Schools shut as snow expected
Friday 1st February 2008, 2:30PM GMT.
Nearly 60 primary and secondary schools in Shropshire were closing early today because of snow expected to fall this afternoon. Drivers were warned to take extra care amid fears the snow would create dangerous conditions.
Shropshire Star weatherman John Warner today said much of the county could expect a covering of snow by the end of the day.
He predicted snow would start to fall this afternoon and into the evening with temperatures falling to 0C (32F) during the day and -2C (28F) overnight.
“I think there’s an 80 per cent chance that most of Shropshire will get a covering during this afternoon and evening,” he said.
“We will maybe get two to three inches on high ground and perhaps an inch on low ground.”
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There needs to be an investigation into this decision. Since when did schools shut so far in advance because of a *forecast*??
Good though for all the teachers who can knock off for the weekend a bit early. They must have run out of ‘Training Days’ – isn’t that the normal reason for extra holidays sprinkled throughout the school calendar (always tagged on to a weekend of course)?
Of course safety is paramount, especially for those using buses and cars to travel, but talk about waving the white flag!
The BBC quotes the ‘Schools Premises Manager’ as saying they’re doing it for the safety of the children. School Premises Manager? Yet another council ‘non-job’ making proclamations while parents struggle to make arrangements to get home from work early!
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Looking outside seems to be a summers day hmmm met office, pah!! :)
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Dear Sirs,
9.38 on Friday morning. After hearing on national news bulletin that all Shropshire schools will not open “due to heavy snow” I peer nervously out of the window expecting to see drifts up the window ledge, roads in chaos, people digging themselves out of 8 foot drifts and instead a clear blue sky greets my gaze. A beautiful winters day here in Shropshire.
Just what kind of wimps are we now breeding? How can our local authorities just blatantly close the schools without any justification whatsoever? The forecast only gave a very slight possibility of snow for Friday ~ and then showers at that.
Just what sort of example is this giving to the kids?
When I was ten and living in the Wolverhampton area the school I went to never closed during the harsh winter of 1962/63. How harsh? Just look it up on the internet to see how bad that winter was. The snow bucketed it down on Boxing day and it was April before the last remnants finally disappeared. No central heating, double glazing, gas fires etc.
This inexcusable action is indicative of the disgraceful state this once great nation has sunk. The blame, fear and compensation culture is rife. Are we really scared stiff of an inch of snow? What next ~ ban snowballs!
Whoever gave the go-ahead to close the schools ought to hang his/her head in shame. Some jumped up suit hidden away like a frightened rabbit in some monstrous and expensive council office no doubt.
Closing the schools ~ a sick joke from an even sicker council authority. Pathetic individuals.
Yesterday a funeral of a truly brave man took place in Ludlow. What would he made of closing schools as we may have an inchy bitsy bit of snow. Good job he did not consider the weather when trying to escape from the Prisoner of War camp. Can you imagine them saying to each other “stop digging lads, inch of snow up top”.
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12.30 as I write – sunny, , a bit nippy, but no sign of snow in Telford. If it does arrive it’s hardly likely to be the great blizzard of 1947 all over again – is it?
The schools finish for the day in leass than 3 hours for the most part. Perhaps an over-reaction then by obsessively risk-averse council officers and teachers?
As a teacher might say, discuss…
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What’s the betting that the weather forecasters have got it wrong again and these precautions (totally unnecessary in my view) are a complete waste of time and money??
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This is pathetic!
Schools closed before a flake has even fallen from the sky!!
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we currently have 4″ of snow in Broseley.
the blizzards are grounding all flying pigs!
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Ridiculous, absolutely ridiculous to shut the schools early, waht about the parents who work all day. I assume the teachers will forgo 1/2 days holiday at half term and ask the children to attend for 1/2 day to make up for the lessons lost by this move.
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Looks like a nice sunny winters day so far. Any excuse for some time off eh!
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If it doesn’t snow and there was no need
Are they going back in tomorrow…
No thought not
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Well done to the Head & staff at Holmer Lake Primary in Brookside for staying open & not buying into this rubbish.
If we’re not careful our kids will be over cossetted & never be able to stand on their own two feet!!
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snow what snow,the only snow i can see in madeley is the council ski slope,it’s like a summers day out there, that met office who did the weather report michael fish?.
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There seems to be a lot of dissatisfaction about the schools closing, which I fully understand. However I would like the general public to understand a few things. Firstly I would like to point out that it is not the teachers who have made the decision to close schools. Shropshire County Council advised its schools that severe snow was expected on the afternoon of Friday 1 February 2008, and schools were advised to close. Secondly please be reassured that the wellbeing of the children in our care is of paramount importance to us. We can only ever go on the advice given to us by official bodies such as the Met Office, who are still showing a severe weather warning for Shropshire today.
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I trust whoever sanctioned this frankly shocking decision is in the process of clearing their desk and picking up their P45.
It is beyond belief that this was even considered let alone actioned.
What sort of people are ‘we’ the council tax payers of Shropshire paying the wages of ?, it just simply beggars belief.
Weathercheck here in Bishops Castle at 2.06pm, quite windy with clear blue skies !!
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In all the years I have been reading the Shropshire Star can somebody tell when John Warner the Shropshire weather man as ever got a forecast right?
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Oh My Gawd!!! I can’t believe you close the schools BEFORE THE SNOWFALL!! I live in Canada and snow is coming down like crazy at the moment, YET! School goes on! Unless we get 40cm like we did in December, THEN we’ll close, but until then, we drive safe, and make lots of snowmen.
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In reply to Shropshire Teacher, the BBC weather forecast for Shrewsbury showed only 2 periods today when light showers might be expected, and that was first thing this morning. So the decision was clearly taken too early.
“The wellbeing of children in our care is of paramount importance” is a facile mantra. Anyone who does anything outside knows that weather forecasts just cannot be relied on when deciding to hold an event; ask any Shropshire cricketer.
It would help the welfare of the children to teach them a healthy scepticism about what “They” say, and also to teach them to get home safely in what was, at the worst, only going to be a transient event. It is not good enough to chant “the welfare of the children” when a clearly ludicrous decision has been taken. The Council Officer who took this decision should be censured for his lack of proper risk appreciation, and Head Teachers should be encouraged to take real responsibility, and to just have a peep theough the window before they declare a state of emergency.
Many teachers are committed and work hard. These sort of things play into the hands of the cynics.
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living in Manitoba Canada our schools closed this week because of -51 wind chills not for snow that might not come!!!!!
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In reply to Anthony Walters,I also saw the weather forecast this morning which is why I said that “I fully understand the dissatisfaction about the schools closing.” However, as I pointed out, it is not down to teachers to make the decision about school closures.
I am sorry that you believe my comments to be facile. I care deeply about the wellbeing of the children that I teach. I agree that a mistake has been made today, but sometimes in life we all take a balanced judgement about events which may occur and in doing that we sometimes make a wrong decision. Obviously today a decision has been made which has turned out to be the wrong one. However nobody was declaring a state of emergency, they were merely trying to take prudent measures to ensure the young people of this county.
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What a pathetic, namby-pamby nanny state we live in.(thank you Insp. Grim)
When I went to school, which isn’t that long ago, we walked to school through a foot of snow and thought nothing of it. We’re breeding a generation of wimps!
Still, at least the teachers get yet another half days holiday.
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shropshire teacher what drivel, no it was not you the asked for the closure but lets face it, the order came from some one who has had preasure put on him from other powers associated with the schools.
safety of children rubbish 2″inchs forcast for godsake as there was no snow at lunch time order should have been cancelled directly ,what a pathetic state this country is getting in to since when have lets face it the met office got it right i think there may be a hurricane comeing just hurry up and shut up shop safety of children is a cop out ,
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Any jobs going as a weather man? It must be the best job in the world, you can be totally wrong more times than you are right and still get paid loads for it…any other job and you would be sacked for being totally incompetent. I’m glad they are not doctors or else we would go to them with a sore throat and they would diagnose a leg amputation needed urgently. As for the local authorities they are so HSE orientated these days that you need a two day safety course just to sit at an office desk safely…Britain, what is it coming to???
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To be fair to the Star they haven’t run with any ‘Arctic Armageddon’ headlines this week especially when they could have. But I do think they could take a probing lead now and not only leave it to BBC Midlands to question the Education Authority just ‘why’ ‘when’ and ‘who’ made this decision.
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Where does one begin – the BBC weather site has only shown light snow showers for the last 2 days.
Someone has got it wrong big time. In the real world of business a cock up of this magnitude would cost jobs – let us now see this reflected in the ever protected public sector with some high profile job losses – the education chiefs first, they started this, the chief excutive next, he employed these idiots and then the heads of the schools involved, they listened to the idiots – once they have all gone we start on the ever inaccurate weather forecasts who cause panic and chaos with their inaccurate over-reaction!
Now where did I put the sunscreen – biggest danger today is sunburn not snow blindness !!
Let the sacking commence !!!
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Hind sight is wonderful thing, if the weather did turn out as forcast, then the shoe would be on the other foot. Surely our childrens health and saftey is the most impotant thing.
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You can’t blame the schools or the Local Authority. Blame the Met Office for releasing such inaccurate, unreliable weather forecasts. Most severe weather warnings come to nothing and this feels like a knee jerk reaction to avoid another “Hurricane, what hurricane?” type scenario.
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GOOD GOD – what ever next. Is the coountry becoming a bunch of wimps or what??
Recently I wrote to the Bridgnorth Journal about modifications being made to the access road on our estate in Bridgnorth. (Greenfields Road).
The excuse given for this outrageous waste of money was that it was “to improve the safety of schoolchildren”
Now – it seems to me that all we are doing is falling prey to pointless health and safety considerations – as is obviously the case here with a “likely snow fall” – and in the process – breeding a totally and utterly useless generation of people who will not have any resiliance to any harsh weather, no appreciation of any form of risk.
In short – lets cancel Great?? Britain now befores it’s too late.
THIS IS NO JOKE READERS -mark my words !!!!!!!
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weather forecast thats all it is, it not written in stone, who ever gave the decision to close schools
should go back to school them self and get a lesson in common sense, but then again to can not common sense, and that is what is lacking in today society.
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Surely, if the schools close in advance of snow then everywhere should close – shops, pubs, hospitals, post offices. Friends in snowbound USA and Canada laugh at our 2″ of snow – they wrap up warmly and life goes on.
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I live in North Yorkshire snow was due to spread from the north west down country
Snow arived here at 12.00 hrs secondary school was closed just 2 hours after blizzrds commenced main reason to make sure all kids (some being bussed up to 20 miles away) got home!!!
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The outrage!
The fury!
The anger!
I blame Michael Fish
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Further evidence if any were needed that our lives are at the mercy of over zealous “safety” officials who, when allied with an abundance of politically correct buffoons, make me a tad concerned about this Country’s future.
Is it any wonder that we have become something of a laughing stock throughout the rest of the civilised world. My foreign relatives in mainland Europe often comment on the sheer absurdity of much of the nonsensensical rulings, laws and bylaws passed by our lords and masters in the name of health and safety or to protect the feelings of some group or other.
Anyone mind if I take next Thursday off just in case there’s a lightening storm? I don’t want to risk being hit.
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why did this never happen when i was in school! Even when it snowed we had to go in and that was only 4 years ago, what is this place coming to.
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haha so much hype and drama for a country which is constantly hit by bad weather…have we not learnt to cope like every other country does when it receives bad weather!!!
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Who and what advice was the decision to close the schools early? Thinking back to my schooldays in the late fifties and early sixties I can remember walking to school on alittle pathway cut through the snow with the snow either side of me as high as the hedges! At school (after our walk) we changed into our PE clothes if we were wet and took off our wellies and socks and wore our dunlop pumps. The teachers dried our clothes in the classroom in front of the open fire. We loved it – what an adventure. Those were the days!
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we live in canada and we have loads of snow and the schools dont shut only when it drops to -20 in the day and that is not often.
UK needs to get prepared now that the climate is changing and cope with it. Get more snowplodges and use thier Council taxes better
Its the kids that are missing out and if they need to cancel school for a snow day at least let thier be snow so they can play in it they would love it mine done
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better safe than sorry – remember exactly that Friday afternoon last year? At 3.30pm the county was in chaos when snow fell at the same time that everyone was leaving school and work and it took everyone three weeks to go a mile and an arf? Letting kids out two hours early, in relation, seems like a good precaution. Unless I’m wrong.
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This is an outrageous and infuriating situation. I have two children who were both home this afternoon in the sunshine, as was the teacher next door. I, on the other hand, travelled 200 miles on business, carrying on as normal, the same as the rest of the population.
Shropshire Teacher is quick to try to pass the blame, but the final decision whether to close lay with the head teachers of each school. Perhaps Shropshire Teacher would like to put forward one good reason why all the teachers were also given a half day holiday today at the taxpayers expense, when the rest of us taxpayers worked all day.
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Most school’s didn’t close and I was at work until 6pm as usual. I would be interested to know which schools did close and I’ll apply for a job!
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I can see where you are coming from Anthony. But the decision to advise/ instruct Headteachers to close came from the Council.
You could argue that Headteachers should ignore such advice. But in todays culture of blame, fear and compensation, just imagine what would happen if a child was killed during an accident caused by snow and the Headteacher had ignored the advise/ instruction of the Council Officer?
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im glad the schools were closed this morning, it meant i didnt have to walk the mile to school and back in the freezing cold, and luckaly i didnt have to try and get them back in the middle of a bliazzd,and as our weather is so unpridactable this could have happened, not everyone enjoys the comforts of a heated car. i enjoyed having the extra day with my children, the schools dictate every other aspect of it, but some seem more concerned about the wages they have lost or the child care cost they have had pay.
enjoy every moment with your children, they arent kids for long
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when i was growing up in the 60′s i don’t recall having time off because it was snowing. There are to many health & safety experts-i use the term experts loosly- out there. We are living in a nanny state and until we bring back respect and leaving people to learn by their mistakes it can only get worse.
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snow what snow..do they mean that white stuff we might get an inch of..how do other country manage..come on britain we can do better than coming to a stand still at the first sight of snow..
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Seems to be a lot of anger out there that the National Babysitting Service shut its doors early today, forcing you to spend an unexpected extra 2 hours with your offspring.
I can only assume that you applauded the decision which was taken in January 2007 to ignore the snow warning – a decision which led to children being stranded when the snow started falling at midday and they were all still at school. A similar thing happened in February 2004.
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When I was at school in the 70s I even went to school even if it was snowing heavily,and still catch the bus at the normal in the afternoon 1600 hours,then wait for the mini bus to finish the journey home,then walk the last 1/2 mile.
What ever next.
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I’ve recently moved from Telford to Canada – we had over 12 inches of snow today and 90km winds too- we are all at work and my daughter went to school. It makes us laugh to remember last winter when Telford reached gridlock over a few flakes. What kind of message do our children get if things are cancelled like this – they expect it in the workplace too and they’d get short shrift there – unless of course they are a Teacher employed by SCC!!
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Absolutely pathetic decision. You can bet your life that if it was a tuesday they wouldn’t have closed the schools. Also, if its hot in the summer will they close early because its too warm?
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As a former school governor from Shrewsbury I do think it is a bit strange that the schools were closed on the chance it might snow.I personally think the attitude in the UK is too much “lets play safe” and let the authorities make the decissions for us.I for one have had enough of this sort of rubbish and now life in Spain on the Costa Blanca.
The weather is great, the schools don’t close for snow and the is a CAN DO attitude. Come on Shropshire,don’t let this sort of weather stop the daily life in the county.
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If head teachers, or the County Council staff responsible for this letter, had looked on metcheck.com they would have see that there was no precipitation due until after 3p.m. – and then it was only sleet! And as for saying the decision wasn’t made by teachers – Yes it WAS, it was made by individual head teachers!! Get real, it’s winter, it snows and WHEN it does, then decide if teachers should get time off – sorry I mean children should be sent home. Wish I could just stay home if snow was forcast, in the wrong job aren’t I!
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Yet another example of the fact that despite large amounts of techie money being spent on weather forecasting, it’s just becoming less and less accurate. Bring back Michael Fish and his magnetic symbols.
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what a joke these weather forcasters are , i mean they cant prdict anything right these days.
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Shropshire teacher, you say you were advised, you therefore had a choice to accept the advice? Looks like the easy option was taken. How many teachers were paid to stay away, no they would have all turned up for work, wouldn’t they?
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Ok granted they got the forecast wrong, we expected the worst and we didnt get it!!!! so where is the problem??? If they hadnt warned us and it had been really bad then yes we would have something to moan at, the weather is unpredictable and changes all the time it isnt the forecasters fault its called life!
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BABYSITTING SERVICE is that how you see our childrens precious education my sons school was not closed and im glad twice in the last fortnight we have got soaking wet due to heavy rain and i have not kept him off school even taking my 3 month old with us you chris.s probably haven’t got any children and don’t know what you are on about tut tut!
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