As a nation we have a reputation for liking to talk about the weather. There is a famous quotation which suggests that if the weather didn’t change regularly nine out of ten people would be unable to start a conversation!
The past few days have provided plenty of scope for discussion not only in the media but also in schools. The onset of snow tends to polarise opinion in all sorts of ways from the extremes of:
“A lot of people like snow. I find it to be an unnecessary freezing of water.”
Carl Reiner, the film maker and author
to
“The aging process has you firmly in its grasp if you never get the urge to throw a snowball.”
Doug Larson, an American journalist
It also creates difficulties in deciding whether a school should or should not open. There are issues as diverse as the safety of the pupils, the accessibility of the school to staff who live at some distance, the availability of the transport infrastructure and whether there is enough oil to keep the boilers working to be taken into account.
It is also necessary to decide how to interpret weather forecasting information. I have certainly discovered quite a lot about the Met Office website recently!
I hope you feel we have achieved a successful balance in keeping the school open when we have been able to provide a proper service to the pupils and closing only when circumstances meant that meaningful lessons in a safe environment could not take place. We should be grateful to all the staff who have made every effort to get here to keep the school operational.
Snowman photo by: http://www.flickr.com/photos/melindashelton/2204449610/