The local schools are closed again today - the fourth day this week - and all around the country it's the same. As far as Slough is concerned, I have no idea why they need to be closed again. Yes we had a few inches of snow on Monday, yes we've had a couple of small snowfalls since, but the roads are fine and basically all it is is just slush. It is snowing now - but it is wet snow and it is melting as soon as it lands.
But the schools are closed again.
While driving to north London for a meeting yesterday I heard a head teacher on the radio justifying her schools closure. How? It was the school's "duty of care" she explained. She justified this by claiming that, although the roads might be clear of ice, there are still slippery pavements and what if some child hurt themselves walking to school.
Yep, seriously - that was her claim, They had a "duty of care" for children who might have hurt themselves going to school which she used to justify closing the school. On that basis it is a wonder the school is ever open - what if some kid got run over walking to school or was hurt in a car crash on a perfectly good weather day?
Heath and safety gone mad? Or is it just an excuse for teachers to get a few days extra paid leave?
1 comment:
I think a lot of this over-the-top caution stems from our ridiculously litigious society.
Councils, for instance, don't really care about a person's safety as much as they care about whether or not they'll be sued. And they can be sued for just about anything these days.
Same goes for schools, I'm sure. They feel as though can't be too careful.
In fact I think 'Health and Safety' really translates to 'Dont Sue Us'.
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