids and back to their selfish lives at work. Very, very sad.
- Maisy, London, 11/01/2010 23:11
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Michael in London, in 63/64 teachers more than likely live in close proximity to their school and so could make it in. Nowadays that is unlikely to be true with teachers commuting to school from long distances. In London I believe you had little public transport, tell me how do the teachers get to school? Please do not say that teachers are not as decicated as they once were. If you are going to say that, please back it up with real evidence.
- Simon, Newcastle, 11/01/2010 23:11
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Goodness: my son would miss school for about 4mths based on these criteria! He and his friends rush around the playground - on treacherous ice, no less - making snowmen and igloos. Admittedly they are only allowed to make 'soft' snowballs and go on little button-sledges down the slope only if there is a green-flag picture in the window, but heck: it's FUN! He can't wait to get to school to play.
What is all this compensation culture nonsense in the UK? Can someone please cite how many parents have actually sued because their child hurt themselves on ice in the playground, or because they got hit by a conker, or whatever other nonsense is spouted? How are children meant to find out about how to co-ordinate themselves in snow and ice other than going out in some?
- Roz, Chamonix, France, 11/01/2010 23:11
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What child care problems? Give them a packed lunch and fiver in their pockets and leave them to play in the park or on the streets or at their friends for the whole day. Working parents might well be surprised that when the get back from work their kids are intact. Thats what happened to us as kids and we survived and enjoyed the experience.
- Dhanraj, Basildon Essex, 11/01/2010 23:11
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I have dragged my daughter out of bed at 5.00am in the wilds of Essex for two day's running now to get her into London for college, only for her to be sent home. The college is in Westminster, not deep in the wilds! I read elsewhere that we are in danger of running out of grit - too bloomin' right we are!
- Paul, London, 11/01/2010 23:11
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Frozen playgrounds too dangerous? They are FUN for heaven's sake! Talk about wrapping children in cotton wool. Falling over occasionally is a natural part of growing up. You learn to be more careful.
- Len, London, 11/01/2010 23:11
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I remember when i was at school, schools always shut, as staff travelled from far, so how can they teach with half quotas of teachers.
On the way to work, there were alot of people in the parks, more than a normal cold day.
- Adrian, london, 11/01/2010 23:11
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In response to Michael, London, things have changed. Back in 1963/64 (I was at school then) schools were different. Teachers tended to live near to the school, children tended to live near to the school, they could walk there. nowadays, many teachers are commuters and live in different boroughs or even towns. Similarly, many children are now commuters also. Many schools had coke-fired heating systems that were lit in October and burned non-stop 'til Easter.
And your comment about teacher's having a day's holiday - tell that to my wife. She finished working yesterday at about 8pm - about 2 hours earlier than she finishes on the days when her school is open.
- Dt, Harrow, UK, 11/01/2010 23:11
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If the school playgrounds were too dangerous due to ice and snow, I would have thought that all available council officials should have been out stopping children playing in public parks and in the streets for the same reason.
- Patrick Griffin, Dalston, London, 11/01/2010 23:11
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In 63/64, or any typical winter on Tyneside, we would polish areas of sloping playground and make the most amazing slides. Nobody died, it was something to look forward to.The bigger slides were quite scary, which was the whole point. Where better for a child to learn about gradually extending its management of risk than within a school, surrounded by friends?
- Mdj E10, london, uk, 11/01/2010 23:11
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I bet Gordon Brown gets blamed for the schools closing and probably for the snow too
- Keith Price, Luton, England, 11/01/2010 23:11
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I was stunned yesterday when our school told us that they would be closed today also - I just don't understand how they could anticipate it today, the roads are clear and the trains were running. So, no excuse really.
- Sandra, London, 11/01/2010 23:11
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I too remember being at school in 1963. Not a day was lost, safe paths were made across the playyground and (shock horror!) we made a fabulous ice slide. It was lots of fun - and yes, we did get a few bruises - and it went on for weeks!
- John, Leatherhead, UK, 11/01/2010 23:11
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Maisy - I quite agree. People need to just relax and enjoy it a bit more. I took the first couple of hours for fun in the snow with my daughters and neighbours then worked from home. My kids work hard enough at school and a bit of fun never hurt - apart from the snowball I took in the face!
- Doug, Barnet, 11/01/2010 23:11
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In my borough of London you have to live very close to the good schools to get in, I think the furthest child admitted last year was about 800m from the school. All the local bus routes are running so why cannot the teachers get in? No excuses, they are just lazy and workshy, don't they get enough holidays as it is?
- Craig, London, 11/01/2010 23:11
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Re 63/64 Snow I lived 3 miles from school as did many a pupil and I know at least half the teachers lived 10-20 miles away and no my school didn't have coke fired heating, but we all managed to get in and had non stop lessons. If it was cold we sat in class with scarves on. I am not saying teachers are less dedicated today but I think they take the health and safety side of schooling too far. Maybe parents need to sign disclaimers saying teachers are in charge for 8 hours and provided all due care and attention is taken no claims can be instigated.
- Carol, Portsmouth, 11/01/2010 23:11
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Today in London. Sun is shining, snow has melted, everybody is back at work, every business is open... except ... most of the schools are still closed ! Are teachers really the only people in this country who commute ? what possible excuse can they have for not even attempting to turn up today ? Pretty good example they're giving to the students on the value of dedication and hard work !
- Helen, London, 11/01/2010 23:11
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How hard is it to clear paths for the children to walk through the playground safetly and keep them in at lunch time?? I could have gotten to work today, albeit with some difficulties, but have to have a day off with no pay due to school closures!
- Melissa, London, 11/01/2010 23:11
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As a teacher, I was at work today at 8 am as usual.
- Rebecca, London, 11/01/2010 23:11
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