Snow & school closures etc.

[wellquickwoody]

Trains useless as usual. Gave up on route to E Croydon. Took over 2 hours to get to Gatwick from Portslade where I (and most of the other passengers) got off and waited for a Brighton bound train. Funny there was nothing but slush in Brighton & Hove but a good 6 inches of snow from Burgess Hill onwards and it was still falling steadily. 3 hour pointless roundtrip, next time I'll skip the gallant attempt to get to work!

Good effort though.

To all those not at work, are you expecting to get paid, or will you take a days leave?

 

[Brovion]

Just an update on this 'schools closure' thing. My mum is the on the Board of Governors of a West Sussex school. In a previous cold spell the headteacher, at great effort, kept the school open when a lot of others in the area closed. What with transport problems etc attendance wasn't great - and they then got marked down by OFSTED as the attendance figures had worsened!

Consequently they now shut at almost the first sight of a snowflake. A closed school doesn't impact the attendance!

 

[HampshireSeagulls]

Perhaps the teachers could go on the telly and whine when all these same parents are taking their kids out of school in the Summer, during term time, for holidays? Or the schools could "bank" these off days, and then add them to the end of term as catch up days? I have all my students on email, they are all working (I can check them on the College VLE), and I can sit here and receive work, mark it and turn it back around to them with no problems. Does make me wonder why we have a building for teaching, to be honest....

 

[Wilko]

My college is shut for the third day in a row. With exams next week I am really now worried for the progress of students, not sure they can all be trusted to revise by themselves at home.

 

[KneeOn]

Last year the school I teach at closed for two days because of the snow. The head teacher decided she would open the school on the third day, regardless of how much snow there was due to the amount of complaining done by parents. Sure enough we had further snowfall. The school opened and I can honestly say there were more staff in school than pupils. There is a real myth here about the majority of teachers not prepared to come in at the first sign of snow. Like Wilko, my classes have exams this month and next. Snow is the last thing we need. Many teachers feel this way.

f*** many students agree, ones taking AS and A2's, especially when your exams are in two new subjects you didn't take at GCSE

Right now, doing revision is proving hard since its done at home, with the distractions ect, and the snow, i wanted to go in today. Two subjects i have in my full day are teh ones i'm being tested in, and i live a 20 minute walk, top of poets corner to Blatch isn't hard. Ironically when ever it snows and college is closed, we go up to the feilds/rec since its usually pretty empty and has a decent amount of the "white stuff" in!

 

[KneeOn]

My college is shut for the third day in a row. With exams next week I am really now worried for the progress of students, not sure they can all be trusted to revise by themselves at home.

what college? This is depressing, how somthing so good will f*** my AS's up,because your right, we can't be trusted. I've struggled, since whenever it try, it just doesn't want to go in!

 

[Wilko]

what college? This is depressing, how somthing so good will f*** my AS's up,because your right, we can't be trusted. I've struggled, since whenever it try, it just doesn't want to go in!

Sussex downs college in Lewes. By the way I did not mean that all students are just lazy, I meant that many students find it difficult to revise on their own and do actually need some guidance. What are you revising for?

 

[Wilko]

Perhaps the teachers could go on the telly and whine when all these same parents are taking their kids out of school in the Summer, during term time, for holidays? Or the schools could "bank" these off days, and then add them to the end of term as catch up days? I have all my students on email, they are all working (I can check them on the College VLE), and I can sit here and receive work, mark it and turn it back around to them with no problems. Does make me wonder why we have a building for teaching, to be honest....

I am doing a lot of my work via email and keeping in touch with the students who need help/queries. Many of us are finding this very disruptive and not a free holiday by any means.

 

[KneeOn]

Sussex downs college in Lewes. By the way I did not mean that all students are just lazy, I meant that many students find it difficult to revise on their own and do actually need some guidance. What are you revising for?

We do find it difficult to revise on our own, but we are also lazy

Psychology (PSYA1 or something) and Politics Unit 1...

but noooo college is closed oh well... grand theft auto, NSC, and talking on facebook/msn it is. while flicking through my psych book...

 

[HampshireSeagulls]

I am doing a lot of my work via email and keeping in touch with the students who need help/queries. Many of us are finding this very disruptive and not a free holiday by any means.

Spoke to my line manager, and the beauty is that Moodle keeps activity logs so they can see that I am still working! Some students are in need of a kick up the backside to get them going, but this does mean that there are no excuses for deadlines being missed now - some of our less motivated students will find that this takes them off the course to be honest.

They wanted us to take a day's leave if the College was open and we didn't get in, but the Union reckons that working from home when there are no students negates this. What really pisses me off is that I spend a lot of time doing additional work for the students in my own time, I don't bill the College for this - also recruiting evenings, open evenings, parents evenings, school liaison visits, etc...!

 

[Wilko]

I would revise hard for that psy exam mate, it is pretty tough at 'AS' and lots of people fail. Leave GTA alone for the day lol

 

[Wilko]

Spoke to my line manager, and the beauty is that Moodle keeps activity logs so they can see that I am still working! Some students are in need of a kick up the backside to get them going, but this does mean that there are no excuses for deadlines being missed now - some of our less motivated students will find that this takes them off the course to be honest.

They wanted us to take a day's leave if the College was open and we didn't get in, but the Union reckons that working from home when there are no students negates this. What really pisses me off is that I spend a lot of time doing additional work for the students in my own time, I don't bill the College for this - also recruiting evenings, open evenings, parents evenings, school liaison visits, etc...!

Very true. Where do you work out of interest? I used to live/work in Pompey.

 

[Mendoza]

My college is shut for the third day in a row. With exams next week I am really now worried for the progress of students, not sure they can all be trusted to revise by themselves at home.

Mate, having just had our briefing at work and plans for the next few days, we are preparing for a very bad Sunday night, meaning Monday maybe be worse than any day we have had before.

Also Sky News are in Lewes and wanted to film around the college

 

[SirDouglasLoft]

My college is shut for the third day in a row. With exams next week I am really now worried for the progress of students, not sure they can all be trusted to revise by themselves at home.

I'm getting a bit worried now, I have my A2 exams in just under three weeks. I mean one day off is not too bad, but three is just taking the piss.
Luckily I am revising a lot at home, but it's not the same as revising with my teacher.

 

[HampshireSeagulls]

Very true. Where do you work out of interest? I used to live/work in Pompey.

Fareham College - the land of no pay rises....but we did get insulated mugs this year with the college crest on!

 

[alan partridge]

Like me they can walk to their local railway station, get a train and the walk at the other end. For 80% of people this is perfectly possible. Most people not going to work are lazy, workshy, wimpy arseholes who should be the first in the firing line if redudancies strike at their employer.

Yeah that all sounds great and makes you sound BIG and HARD. But when you really think about it, the huge number of people heading towards primary/secondary schools (is not some office or a shop),the weather conditions and the state of public transport (yeah you got a train, BULLY FOR YOU!), it would seem a sensible measure all round to close the schools I reckon.

 

[KneeOn]

I would revise hard for that psy exam mate, it is pretty tough at 'AS' and lots of people fail. Leave GTA alone for the day lol

guess it'll have to be done...

 

[Gazwag]

Just an update on this 'schools closure' thing. My mum is the on the Board of Governors of a West Sussex school. In a previous cold spell the headteacher, at great effort, kept the school open when a lot of others in the area closed. What with transport problems etc attendance wasn't great - and they then got marked down by OFSTED as the attendance figures had worsened!

Consequently they now shut at almost the first sight of a snowflake. A closed school doesn't impact the attendance!

my daughter is at school today, one of 46 out of 1500ish, that'll mess their attandance figures up a bit then

 

[Tony Meolas Loan Spell]

f*** many students agree, ones taking AS and A2's, especially when your exams are in two new subjects you didn't take at GCSE

Right now, doing revision is proving hard since its done at home, with the distractions ect, and the snow, i wanted to go in today. Two subjects i have in my full day are teh ones i'm being tested in, and i live a 20 minute walk, top of poets corner to Blatch isn't hard. Ironically when ever it snows and college is closed, we go up to the feilds/rec since its usually pretty empty and has a decent amount of the "white stuff" in!

Its ETC, CAPITAL I, THE and FIELDS.

Your welcome. x