Just provide the service, Education

Guernsey's Education Department was visibly on the back foot yesterday in its attempts to justify closing all island schools because of Monday's few millimetres of snow and the disruption that caused working parents and the businesses which had to give them a day off as a result.

While its story did not bear close scrutiny – it had to soften its version of the advice it claimed to have received from police and then decided to accept responsibility for children getting to school – it was the underlying reason for closing schools that was the most telling point.

While health and safety was, as Education claimed, an issue, that was largely because it couldn't rely on its teachers and other school staff turning up to look after pupils.

In contrast, however, it was business as usual for the private sector.

As the department put it, '…it is impossible for schools to predict how many staff will be able to make it to school.'

In other words, with a bit of snow on the ground it is entirely voluntary whether anyone bothers to turn up. It is an approach that could only happen in an organisation funded by the taxpayer and where the only penalty for closure is borne by parents and children.

Each school, as businesses and other organisations have had to do, can easily review those staff who can make it in virtually whatever the conditions, those who will need some extra time and those critical individuals for whom special transport might be required.

That they don't is simply because closure is the easy option: nice, simple and stress-free for those taking the decisions because there are no consequences for them as a result.

In fairness to Education, it is at the mercy of the elements. What might have looked reasonable at 6am on Monday looked pretty daft by lunchtime. Had heavy, fresh falls happened after lunch, there might have been problems getting pupils home.

The point remains, however, that the schools are supposed to provide a service to children and parents and need to review how effectively they do so when it snows.