The blanket closure of schools across Powys in bad weather will never happen again, councillors have pledged.

Last winter saw thousands of pupils given the day off as every school in the county was advised to close because of predicted snow and ice.

But the white-out did not happen and the closure decision left parents complaining their children could have got into school.

They said the closures had caused them major childcare problems.

A severe weather warning led to the decision by Powys County Council to shut all its schools in February. But the county ended up escaping the worst of the snow.

Powys has more than 100 primary schools, 13 secondary schools and three special schools.

Now a working group set up to look at last winter’s problems has put forward recommendations on how to deal with bad weather in the future.

A report to yesterday’s county council scrutiny committee said local authorities were not allowed to direct the closure of schools.

“The blanket closure of schools which occurred in early 2009 will not occur again,” the report says.

Members of a working group said there needed to be contingency procedures in place at each school and that the need to close should be the last resort.

The committee agreed the ability of transport companies to influence the process of school closures should be looked at and the council should investigate the gritting of school premises.

However, the report did recognise schools may have to close if there were insufficient teachers available and that transport companies could decide not to dispatch buses in bad weather.

The council is also looking at ways that it can let parents know which schools are closed during bad weather and other emergencies, such as an outbreak of swine flu.

The problems of teachers getting to work in bad weather were also discussed.

Members of the working group said that if teachers could not get into work they would have to take unpaid leave.

The recommendations of the working group were accepted by the scrutiny committee and will now be sent to the Powys County Council board for approval.

By Sue Austin