Head tells parents why his school closed on three days this week

PARENTS of children at a secondary school received an email today from its head teacher explaining why it was shut for the third day this week. Norman Hoare, head of St George s School in Harpenden, took the unusual step of emailing parents of the 1,250

PARENTS of children at a secondary school received an email today from its head teacher explaining why it was shut for the third day this week.

Norman Hoare, head of St George's School in Harpenden, took the unusual step of emailing parents of the 1,250 pupils at the school to explain the closure and thank them for their forbearance and understanding during this week's bad weather.

He explained that there were several reasons why the school in Sun Lane had closed, one of which was that many of the students came from beyond safe walking distance and were reliant on public transport or parents driving them in.

The same applied to both teaching and support staff, most of who lived outside Harpenden. He said that this morning (Thursday) teachers who attempted to come in took up to two hours to make it to the school or were forced to turn back because of impassable roads or jams.

Mr Hoare also pointed out that St George's was a large outdoor site which only had a very small site management team and it would not have been easy to make it safe for students.

He added: "We do not take lightly the inconvenience to parents of a school closure and try to make the decision as early as possible."

Many schools in the St Albans district have been closed again today because of the snowy weather.