Must it all grind to halt when the power goes off?

The modern world it seems cannot function without power. From e-books to the latest gadgets we seem dependent on electricity – and so are our schools.

Yesterday (Thursday) Cornwallis Academy was forced to send home hundreds of pupils after a fault switched the lights off in almost 500 homes and businesses.

Power was restored by noon but the faulty supplies meant pupils spent the rest of the day at home.

We know schools - Cornwallis included - have to follow guidelines, but generally it is a frustration for parents that on a bright sunny day teachers couldn’t just make do with a pen and paper and go outside or enjoy some other educational activity.

According to the school, allowing the pupils to remain is impossible for health and safety reasons and this is understandable given that everything from security systems to IT is dependent on power.

It is also a sad reflection of our plugged in, hyperconnected society that we are so dependent. It might raise eyebrows among some parents that a school of this size would not have had some plan in place in the event of a loss of power, aside from calling parents.

We completely accept that in the depths of winter, power cuts present huge problems, but on a sunny May day, we were left wondering why a back up plan that involved some outdoor learning couldn’t have been found.