The Joy of Snow?

Last week was one of the coldest that I can remember for some time. In snowy conditions, LGS has the dual advantages of being situated on a major road, and having a team of dedicated grounds staff, which means that it is easier for us to cope. British weather is notoriously unpredictable which made me worry a couple of mornings whether we would have enough boys and staff in school. Nevertheless, Loughborough was spared the worst, and I am pleased that learning continued unabated. Outside school, the snow had its usual effect, bringing the country to a standstill. Derogatory comments about the train companies, the road network and even headteachers closing their schools followed. I wonder where you stand on the debate? Is it such a dreadful thing if a school closes for a ‘Snow Day’?

On both Wednesday and Thursday of last week, my son emerged for breakfast and asked if the school was closed due to the snow. Our policy has been to remain open when it snows, but to reassure parents that boys should only travel to school if they judge that it is safe to do so, and it was this line that I repeated to my son. His response inevitably was to claim that it would be risky to walk the 200 metres from our house on campus to his form room. I understand that some boys were rather critical of our stance on Twitter, but I can assure you that despite the freezing temperatures, all of our classroom blocks were beautifully warm, and the lunch as inviting as ever.

I was interested to read in Thursday’s <a href=”https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/news/skive-off-school-and-enjoy-sledging-says-headmaster-shaun-fenton-of-reigate-grammar-school-ftzsqzjgg”>Times</a> that one HMC Headmaster, Mr Shaun Fenton of Reigate Grammar School, took a rather more relaxed approach. The headline was “Skive off school and enjoy sledging, says headmaster”. This, however, was not just any headmaster. In September, Mr Fenton takes over as Chairman of the HMC, the group representing the best 250 independent schools in the UK including LGS. (If you enjoy trivia, he is also the son of 70s pop idol, Alvin Stardust – not ‘fake news’ I can assure you!) Mr Fenton emailed parents last week, urging them to keep their children home from school on snowy days so they could create “special memories” by building snowmen together. He suggested that such activities lead to memories that are more long-lasting than anything learnt at school.

I understand what Mr Fenton means. Compared to my childhood in Kent when I can remember significant snow most years, there seem to have been far fewer snowy days for children recently when they could have enjoyed snowballing and sledging. I agree that it is important for boys to create these memories, and to enjoy the feeling of unbridled excitement that snow brings. However, I am always very conscious of the financial sacrifices that parents make for their sons to receive an LGS education, and I do feel that it is my duty to ensure that normal school life goes on as far as possible. My approach last week was different for co-curricular events, and we postponed or cancelled evening events, thinking that it was foolish to make parents and boys travel home late at night when the road were likely to be icy and visibility poor.

I suspect on this occasion, that we could have closed the Endowed Schools and that you would have accepted our decision. However, I and the other Heads are united in feeling that the threshold for closing a school in this country when the snow arrives is set ridiculously low. On both Thursday and Friday mornings, I was up early and walking around the campus shortly after 6 am to check the conditions. When it was clear that the gritting carried out by ground staff had worked and that playgrounds were not remotely icy, it was an easy decision to remain open. Let’s hope that winter 2018-19 provides us with a spectacular fall of snow at the weekend so that our boys can forge the unforgettable experiences that Mr Fenton so values.