Lazy, lazy, workshy fops!

disgruntledgoat

Our lass is a teacher and she may be a work-shy idler without a real job, but to her creidit she's forcing her way in to a rural village school today in -10c and 3 inches of snow.

lesz42

wait when theres more snow, and the grit has ran out..........

topcattim

scally56 wrote:

As a teacher I've got no say if the school is open or not. Yes it was closed today for most probably H and S. Also you've got to think about it, would half of the kids actually turned up? Not in my school they wouldn't have.

Its not about teachers being lazy etc, its about H and S. In a world of suing anyone for anything the head teacher/principles/governors have got to seriously think about is it actually safe for pupils, teachers and support staff to be in school, can they get to school safely and also can the above get home safely?

If you think teachers are lazy then think again.

Simon

My wife is a teacher, and is on her second day away from school today. Yesterday she did her mid-term planning in the morning, and then updated her pupil profiles. These are tasks that she would usually do outside of teaching time (although in theory, her PPA time a couple of hours a week is when she should be able to do this). So, as Simon says, she wasn't being lazy, but just transferring what work she was able to do.

From her point of view, the challenge as mentioned elsewhere is the risk of saying the school is open, with the influx of kids who mainly walk to school. Teachers rarely live in the catchment area, and therefore need to drive into work. What happens, again as has been mentioned here, if 700 kids arrive but only 7 teachers? Or if 30 kids arrive, one teacher but no cook?

And the next concern is about getting kids home again. What happens if the weather turns, and the children can't get home, can't get collected?

It is so, so easy, Captain Fagor, to blame issues like this on single points in the system. This is not about individuals but about an integrated transport system that allows freedom of movement on snowy days. And then there is the fact that snowy days are still rare, so there is a judgement to be made about how many of our tax pounds should be ring-fenced to buy in the ploughs to clear the roads, and the salt supplies to keep them clear.

topcattim

spanielsson wrote:

However, my Grandpa informed me the other day that the local council had not cleared the paths and roads due to political correctness. He was not joking.

Can you help me understand what you're saying here, please? How does political correctness affect gritting/not gritting?

lesz42

if they missed a bit, and its icy and you slip, they can be sued, so its easier not to grit

mmitchell88

lesz42 wrote:

if they missed a bit, and its icy and you slip, they can be sued

Has this ever happened outside the non-verifiable world of the Daily Mail, I wonder? Surely the interweb has the answer....

topcattim

mmitchell88 wrote:

lesz42 wrote:

if they missed a bit, and its icy and you slip, they can be sued

Has this ever happened outside the non-verifiable world of the Daily Mail, I wonder? Surely the interweb has the answer....

And if someone attempted to sue, would they be allowed to bring the case to court? And if they did, would it be successful. I would worry, as Mmitchel88, that this is just speculation. But even if it was, its not political correctness, but instead someone making (in my opinion) a bad decision not to grit because they live in a society where people are only too willing to try to take things to court.

simonaspinall

Surely the way forward is all the kids that were off school should be utilised chain gang style to clear the roads...we have a national youth obesity problem, we have snow-filled roads - It's the solution we've all been looking for!

Anonymous

It was amazing to see how many people actually walked their kids to school this morning. Quite pleasant actually!

One of my neighbours drove, I got there, dropped big daughter off, walked little daughter to nursery half a mile away from the school then got back and was walking in the door just as she was pulling up on the drive.
She looked rather sheepish.

Now, if only those same parents would walk in other weather conditions!

IMO, if the school is shut it is usually for very good reason. Younger kids will then have great memories and experiences playing in the snow and older kids can work at home on teh interweb (sic) and stuff.

We are going off track here, the Daily Mail readers will start citing Polish people as being the cause of the snow, and paedophiles will be responsible for the sabotage of grit supplies and that will not be good.

MrChuck

bikey2009 wrote:

My lads college told us they would be closed the night before it actually stared to snow.

You could argue that they were giving parents notice to organise for the next day...........but at the time the text was sent there was no snow on the ground at all.

And your point is...?

mmitchell88

bikey2009 wrote:

My lads college told us they would be closed the night before it actually stared to snow.

You could argue that they were giving parents notice to organise for the next day...........but at the time the text was sent there was no snow on the ground at all.

I hear word of magick they call a 'weather forecast'. People claim they can fortell the future like Nostradamus. It is trickery I tell ye!

salsarider79

I feel after reading this thread, I feel good for spending an hour doing a 15/20 minute ride through 5cms snow, falling off once breaking a cleat and banging my knee. Don't think I'll do that again.

I'm off today, but am due in tomorrow and the day after. And I'm going to be travelling from further away. Not looking forward to it. Roll on summer...

Pross

Having shovelled out the 100m or so to our cleared bus routes I found out that our streets grit bin is one of those that's fallen victim to be cleared out into the back of a passing van (apparently it's happening all over with people knicking it to clear their own paths!) so instead of thick snow I now have a thin layer of ice and still can't get my mini out

The wife has knicked the 4 x 4 to go to work as she manages some care homes sohas to get in. I could get to work by public transport but would take about 2 hours each way and cost me so as the kids are off again too and I have the technology it's another day of working from home for me. Looking at the forecast tomorrow and the start of next week will be too.

I have sympathy with schools being closed as those running them will be criticised whatever they do. There was a school in North Wales on Tuesday where the pupils were stuck for hours as transport couldn't get in to pick them up. It would be interesting to see what would happen if someone did attempt to sue due to a child injuring themselves on snow or ice in the playground. The school has a duty to ensure safety 'as far as is reasonably practicable'. I suspect that as in many of these H&S situations they would be OK providing they had carried out Risk Assessments and have recorded the reasons for their decisions. The irony is that the same kids are all out playing and having fun in the snow which is probably even more risky

spanielsson

topcattim wrote:

Can you help me understand what you're saying here, please? How does political correctness affect gritting/not gritting?

Your reaction is exactly the same as mine was! I really don't understand where it came from......

Allez Mark

Allez Mark wrote:

Tried to use the car but got stuck. Me and a few of the neighbours cleared the snow from our road so we could get the cars safe. Got back to the house to find the central heating had broke down. I discovered the was due to a burst pipe in the kitchen. Walked about 1/2 a mile to the main road where I got a lift. Arrived at work 4 hours late.

Walked in today. It took just over 1hr

verylonglegs

Captain Fagor wrote:

Maybe someone could give some training to teachers on how to get off their lazy arses and get to their bloody jobs. I don't think schools close due to the dangers faced by kids getting to school - it's the public sector mentality of school teachers that's the root of the problem.

Professionals? Don't make me laugh.

After browsing this thread yesterday I wondered how long it would take for this sort of nonsense to turn up, as mentioned before its all about the liability for people's safety on the schools grounds not the actual getting there. You say you aren't a parent...society must surely thank you for this.

iain_j

Allez Mark wrote:

Allez Mark wrote:

Tried to use the car but got stuck. Me and a few of the neighbours cleared the snow from our road so we could get the cars safe. Got back to the house to find the central heating had broke down. I discovered the was due to a burst pipe in the kitchen. Walked about 1/2 a mile to the main road where I got a lift. Arrived at work 4 hours late.

Walked in today. It took just over 1hr

I did yesterday. An hour's not too bad. Able-bodied people who live within reasonable walking distance from work have very little excuse (not counting kids/dependants/etc)

iain_j

And speaking of snow...

http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/gall ... 0.250m.jpg

8)

hopper1

Just took me three days to get to work (on a platform).
How come they can fly helicopters in Norway, in the snow, but not here? :evil:

Captain Fagor

Well, it looks like I'm in the minority, which is fair enough. No hard feelings.

But for the record, bikey2009 is not me posting under another guise. Nor do I know (or care) who he/she is.

mask of sanity

Captain Fagor wrote:

Maybe someone could give some training to teachers on how to get off their lazy arses and get to their bloody jobs. I don't think schools close due to the dangers faced by kids getting to school - it's the public sector mentality of school teachers that's the root of the problem.

Professionals? Don't make me laugh.

:roll: What a ridiculous thing to say! You clearly have no idea about the level of commitment that teachers make! My mum's a teacher and she's often at school by six in the morning and not back until five or six in the evening. Then there's the fact that they have to take their work home with them, often needing to be done on the weekend.

Not only that but your point about the reasoning for schools being close is rubbish as well. If a person is unable to make it to an office job the impacts are most likely very minimal but if a teacher is unable to make it then you potentially have thirty children that have no teacher for the day! So naturally the better option is to close the school.

Perhaps next time you make such a sweeping statement like that you should research what it is that you're talking about. :roll: :evil: :evil:

Captain Fagor

verylonglegs wrote:

After browsing this thread yesterday I wondered how long it would take for this sort of nonsense to turn up, as mentioned before its all about the liability for people's safety on the schools grounds not the actual getting there. You say you aren't a parent...society must surely thank you for this.

I think I'll keep non-cycling posts to a minimum in the future. Whilst my (admittedly generalistic) opinions may have been a bit extreme for some, yours isn't the first reply that included a personal insult. Thanks for that. Nice touch.

I've never bought the Daily Mail, and no, I don't read any of the other red tops either.

shouldbeinbed

Captain Fagor wrote:

Maybe someone could give some training to teachers on how to get off their lazy arses and get to their bloody jobs. I don't think schools close due to the dangers faced by kids getting to school - it's the public sector mentality of school teachers that's the root of the problem.

Professionals? Don't make me laugh.

speaking of personal insults......

got a poor memory as well?

Captain Fagor

It was a generalism. I think there's a difference. But apologies if any teachers out there took it personally.

I don't need any additional sources of stress in my life, so I'm signing out of this thread.

AyrshireBacon

For thoughts on policemen turning up to work try http://inspectorgadget.wordpress.com/

Always good for keeping you up to date with what garbage Mr Straw is spouting this week

holmeboy

iain_j wrote:

And speaking of snow...

http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/gall ... 0.250m.jpg

8)

Hey i can see my House, It's the onewith the white roof! 8)

wiffachip

my daughter was ecstatic when her school was closed, but then she was ill all day and wouldn't have gone anyway. Now she's ill and confused

other daughter has her 21st party on saturday night. bet the local social club doesn't cancel it on H & S grounds

Stone Glider

This "H&S" theme has little to do with the Health & Safety Executive. Rather it relates to that upstanding and profitable group, the Insurance Industry. Where insurance is required by public bodies and organisations they are eager to distance themselves from any chance of a successful claim. Small print. weasel wording and a pedantic approach make anybody required to have insurance damn careful to make a claim stick, otherwise they will be stuck!

So it is not "Political Correctness" it is the force of Capitalism and the Profit Motive.

bigal.

Interesting mix of opinions.

Is now a good time to mention teachers holidays!!!!!!!!!!!!


Dont worry I'm going, I'm going, I'm gone.

STEFANOS4784

No buses Tuesday, couldn't be @rsed Wednesday and regular day off Thursday 8) I don't mind being called workshy, i have plenty of time to pray for the lords forgiveness whilst tucked up in my nice warm bed 8)

Have fun freezing to death digging in the snow by the way


P.s bikes been stuck at work but will ride it home tonight, roads seem ok now........