Snowed In!?!?

Eleven Plus (11+) in Birmingham, Walsall, Wolverhampton and Wrekin

Moderators: Section Moderators, Forum Moderators

11 Plus Platform - Online Practice Makes Perfect - Try Now
UmSusu
Posts: 1015
Joined: Mon Feb 14, 2011 2:42 pm
Location: Birmingham

Snowed In!?!?

Post by UmSusu »

Just to distract myself:

As usual, some snow and there is chaos everywhere :roll: - it looks great though doesn't it?

How much chaos did everyone else face? Our primary school sent a text to say they are closing and when I looked outside I thought, 'what wimps!'. DS1's secondary school decided to open...what a mistake!

I got DH to drop him off in the morning (as it is a safer world if I don't get out in the snow :oops: ). By 10am they said they were closing at 11.40, so I volunteered DH to pick him up: except he called at 11 to say they closed even earlier and he was at the bus stop. I told him he was better off getting the bus than waiting on the other side of the city in the cold for DH to arrive.

3 hours :shock: !!!!!! is what it took him to get home. Poor thing :( . He was frozen and there were not enough buses running. I guess I am glad they sent him home early as God knows what time he would have got home otherwise. I think I should have looked out the window in the morning and just said go back to bed, even if we send you they might send you back. However, it seems it will snow next week too - they can't close all week can they? How easy / difficult is it for everyone else? Are you going to bother sending them?

UmSusu
UmSusu
moseleymum
Posts: 659
Joined: Sat Oct 18, 2008 8:59 pm

Re: Snowed In!?!?

Post by moseleymum »

I checked the weather last night, it said it would snow overnight, stop for a little while then basically snow for the rest of the day non stop.

I looked outside at 7am, there was a bit of snow but not much, and it wasnt snowing at that time. I think thats what lulled the people I know into a false sense of security, so they sent their kids in. I didn't send any of mine in as I knew that, by sending them in, I would be committing myself to picking them up when the situation was likely to worsen rather than improve.

Being Friday, and with KES having their afternoon activities and no lessons, it made the decision easier. KES shut at morning break, the other schools made the decision to close by lunchtime.

It would have saved a lot of hassle if someone had checked the forecast and realised the snow would worsen rather than stop over the course of the day. My friend lives 5 minutes drive (normally) from the school, on a main road, and it took her DH 2 hours to come home after picking up her DC.

I am a bit annoyed EHS are still going ahead with their exam tomorrow as the snow is still continuing. Although they said you have to notify them by 8am if you are not coming, I am not sure whether to try or not.
Okanagan
Posts: 1706
Joined: Mon Aug 22, 2011 9:20 pm
Location: Warwickshire

Re: Snowed In!?!?

Post by Okanagan »

Ours opened - then announced at 11.10 that they were going to close at 1.30. At 11.20 they had second thoughts and revised that to "please collect your children at 11.30".
UmSusu
Posts: 1015
Joined: Mon Feb 14, 2011 2:42 pm
Location: Birmingham

Re: Snowed In!?!?

Post by UmSusu »

It seems DS's school were not the only ones who couldn't make their minds up. I wish I had checked the weather on tv last night rather than rely on the online summary. I looked out and thought that was the worst of it. I am afraid DS4 is such a nightmare to get to bed that by the time he sleeps I havent got the energy to get up and check the doors are locked never mind check forecasts ( in fact, there have been occasions when I have fallen asleep before him, only to discover he has put out the lamp and gone down :oops: )

Mm, it is odd the EHS have not changed the schedule. I can imagine that even for those who plan to go, they might face considerable delays getting there. If a significant amount of people don't turn up, then that compromised the contents :? I guess there will be less traffic at least.

Good luck if you do go!

UmSusu
UmSusu
moseleymum
Posts: 659
Joined: Sat Oct 18, 2008 8:59 pm

Re: Snowed In!?!?

Post by moseleymum »

Yes it would be so much "safer" physically and content wise to postpone the EHS entrance exam. I think that, as with KES/KEHS, candidates come from a wide area and it places a great deal of stress on those families. Even simple journeys have taken a ridiculous amount of time today (from what I hear, I've been cosy at home 8) ). The combination of mushy snow on the roads refreezing with additional snowfall makes it a poor decision IMO. :twisted:
DIY Mum
Posts: 744
Joined: Wed Apr 25, 2007 10:08 pm
Location: Not in a hole in the ground but in a land where once they dwelt-the Beormingas

Re: Snowed In!?!?

Post by DIY Mum »

I agree that due to adverse weather conditions, it would be sensible of EHS to defer their exam. But I'm not entirely convinced that 'content wise,' it really is that safe anyway. Whilst state school girls are blind to it all, I get the impression that EHS prep girls get a leg up in that they have already covered 'typical' material during school hours that should appear in the exam.

Otherwise, what is this supposed to mean? Quote from a previous post in 2011
:?:
firsttimermum wrote:Re the EHS, she said it was easy.However as the majority of girls were from EHS they had practised the exam to death ! She was happy about the interview but said she was asked if she was a member of the choir or any clubs at school... to which she said ...none !!!!! She was also asked about current issues in the news, to which she said none....just when we had been talking about it earlier !! I do know though they have made up thier minds and will send out results next week.

How about your DD ?

FTM
um
Posts: 2378
Joined: Sat May 30, 2009 1:06 pm
Location: Birmingham

Re: Snowed In!?!?

Post by um »

What a day... as usual, I took dc3 and 4 to Primary school, and dc5 to nursery. Because they were all open and we were told to come in on the Solihull website :roll:. Traffic and road conditions were getting worse by the minute. Dc2 went to school as usual. Ds1 had a docs appointment and I don't think he arrived until about 10.30am (I sent him on the bus as my boiler was broken and I had to wait for the repairman).

Then it all started...ds1 and 2 texted that CH was closing at 11.15am, and this was followed with a text from school. Looking out of the window at the road conditions, I became worried about ds3 and 4 stuck in a rural Primary school and then persuaded a relative to go and get them (and his kids) and bring them back, which took him about one and a half hours (usually 20 mins).

Nursery called to say they were closing so I cleared the car and went for dc5. A friend waited for the repairman and dc 3 and 4. One hour later, I arrived (usually 5 mins) after witnessing two nasty accidents. Couldn't get onto the side roads so parked up and walked - but some drifts went up to my knees - bringing dc5 (the fattest one btw) back on my back and falling over twice into the soft snow. Which he thought was hilarious.
Then it took almost another hour to get back, and at one point the Green CH2 coming on the other side of the road, slowly shifted out of line and skidded onto my side which was rather terrifying. Funnily enough, it did occur to me in those 'final' moments that it would be interesting to be crashed into by the CH2 rather than, say, the no.37, but very happily we all survived, although the experience, accompanied by dc5 demanding his favourite song on the CD player immediately, has probably taken 10 years off my life. The poor driver was pretty skilful given the circumstances and got the bus back in the right lane after sliding right past 5 cars, but I felt sorry for him - he'd been going down a hill of sheet ice in a double decker and it was hopeless.
Ds1 and 2, having had no mobile phone reception for 3 hours, arrived home very hungry at 2.45pm (we are 10 mins drive from CH). Even the repairman was starting to worry about them :D . The no.11 had been very late and then apparently had been doing no more than 1mph all the way which was probably the only sensible thing to do.
What a palaver - I think most of the cars sliding around on the Solihull roads were parents rescuing kids from schools :roll:
The reality is, our cars and gritters and systems are not suited to this weather. We can rattle on about Canada and Sweden but we're not as well equipped, nor would it make sense to be because for the majority of our winter, it doesn't actually snow or even drop below freezing. How much better it would have been (for the state of my heart :? ) if all the schools and nurseries just closed for the day.
I won't be in any rush to get them to school on Monday, if the roads are still as treacherous.
There was sadly a big pile up on my road earlier, too.

I do hope that EHS defer their exam, and feel sorry for those who have long and difficult journeys to make if they don't.
lottie78
Posts: 112
Joined: Thu Feb 23, 2012 11:13 am

Re: Snowed In!?!?

Post by lottie78 »

Well,
School was open for us yesterday.
We walked or ds1 and I walked due to ds2 just getting out of hospital and his leg disability he explained to me that he would have to go in his sledge! To be fair it was far easier and quicker this way.
School stayed open allday but after lunch parents could pick children up if they wished to.
I did so I trudged back to school, carefully watching any passing cars sliding down the hill.
Collected kids to be told they had been watching DVDs all day :evil: so instead of putting the kids and parents safety first. (I would say teachers but the ones living a distance away were sent home before the kids!!) the priority was obviously attendance marks as we were only aware we could pick the kids up after afternoon registration and it was only through Facebook I knew at all, website still showed school as open an no text or call. I'm sure the parents who were at work were appreciative of it staying open but it would have been nice to have been given the choice!!!
To add misery to this chaos Ds has his
Last exam today, it is going ahead but if you can't make it you can sit it Monday which is then obviously open to info been passed on. At this point I'm past caring just want it over with and it's all in gods hands!!!!
UmSusu
Posts: 1015
Joined: Mon Feb 14, 2011 2:42 pm
Location: Birmingham

Re: Snowed In!?!?

Post by UmSusu »

HGS have sent a text to say no school tomorrow - not that I was going to send DD.

..... At least I don't have to do all that ironing tonight :D

UmSusu
UmSusu
moseleymum
Posts: 659
Joined: Sat Oct 18, 2008 8:59 pm

Re: Snowed In!?!?

Post by moseleymum »

KES shut too, thankful they made the decision early rather than left it til tomorrow. I don't know how this will affect their calls and interviews though.
Post Reply
11 Plus Platform - Online Practice Makes Perfect - Try Now