Why can't these bloody schools open?

[The Large One]

This little nugget comes from the Elf n Safety Officer of a very local council (personal friend). If you clear the pavement outside your home of snow and ice you CANNOT BE SUED by anyone unless you inform them that the pavement is safe to use, be that verbal or wriiten information. If they choose to use that path without encouragement from you then that is their choice and their responsibility.

It is the lawyers who have created this urban myth and we should shoot all of them.

Ta. Even so, if you tell someone it's safe - does that mean that that person should drop all sense of personal responsibility?

'The man said the pavement was OK, Your Honour. He did, he said so. He told me it was alright. And EVERYTHING. I've got shit for brains, and I'm sueing him for a million dollars...'

I blame the ambulance chasing ads on daytime TV, and we should shoot all of them.

 

[Tony Meolas Loan Spell]

and we should soot all of them.

Better than that! Lets TAR and FEATHER!!!

 

[The Large One]

Oops.

 

[KZNSeagull]

Ta. Even so, if you tell someone it's safe - does that mean that that person should drop all sense of personal responsibility?

'The man said the pavement was OK, Your Honour. He did, he said so. He told me it was alright. And EVERYTHING. I've got shit for brains, and I'm sueing him for a million dollars...'

I blame the ambulance chasing ads on daytime TV, and we should shoot all of them.

Good grief. Are things seriously like that over there now? Are there really ambulance chasing ads on the telly? Another reason not to go back to the UK then.

Would that explain why the Sky News roving reporter asked an elderly lady yesterday lots of inane questions whilst she was clearing the snow outside her house, instead of saying to Kay Burley "I'm fed up with asking stupid questions and am going to help this lady instead. Go and find some real news, Kay".

 

[JBizzleBeard]

There are three key reasons that schools are more likely to close now;

1) Teachers live further away. The (relative) affordability of buying and running a car is low, so teachers are able to live further away from their school (my missus loves living 25 miles away from her school, as it means she will hardly ever see the kids on a night out).
2) The gradual erosion of cachement areas for schools. Now that parents/students have a choice of schools not based so heavily on where you live, students have further to travel.
3) Health & Safety and the blame culture. If schools open they have a duty of care towards their kids; they have to ensure their safety at all times while on the premises. That applies especially when you see all these silly 'had an accident at work?' adverts - parents are much more likely to persue legal action than previously.

Is the correct answer.

 

[Publius Ovidius]

Can I just add something in here. Many moons ago, schools were very much "local" ie town or village schools. Children would live fairly close by and the teachers the same ( I know that is a generalisation) however, if you take Mile Oak as an example, in classes there are children from Hove, Kemp Town, Mile Oak, Portslade, Worthing, Southwick.

Teachers live in hangleton, Portslade, Hove, Crawley and points East.

So we have a lot of kids being driven or using public transport. Busses only go as far as Portslade Health Centre South of teh Old Shoreham Road- and the nearest train station is Portslade which is a good hour walk away for an adult.

basically, we have not been gritted here in MO....we are effectively cut off.

That is the reason Mile Oak school is closed

 

[Cheeky Monkey]

When I was at school in the mid 80's

You heard it here first NSC, illiterate blogger Timbo only went to school from 1984-1986 which explains everything!

 

[The Large One]

Good grief. Are things seriously like that over there now? Are there really ambulance chasing ads on the telly? Another reason not to go back to the UK then.

Would that explain why the Sky News roving reporter asked an elderly lady yesterday lots of inane questions whilst she was clearing the snow outside her house, instead of saying to Kay Burley "I'm fed up with asking stupid questions and am going to help this lady instead. Go and find some real news, Kay".

You get ambulance chasing ads all the time, mainly on daytime TV on the 'lesser' cable and satellite channels.

'Have you had an accident and it wasn't your fault...?' etc.

 

[Deleted User X18H]

Maybe because of the weather. While we're at it have you gone to work today ?

Me? No! No
work til next week.

 

[wellquickwoody]

Can I just add something in here. Many moons ago, schools were very much "local" ie town or village schools. Children would live fairly close by and the teachers the same ( I know that is a generalisation) however, if you take Mile Oak as an example, in classes there are children from Hove, Kemp Town, Mile Oak, Portslade, Worthing, Southwick.

Teachers live in hangleton, Portslade, Hove, Crawley and points East.

So we have a lot of kids being driven or using public transport. Busses only go as far as Portslade Health Centre South of teh Old Shoreham Road- and the nearest train station is Portslade which is a good hour walk away for an adult.

basically, we have not been gritted here in MO....we are effectively cut off.

That is the reason Mile Oak school is closed

Good point and to be honest I did not realise that kids travelled that far to get to school in Brighton and Hove, I come from the aforementioned era.

But perhaps the school should be opened by teachers from Hangleton, Portslade and Hove for the kids from Hove, Mile Oak, Portslade and Southwick.

PS I remember the snow of 81/82 at Portslade Community College when most of us yoofs gathered at the top of the school and mercilessly pounded the technical drawing teacher for about 5 mins non stop. Must have had 100's/1000's of snowballs aimed at him.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

Of course if all the kids were allowed to go to their NEAREST school, more could walk.

The wonderful LOTTERY SYSTEM, however, has put paid to that...

 

[KZNSeagull]

You get ambulance chasing ads all the time, mainly on daytime TV on the 'lesser' cable and satellite channels.

'Have you had an accident and it wasn't your fault...?' etc.

O dear.

 

[KZNSeagull]

PS I remember the snow of 81/82 at Portslade Community College when most of us yoofs gathered at the top of the school and mercilessly pounded the technical drawing teacher for about 5 mins non stop. Must have had 100's/1000's of snowballs aimed at him.

Did he sue?

 

[Publius Ovidius]

Good point and to be honest I did not realise that kids travelled that far to get to school in Brighton and Hove, I come from the aforementioned era.

But perhaps the school should be opened by teachers from Hangleton, Portslade and Hove for the kids from Hove, Mile Oak, Portslade and Southwick.

PS I remember the snow of 81/82 at Portslade Community College when most of us yoofs gathered at the top of the school and mercilessly pounded the technical drawing teacher for about 5 mins non stop. Must have had 100's/1000's of snowballs aimed at him.

reminds me of my school days.

Snowball fights were the things of legend . We built a giant catapult using local swings once and used to hurl great balls of snow huge distances....it was like Lord of The Rings

 

[wellquickwoody]

Did he sue?

No, but at a later date action was taken when his car was rolled down the embankment to the redgra area, now the all weather surface!

 

[beorhthelm]

Schools did not close for snow 20 years ago, so why now?

yes they did. at least mine and nearby ones out in deeper Sussex were often closed for snow. they often had large catchment areas and presumably teachers from wider area who couldnt make the journey.

is this the underlying problem, both for schools and business impacted in the south east: our commuter culture where just about everybody seems to travel 10, 20+ miles to get to their place of work?

 

[Publius Ovidius]

yes they did. at least mine and nearby ones out in deeper Sussex were often closed for snow. they often had large catchment areas and presumably teachers from wider area who couldnt make the journey.

is this the underlying problem, both for schools and business impacted in the south east: our commuter culture where just about everybody seems to travel 10, 20+ miles to get to their place of work?

Yes, that seems to be right. Certainly the heavy industry, ship building, coal mining, steel works, car industry have all but gone and we rely now on financial sector or retail based industry which are all driven by the computer age ( not so much retail)

I actually dont mind working one day a week at home, but anymore than that and it gets lonely...I much prefer working in an office of people where human interaction can take place

 

[bhaexpress]

Me? No! No
work til next week.

My hero. Still, will you have the time then to post some more attention seeking thoughts ?

 

[The Peanut Roaster]

What school did you go to H B & B?

 

[KneeOn]

Do kids not do anything dangerous at school anymore? What happens if a practical science lesson goes wrong and someone gets hurt? What happens if a child is injured playing sport?

if a child is injured playign sport, its usually by the brutish drunks that inhabit that year group, involves a kick in the face and a studs up challenge playign football that has teh capacity to break a knee, and the teacher doesn't see it because your the football loving, but runty one they big up in goal because they don't want to go in...

Did i sue? NO! I'd loved to have been in today. And i DO go to the feilds at blatch/Neville Rec but its closed. just allow an extra ten minutes to walk for me and bang. i'm there...