View Full Version : College sends people home
Dog-eared
10-Feb-09, 15:07
Thurso College staff and pupils from outlying areas told they can go home at 2 today.
ShelleyCowie
10-Feb-09, 15:08
Thurso College staff and pupils from outlying areas told they can go home at 2 today.
Jeepers it must be bad if they are sending college folk home!! :confused
I am afraid it is typical knee jerk reaction to a little bit of snow. Its been snowing but it is by no means bad.
I am afraid it is typical knee jerk reaction to a little bit of snow. Its been snowing but it is by no means bad.
They are thinking of the safety of the students, far better to let them home and if snow dosen't come to much no harm done.
They sent THS home without letting me know, daughter just walked home cos couldn't find her bus no coat even grrrr. She refuses to wear a coat to school cos not allowed to wear it indoors.
I am afraid it is typical knee jerk reaction to a little bit of snow. Its been snowing but it is by no means bad.
im afraid .. it is that bad! i've just travelled home and the drive was hell!! cars and lorries of the road, my car was skidding everywhere!!
think we've been caught of guard this time!!
definately no wandering back out the day for sure!!
Thurso College staff and pupils from outlying areas told they can go home at 2 today.
We were in town at lunch time today, I said to my husband, I wonder why the children are all looking so pleased with themselves, each and everyone in high spirits.
Down at Tesco, I heard that School was out for the day, that answered my question.
I said to the young woman at the check out, oo where has this come from, there was no sign of snow when we drove through Strathy, she said no snow at Strathy, my in laws live there!
She had concerns for her little boy at the Miller School,
On into Gillock and its snowing with some determination now, cars crawling, drivers taking so much care.
On the way back it snowed harder, blindingly so and lo and behold it had indeed snowed on Strathy and beyond!
the walk from the main road was pleasant, the snow deep, the air cool, refreshingly so.
They sent THS home without letting me know, daughter just walked home cos couldn't find her bus no coat even grrrr. She refuses to wear a coat to school cos not allowed to wear it indoors.
I agree Unicorn,two of mine sent home from THS without me being told,they arrived home before my other one did from Primary school!What if I hadnt been home?:eek:They were quick enough to send texts to me saying one of my sons wasnt in school,when he was sitting in the hall taking an exam!x
I am afraid it is typical knee jerk reaction to a little bit of snow. Its been snowing but it is by no means bad.
I don't know where you are A9RUNNER but it's certainly not a little bit of snow in Wick. The road between Thurso and Wick is treacherous and snow is still falling......straight down and lying. There is more forecast and I'd say we've had a fair dumping already. I think a few have been caught out including the weather forecasters. Not including Tugs of course in that.;)
Some people are so difficult to please, the school gets condemmed for sending them home, but they will also get condemmed for not sending them home earlier!!!! I think the decision to close the High School should have been made sooner - but how do you get 900 pupils home safely. Buses have to be arranged. So what if your children arrived home sooner than you expected as least they were home safely. High School kids like to feel that they are 'adult' so if no-one was in at home they should have somewhere else to go - they all seem to have mobiles so they could have phoned parents to advise them they were on their way home. Phoning 900 pupils parents to let them know the school is closed early is just not possible logisitcally. No doubt the pupils will now all be hoping for more snow so they will get an 'extra long' long weekend.
Yes Rainbow I know it would be hard for the school,but what would of happened if kids were sent home to empty locked houses?I was supposed to be away today all day but it was changed at the last minute so luckily I was at home,my son does not have his mobile at school as they are not supposed to have them with them so he would have had no way of calling anyway but surely they could have posted on here and on the radio if they couldnt send out a groupcall text,although I cant see why they couldnt send one out in the firstplace.Safety does come first and I was wondering about the state of the roads for them coming homw,but being sent home to an empty house would have been just as bad as they would of had to stand out in the snow until somebody came home x
Yes, I was quite surprised when they got sent home early without any warning - my older daughter was waiting on the doorstep in the snow as I arrived back with the younger one. THS do have the facility to GroupCall parents and that would have been a helpful thing to do, just so that we could have made sure someone was in... maybe next time they'll think of that.
I was just upset that had I known I would have arranged or tried to arrange a lift home for her instead of walking across town in the snow. She said they couldn't find the bus? My child also does not take her mobile to school.
Murdina Bug
10-Feb-09, 19:45
.....and your kids can't think for themselves? If they know there is no-one at home then why did they go home?? 11/12 years plus is surely old enough to take some responsibilities for their own actions - they could have spoken to one of the teachers and said that they needed to make some calls before leaving so that someone would be home - they could have gone to a mates and called you. If they got home and found no-one there (are there no latch-key kids anymore?!) could they then not have found a phone at a neighbours? As for going out without a coat on a day when there was still snow on the ground then I'm sorry, but that is ridiculous. We all had to cart our stuff around with us from class to class, is it really that onerous to carry a coat? I'm not trying to be insulting here, honest, before anyone jumps on me but come on - some of these complaints are so petty. Maybe if some of you are so concerned then phone the school and discuss your concerns in future.
Ok so it is acceptable for a 12 year old to be home alone IF they could get in the house?No its not,and if I posted on here that I had left my 12 year old in the house alone I would be slayed in seconds so why does it suddenly become acceptable because the high school sent them home?How could he call me when he didnt have his mobile so would not be able to remember my mobile number even if he did borrow a neighbours phone.All of my friends work during the day so he couldnt pop into their houses and wait there either so you see my point is that groupcall was put inplace for things like this but wasnt used.If I was posting tomorrow morning that I had come home and found my son waiting on the doorstep for over an hour in the snow the answers would be a bit different to those posted today wouldnt they!x
I don't know where you are A9RUNNER but it's certainly not a little bit of snow in Wick. The road between Thurso and Wick is treacherous and snow is still falling......straight down and lying. There is more forecast and I'd say we've had a fair dumping already. I think a few have been caught out including the weather forecasters. Not including Tugs of course in that.;)
ditto...venture..
When my kids went to school, we always had to give details of a 2nd person, in case of emegencies.............such as getting sent home due to weather conditions................is this not the case anymore??
butterfly
10-Feb-09, 20:35
.....and your kids can't think for themselves? If they know there is no-one at home then why did they go home?? 11/12 years plus is surely old enough to take some responsibilities for their own actions - they could have spoken to one of the teachers and said that they needed to make some calls before leaving so that someone would be home - they could have gone to a mates and called you. If they got home and found no-one there (are there no latch-key kids anymore?!) could they then not have found a phone at a neighbours? As for going out without a coat on a day when there was still snow on the ground then I'm sorry, but that is ridiculous. We all had to cart our stuff around with us from class to class, is it really that onerous to carry a coat? I'm not trying to be insulting here, honest, before anyone jumps on me but come on - some of these complaints are so petty. Maybe if some of you are so concerned then phone the school and discuss your concerns in future.
great comment,and as for the kid who couldnt remember mums mobile no how about writing it down for him...................
changilass
10-Feb-09, 20:43
This thread seems to go against everything that folks are generally complaining about.
Folks seem to hate the nanny state, where they are told how to bring up thier kids and what they can and can't do, but the first time 'nanny' has a day off everyone is up in arms about it.
no I just would have liked to have been told my child was walking across town in the snow and I would have done something about picking her up. She always gets the bus normally. She didn't mind in the least but I did, she was soaked through when she got in.
What are parents like today, I had to walk from Westpublic School to Stainland in weather like this my self and I was only 5, my mother never made a fuss, no body did you just got on with it. And no moblie phones in those days.......no phones!!!!!!
And we didna have long trousers in those days either, but we did have tacketty boots
changilass
10-Feb-09, 20:53
lol Golach, I can see where you are coming from, I mind walking back to Castletown from High school once cos it was snowing and I had been messing and missed the bus.
Having said that (and also my previous post) I don't think I would be too happy at the wee man having to do the same thing lol, but think I would probably bollock him for not ringing me rather than blaming the school
But while our children are in school then the school are responsible for their safety and I expect to know my child is where she should be and be informed in some way if the school closes. Nothing was posted on the school closures website as I was checking.
changilass
10-Feb-09, 21:00
lol Unicorn, very true and I have used that arguament myself in the past, so I will admit defeat and agree that if children are leaving school early then parents should be informed.
it's ok no sorry necessary, maybe I am over protective but I just feel no attempt was made.
I am near Thurso and have had over 6 inches of snow fall in about 1 hour this afternoon. My road has not been gritted or ploughed and I have had absolutely no problems driving in and out of the town 3 times today. Not so much as a worrying moment. Only last week folk were slagging off our southern neighbours for all the mayhem a little bit of snow caused and how things ground to a halt. We have had less snow than they did yet Schools are closing, the college closed, dounreay closed and the swimming pool closed. Probably other places too that I havent heard about. As soon as my my bairn got home from school we all got dressed in warm clothes and went for a drive to find a hill to sledge down, It was great fun and all the better because we got slightly more daylight to do it in because she got out of school early. But as for shutting the the school what a joke folk need to man up and get on with things instead of just waiting for an excuse to get out of doing some work. Do other countries grid to a halt when it snows? No they dont they get on with things at a safer speed and life goes on.
great comment,and as for the kid who couldnt remember mums mobile no how about writing it down for him...................
Perhaps you would prefer if I had it tatooed on his arm for future reference?:roll:The point is the school is responsible for him while he is there and responsible for making sure that if they are sent home they are sent somewhere safe!They do have an emergency contact number as well as BOTH my numbers but none were used,but each to their own and if you are happy with your kids wandering around thats fine,I myself would prefer if my child was safe and warm.Wont go into any futher arguement,as I said each to their own but IMO its disgraceful that no contact at all was made for children living outwith Thurso!
They sent THS home without letting me know, daughter just walked home cos couldn't find her bus no coat even grrrr. She refuses to wear a coat to school cos not allowed to wear it indoors.
Why are they not allowed to wear a coat indoors? A lot of kids walk to School all year round what do they do if its cold, wet or windy?
changilass
10-Feb-09, 21:09
Dounreay aint actually closed, folks were allowed to go home early but there is still shift workers there, I know cos I drove hubby out there earlier.
Driving out of the estate was a bitty slidey but once we were on the main road it wasn't a problem, after the Weigh Inn it was a breeze.
I have no idea, I asked her that and she said they can wear it outside but not in the school. It may be the colour of it, it is dark green and not black.
HMMM so the school colours are the only colours aloud to be worn inside the school. Does anyone else think the black outer wear is a danger at this time of year. So much for getting pedestrians to wear light coloured reflective outer clothing so motorists can see them easier.
Is the uniform compulsary?
I don't mind the uniform at all but she loves her winter coat she has and has now had it 2 years, that in itself is a miracle :lol: but she was told off for wearing it indoors last year so she doesn't take it now. I tried to buy a black coat but she didn't see any she liked.
I would agree though that a lighter outer jacket at this time of year is far safer than all black.
Seems everyone is getting some except me. I drove through a flood today, finally arrived at work 15 mins late and the admin girl said she got 4 inches last night.
Is Thurso college open today, I have a class at 5pm tonight and do not fancy driving up if the weather is going to get worse. Anybody know?
On the MFR page it says the college is open: http://www.mfr.co.uk/article.asp?id=180535
On the MFR page it says the college is open: http://www.mfr.co.uk/article.asp?id=180535
Thanks ett23
Seems everyone is getting some except me. I drove through a flood today, finally arrived at work 15 mins late and the admin girl said she got 4 inches last night.
You're not alone Jox, i'm not getting any either, i feel sorry for your admin girl, she must have been thoroughly excited about the prospect of getting some and then utterly devestated at only getting 4 inches, there's not a bloomin lot you can do with 4 inches.
ShelleyCowie
11-Feb-09, 11:08
You're not alone Jox, i'm not getting any either, i feel sorry for your admin girl, she must have been thoroughly excited about the prospect of getting some and then utterly devestated at only getting 4 inches, there's not a bloomin lot you can do with 4 inches.
Was wondering where u went! :lol: No seen any Gizmo comments about the snow yet!!!
topotheuk
11-Feb-09, 11:28
By 2pm yesterday when the snow was getting thicker, I thought maybe the buses would not be running, so I phoned the high school to find out if the children were going to be getting home early. I did this as I knew the school would be busy enough sorting out the transport without having to call all the parents, and thought this way I would find out if my daughter would be home early and could arrange for someone to be at home for her. I appreciate the comments about the school not phoning, but since I hadn't heard from them, I thought I would make contact with them, so I knew and was prepared for the bus being early. Not trying to slate anyone for their thoughts, this is just what I did for mine.
scrabster view
11-Feb-09, 11:48
I went down to Miller Academy yesterday at 2pm to pick up my child. Told Head Teacher I was taking son home due to weather conditions and it wasnt a problem. As long as a parent/child minder went into the school, you could take your child home early.
I went down to Miller Academy yesterday at 2pm to pick up my child. Told Head Teacher I was taking son home due to weather conditions and it wasnt a problem. As long as a parent/child minder went into the school, you could take your child home early.
The head mistress put a message on the school helpline saying from 2.20pm onwards it was fine if any parents wanted to take children home earlier due to the snow. I went in at the normal time and took my daughter home and we had fun walking back through it! Good job we live in the town. ;)
The last time I called the high school to ask i was told that i would be informed when I needed to know!It just seems that no mater what we do we are wrong :confused I agree that clogging up the phone lines wont help but if they then do not conact us to let us know what exactly are we suppsed to do?I mentioned my concerns to my oldest and said that one poster suggested that my younger son should have asked to cal home,the older one laughed and said that he had to make an appointment to use the phone so didnt think when they were evactuating the school they would have allowed random calls to be made, so it looks like I have to accept that in bad weather they will be sent home whether theres someone there or not!x
topotheuk
11-Feb-09, 12:11
When I phoned the school they did say that they were trying to organise buses to take the kids home. I asked would they contact us to let us know and they said no there were too many people to phone so that they would just send them home. Although I knew by now that they were going to be getting home early at some point and I had come home by then, I did ask how parents were to know when the children would be home (for parents who were maybe working or whatever) and was told they were trying their best. I didn't pursue this as I was already home by now, but I think think it was a bit off just sending kids home without at least the parents knowing about it. My daughter is a bit older and has her own key, but I know not all kids will have their own key and the nature of some kids, they might be quite worried if they get home and there is no-one there, so I totally appreciate and agree that the parents should have been contacted either by group text or a message on MFR or the front page of the org. Maybe they will next time?
omg they got out only 30mins early............. and probably by the time they snowballed and carried on on their way home, they were probably only about 5 - 10 mins earlier than normal.............
I agree Unicorn,two of mine sent home from THS without me being told,they arrived home before my other one did from Primary school!What if I hadnt been home?:eek:They were quick enough to send texts to me saying one of my sons wasnt in school,when he was sitting in the hall taking an exam!x
I was not told that they were being sent home, I went to the school to hear the receptionist saying that students could not go home until parents arrived to collect them? Admittedly they have almost 1000 kids to cater for. I was a tad confused as I only showed up as my hubby said he could take me and the boys home as I was in town for the afternoon. We live in the country.
omg they got out only 30mins early............. and probably by the time they snowballed and carried on on their way home, they were probably only about 5 - 10 mins earlier than normal.............
Mine were 45 minutes early :confused x
I was not told that they were being sent home, I went to the school to hear the receptionist saying that students could not go home until parents arrived to collect them? Admittedly they have almost 1000 kids to cater for. I was a tad confused as I only showed up as my hubby said he could take me and the boys home as I was in town for the afternoon. We live in the country.
Sorry mccaugm I wasnt insinuating that you had been told,I hope it didnt come across that that was what i was getting at?What I meant was that nobody was told x
From what I can understand town pupils were not released from school until 3pm, so if your children thumper are at the High School and arrived home 45 mins early then obviously they decided themselves to go home early???????
I am afraid it is typical knee jerk reaction to a little bit of snow. Its been snowing but it is by no means bad.
Depends on where you are and where you are going. I drive a lot in snow and even the main roads around Thurso were dreadful on Tuesday afternoon and whente decision was made it was still snowing heavily. I know people living not far into the country areas who took over and hour to go two miles and in two cases cars lweft the road.
Easy to sit in your armchair and be critical of people who have to make hard decisions. If things go wrong you would probably be the first to critcise. Safety is of paramount importance when we live in a society where suing for injury is common and can affect ones livelihood.
from what i can understand town pupils were not released from school until 3pm, so if your children thumper are at the high school and arrived home 45 mins early then obviously they decided themselves to go home early???????
"exactly true - thurso high did only let the town pupils out at 3pm!!!!!!!!!!
From what I can understand town pupils were not released from school until 3pm, so if your children thumper are at the High School and arrived home 45 mins early then obviously they decided themselves to go home early???????
Ah yes of course they did,they called the bus comapny and got them to collect them from the school early all by themselves :roll: Good god this place is getting worse for people who know everything and cant see both sides of a point!I have had my say and stand by it but wont be dragged into anymore argument.Point of fact is that the school failed to ensure that the kids had somewhere safe to go whether you agree with that or not is entirely up to you,I for one dont end off!
edit:actually on reading this back it does sound a bit harsh and wasnt aimed at any one in particular,I apoligise if it was taken that way.Every one has different levels of acceptability and I felt that the school although taking safety issues well and sending them home,to do so without warning parents seemed pointless.My kids arrive home at 3.55-4 eveyday and they arrived at 3.15 so unless my maths/time telling is wrong that makes 40-45 mins that they could have been outside a locked house x
Thumper -So your kids take 30 mins to get home, but only 15 yesterday. Thats not the schools fault. If you had looked out of the window and seen the snow you may have guessed that the kids may have been sent early - it was that bad you don't need the skill of telepathy to know this. If you were that concerned maybe you should have walked up to the school to meet them and maybe you would have met them on the way. You were happy to let them walk home in that weather all on their own, if they have the sense to do that then surely they have the sense to go to a neighbours or friends house. Maybe you should have contingency plans in place should this happen again.
This is all I am saying on the matter - schools 'can't do right for doing wrong' and it is hard knowing what to do for the best - you can please some of the people some of the time but not all the people all of the time!!!!
Rainbow let me spell it out more clearly for you,firstly I said in an earlier post that I was supposed to be away yesterday but LUCKILY I was at home,IF I had been away as I was supposed to have been there would have been no-one here to let my children IN the house but IF a call had been made or a simple text i could of arranged for someone to be here if I had indeed been away.Secondly I allowed my children to walk home in this weather....because the bus drops them at the end of my road....but thwen I could argue with you that had I KNOWN they were sent home early I would have been at the end of the road to meet them but as I didnt know how could I of?
I do agree with your statement that you can only please some people some of time though,just like you can only get your point across to some.......the ones who want to listen to both sides!Oh and my kids said that the bus left the school just before 3pm so either they are lying or your facts are wrong x
thebigman
11-Feb-09, 18:21
I have no idea, I asked her that and she said they can wear it outside but not in the school. It may be the colour of it, it is dark green and not black.
Unless the heating was not working why would a child need to wear a coat indoors at school?
Do they not have cloakrooms these days?
I would say that sending a bairn out in winter without a coat is far worse than sending them home a bity early.
Even in my day you wouldn't leave coats in the cloakroom. I live 30 secs from the bus stop and she gets the bus to and from school normally.
butterfly
11-Feb-09, 23:11
thumper,if you need to tattoo number on your child thats up to you,all i said was write it down if he cant remember it....simple solution dont you think.mobiles are allowed in school but must be switched of during class time.i didnt mention anything about my kids, you did.my kids are well looked after and are safe thanks very much,with a good bit of common sense too.its just a little bit of snow for gods sake not the end of the world as we know it.:roll:
alanabain
11-Feb-09, 23:12
Unless the heating was not working why would a child need to wear a coat indoors at school?
Do they not have cloakrooms these days?
I would say that sending a bairn out in winter without a coat is far worse than sending them home a bity early.
Not sure where your child goes to schoo Unicorn...but assuming its the high school.. they do not have cloakrooms. they have lockers which can be used by 3rd Year +
When i was at school we used to get told to take our jackets off but the place was too cold so i never used to. Not alot they could do either ( they cant take it off us ) and what harm did it do really. Its just a jacket
butterfly
11-Feb-09, 23:46
This thread seems to go against everything that folks are generally complaining about.
Folks seem to hate the nanny state, where they are told how to bring up thier kids and what they can and can't do, but the first time 'nanny' has a day off everyone is up in arms about it.
you never said a truer word changilass![lol]
Depends on where you are and where you are going. I drive a lot in snow and even the main roads around Thurso were dreadful on Tuesday afternoon and whente decision was made it was still snowing heavily. I know people living not far into the country areas who took over and hour to go two miles and in two cases cars lweft the road.
Easy to sit in your armchair and be critical of people who have to make hard decisions. If things go wrong you would probably be the first to critcise. Safety is of paramount importance when we live in a society where suing for injury is common and can affect ones livelihood.
I was not sitting in my armchair criticizing with no knowledge of the road conditions. I had been in and out of thurso several times on tuesday driving on roads that were not treated in any way. Before it snowed whilst it was snowing and later on in the evening after the snow had stopped. I had first hand experience of the weather and driving conditions. I was driving a normal 2 wheel drive vehicle with normal road tyres and had no problems, Yes it was a bit slippy but hey you modify your driving to suit the road conditions at the time.
I was not sitting in my armchair criticizing with no knowledge of the road conditions. I had been in and out of thurso several times on tuesday driving on roads that were not treated in any way. Before it snowed whilst it was snowing and later on in the evening after the snow had stopped. I had first hand experience of the weather and driving conditions. I was driving a normal 2 wheel drive vehicle with normal road tyres and had no problems, Yes it was a bit slippy but hey you modify your driving to suit the road conditions at the time.
That is very true,modifying your driving to suit the weather is definitely the best and safest way to go.It may take longer to get there but at least you will get there in one piece!!! Thats more important than arriving a few minutes late. The roads can be treacherous at this time of year so I allow myself an extra 10 minutes to get to work.
The schools have a duty of care to our kids,if they send them home early it is their duty to ensure that the children will be safe and parents informed,so why people are taking the stance of attacking posters who are merely pointing this out is beyond me. Damned if you do damned if you dont!:roll:
Even if the school stays open as a parent you can make the decision to go into the School and remove your child if you think the weather is going to be too bad for safe traveling later in the day. We have done this when our road has been drifting in heavily in the past, even though other areas have been almost clear of snow.
Many main roads get treated but the side roads are way down the priority list. When I was at high school the bus dropped me at the end of a single track road in the country where I would have to walk home in the snow in the half dark. Admittedly it wasnt too far to walk but in the blin drift it is difficult to see the road let alone further afield. Wouldnt want to meet a car skidding out of control on a single track road in the snow.
thumper,if you need to tattoo number on your child thats up to you,all i said was write it down if he cant remember it....simple solution dont you think.mobiles are allowed in school but must be switched of during class time.i didnt mention anything about my kids, you did.my kids are well looked after and are safe thanks very much,with a good bit of common sense too.its just a little bit of snow for gods sake not the end of the world as we know it.:roll:
Yet again my post was not read properly! I said IF you were happy with the situation that was up to you at no time did I accuse you of not looking after your kids,I do not know you or any of the other posters hell bent on making an issue about the complaints made about the school not calling parents so for me to make assumptions on your parenting would make me as silly as a poster not reading posts correctly wouldnt it?:roll: At not time did I intend for the comments on this thread to become a slanging match for peoples parenting skills,there are different levels of acceptability as I have said before,my levels felt that this was unacceptable,yours seem to feel it was fine so please just agree to disagree and stop trying to make things personal.This forum is for everyone to air their views and just beacuse we dont agree doesnt mean we have to turn it into some sort of catfight! I stand by my original post,thats how I feel,so why should I be attacked for it?x
butterfly
12-Feb-09, 16:43
thumper,2 of your children arrived home early from school and you were home so whats the problem with that?and as for arriving home and you were not in then why not give them a key to get in?i think thats a better solution than having them wait outside in the cold while you were not there.its more acceptable for a child to be inside and warm than stuck outside in the cold dont you think?how about telling your child to carry his mobile but switch it off during class time then when he gets out from school he can ring you and tell you of the situation.every child at school must also have emergency contact as well.the main thing is your child arrived home early safely and if he was stuck outside in the cold that is not the schools fault.
i did not make any assumptions on anyones parenting it was you that made this comment"each to their own and if you were happy with your kids wandering around thats fine.i prefer my child was happy and warm".i never mentioned my kids at all!all i did was advise you to write your mobile number down if your child cant remember it-simple solution dont you think?and yes this is a public forum and you posted on it and if you cant take a simple piece of advice from an org member without having a kneejerk reaction to it thats your problem not mine.if you cant take the flak then dont throw it.
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