Bermondsey school closed due to volcanic ash

omg i can't believe what i am reading! how can this school closure possibly be justified?

boroughpaul wrote:

how can this school closure possibly be justified?

Lack of staff to teach the kids?

The London Nautical School is closing tomorrow for pupils in years 7, 8 and 9 for the same reason.

Cathedral School nursery class also closed all week, very frustrating if you're a working parent trying to get back to a normal schedule after almost three weeks school holiday and very expensive if you're a freelancer, no work, no pay.

Yes, well if you were abroad you will know why this is not a bunch of teachers skiving ( I am not a teacher.)

I was in madrid last week, took avoiding action on Thursday and got back to the UK yesterday pm after 6 hours on a train, 10 hours on a coach, (it should have been a train but the French are on strike) and Eurostar.
Some are in New york, egypt etc. I was on business so cost was not much of an issue.

My daughter-in-law, a top class teacher in Lambeth, but not SE1, is also stranded in Madrid. She has made arrangements, with difficulty, to get back to the UK on Sunday. But that will come out of her pocket.

BUT although there are less teachers, there are also a lot less kids so with a little re-organising I'm sure a better solution could be found.

Just found out my surgeon is stuck in Canada, and she has a young family, I am supposed to have my op. next week! It's a situation duplicated throughout the u.k.

It must be equally frustrating for the school to replace missing teachers, a negative attitude from parents is unhelpful when the whole situation is beyond the schools control, as far as mixing classes how would feel with your 3-4 year old being in a class of 10-11 year olds and then having class sizes exceeding government guide-lines and being in a class of 40 plus? SCHOOLS ARE PLACES OF LEARNING AND NOT A CHILD MINDING OPTION/ CONVENIENCE FOR WORKING MUMS! I am in the first instance a mother and secondly a teacher, I have every sympathy for my collegues that are stuck in foriegn lands.

I do work in a school and we have 14 teachers absent and almost all pupils present. We can't double up classes as there would not be enough room. What we are doing, is covering for absent colleagues in our non-contact time and this has meant that we do not have to cancel school for any pupils. Schools will always put the pupils first if they possibly can.

unlike the one that shut!