Having been required to work from home due to closure of my son's school I felt compelled to write and complain.  I already know what sort of response I will get so my only satisfaction will come from posting the letter here...

 4th February 2009

Dear Mrs XXXX

On Tuesday, my colleagues arrived at the office by 8.30am having driven from Northampton, Rugby and surrounding villages.  My wife and all her 80 colleagues made it to their office in Milton Keynes.  My eldest son travelled by public transport to school in Coventry.  You will understand therefore that I find it remarkable that Xxxx Junior School was closed for reasons of, and I quote verbatim from the local authority website, very dagerous (sic) driving conditions for members of staff.

This closure raises a number of questions.  Did anyone actually consider the driving conditions on Tuesday morning or had the decision been taken the previous evening in the expectation of heavy snowfall overnight?  Do all the staff live in particularly remote Northamptonshire mountain ranges which I have yet to discover?  Was any thought given to the effect the closure would have on the parents, particularly those working in the private sector?

The next time we experience an inch of snow perhaps consideration should be given to those parents who will be forced to stay at home to look after their children; parents who, in the current climate, may be concerned for their jobs or who are self employed and will lose income.

Whilst I am sure that the children have enjoyed the chance to play in the snow, we should surely consider the lesson that the children will learn, albeit subconsciously, from their day off: when the going gets a little tough, give up and stay at home.  Even if some members of staff had particularly perilous journeys surely enough some of them were available to provide some sort of service.  The children may well have enjoyed being in larger classes and sharing in the feeling of having overcome the adverse conditions.

As I am sure you will point out, many other local schools were also closed but this is no justification and I consider their response equally feeble.  It is interesting that GXXXX School, a school more rural than yours and served mainly by buses, did manage to open.

Yours sincerely

R J Appleyard