We are NOT childminders

Teachers hit back after parents criticise schools for shutting because of the snow

TEACHERS have risked the wrath of parents by insisting they are not childminders as the row over school closures due to snow continues.

Some schools will remain shut for a third day in a row today because of the weather.

But parents have complained that the move has been a ‘ridiculous’ over-reaction, with many schools closed after just a few inches of snow.

Graham White, who is Suffolk representative at the National Education Union, said that headteachers faced an impossible task – either open and risk injury to staff and pupils, or close and risk annoying parents who then have their children at home.

‘Schools are for education, not child-minding,’ he said.

More than 2,300 schools shut on Monday – including all of those run by Birmingham City Council.

In Shropshire, more than 140 schools were closed yesterday, while 106 were shut in Staffordshire and dozens closed in the South West, West Midlands and Wales. One school that did open in Birmingham yesterday was the fee-paying Rosslyn School, which decided to use the time to teach children how to build an igloo.

More schools were expected to shut again today in Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Wales.

It comes as forecasters warned the cold spell which has paralysed much of the UK is set to continue.

Swathes of the country fell below freezing on Monday night – with -13C (8.6F) recorded in Shropshire, where locals have been snapping up hats, gloves, coal and logs. The Met Office warned of more chilly conditions last night, with a yellow weather warning for ice covering much of the UK today.

Fresh snow is also likely on high ground, mainly across Scotland and northern England, bringing even more treacherous conditions on the roads.

Some parents said there was only a light dusting of snow before their children’s schools closed this week, forcing them to take a day off work or find last-minute childcare. The decisions have been criticised on social media. Frank Crisp said on Twitter: ‘Just seen the woman in her 80s walking back from the paper shop and kids can’t even walk to school.’

Howard Webster added: ‘We’re breeding a generation of wimps.’

Swindon council leader David Renard vented his frustration about the number of schools in his area which had closed because of the weather. He said: ‘There are no excuses that so many Swindon schools are closed when the roads are perfectly passable, causing huge inconvenience to parents.’

But he was then accused of ‘publicly judging’ the schools, while others said his comments were ‘disgraceful’. Twitter user Sarah Fenwick said: ‘Huge inconvenience to parents? But schools are not a childcare facility. The safety of children and staff is more important.’

On the roads, the AA recorded its busiest day of the year on Monday with 24,000 callouts to drivers who had suffered breakdowns.