11 Plus Exams Forum

My ds's have a day off today becasue their primary school is closed so that they can use the hall as a polling station. What with parliamentary, county council and district council elections, and now these police commissioner ones, they are losing a day every year just about - my kids have lost more schooltime for elections than they have for illness in the time they've been there.

Is it really necessary to close whole schools for this? Surely it would be possible to find somewhere to use as a polling station which doesn't disrupt the education of 300+ children. Church hall? Local tennis club? I'm told it's a child protection issue - but it's not as if there aren't children on the school site on the day the school is closed as they open the after school club. If that's segregated enough why couldn't they use that as a polling station (maybe putting some extra fences up so that nobody went beyond the entrance to it into the school playground), and just ask parents to pick up and drop off to the school's other entrance for the day?

Police and local council elections are all scheduled well in advance so the school should know when they are going to be when planning for the year - why can't they have one of their inset days coincide with the election so the children don't lose an additional day? Or perhaps they could use the day to organise trips which have a meeting point other than at the school?

I suspect the schools are quite keen to stay as polling stations, i'm sure fees must be payable

Is this a common thing? I've never had any of my DCs' schools closing for polling. I imagine it's a complete pain - inset days are bad enough.

Surely that should be "CLOSING" ?!

that's purely joking of course Okanagan... I always make mistakes when I type, hence my posts will usually have an average of 6 edits each!

But on the serious issue you raised, its sounds horrible. In my area, they just use a small hall next to the public library and people queue outside the building. No problem. I would be really upset too.

YourChildrenSuccess wrote:Surely that should be "CLOSING" ?!

Ok edited (fingers and brain aren't always in sync!). But in the context of this forum (the Warwickshire and Birmingham people will understand even if the rest of you don't) perhaps it should be cloze-ing?

Used to close local state school when I was a kid - got very cross as what at a church school which didn't close so we went to schoool

Nowadays seems to be village halls, town hall, council buildings - even someone's front room etc

Half term has recently passed, why not hold election then if school is to be used.

I can understand that it must be a pain if there are childcare issues but I don't mind them losing a day's learning. I see it as a chance for my two to recharge their batteries. At one point, DS in particular was doing too many activities and the odd day off was most welcome. On the subject of INSET days, my cousin sent me a text demanding to know what they were. Her son attended a prep school and of course she wasn't aware that they existed. I explained to her that her son had very long holidays instead.

Paramjeet wrote:Half term has recently passed, why not hold election then if school is to be used.

problem is half term is not always same dates for all LAs

Not quite sure why a school has to shut, there must be a local hall etc nearby or even another school where they have some space that can be partioned off safely, it must be a nightmare for people that have to make alternative child care arrangements and very galling when you know that this is probably going to be an election with the lowest voter turn out ever.