Ovingham Middle School Shut 3rd December

I attach the closure notice from OMS today. I know they are trying very hard and I do not disagree with their logic. It is serious once the grit stops working. However reading through this I think it can be concluded that the County Council needed to deliver a much more sophisticated and intensive effort through the week if normal life was not to fail as it has. Hopefully come Monday, the Atlantic will have returned and the snow gone away not come back this winter?

http://ovinghammiddleschool.net/?p=1053
(06:55am – 03/12/2010)

Staff check e-mail at 7:30

The usual decision making process has been gone through. The deciding factors today were the following;

The snow that fell from early evening to around midnight has not yet been cleared. That snow is lying on frozen slush on the roads. When I spoke my plough/ gritter contact (who I may add has been a fantastic help since last Thursday and has called everything right in my opinion), he was defrosting the tractor he drives as the diesel was freezing. He was told that the road temperatures on the A69 was -13, at which temperature the salt has no effect. He described the roads on the lead up to school as treacherous.

The caretaker, who always battles through has given me the condition report around the school is that cars are getting stuck on any incline and actually polishing the ice as they slip.

Most school transport did not run yesterday. The ones that did are not keen to even try today.

Neighbouring schools are closed today.

Last night Mr Lakey, the Caretaker and I had to abandon our path clearing and gritting around the school because of the snow falling. At the moment, this grit is having no effect on the paths or the entrance to the car park.

I have judged that the risk is too great for pupils, parents and staff to travel this morning. I know that it is likely to be sunny later which means that the paths and roads will defrost, however I feel this will come too late.

I am very sorry for the inconvenience. Please see the note about volunteers- we are planning a community path dig on Sunday.