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Le Tour 2014

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Meglet Jun 2014 10:19am, 25 Jun 2014 14,848 posts	0 Meglet We were allowed to take the children out of school for the Olympic flame procession, which passed through the next town. Though that might be because they got the message that so many people were taking the kids out anyway.
mushroom Jun 2014 10:25am, 25 Jun 2014 942 posts	0 mushroom Lots of these through my village: I'm wondering when the best time is to go out and daub / scrawl / vandalise the steep hill with suitable slogans.? I'm surprised no one has done it yet.
Ceratonia Jun 2014 10:27am, 25 Jun 2014 1,247 posts	0 Ceratonia I think the logistics will be difficult for the school - it's a 3 mile walk but probably more like 8-9 miles by school bus. The teachers have been told to find B&Bs etc. as many of them wouldn't be able to get to work from home due to road closures. Just seems like they could have shown a bit more flexibility.
Longwayround Jun 2014 10:30am, 25 Jun 2014 1,171 posts	0 Longwayround The teachers have been told to find B&Bs? I assume the school is paying. I would have expected a school to plan ahead (they've had two year's warning) and sort out some INSET such that they can close on that day.
Ceratonia Jun 2014 10:45am, 25 Jun 2014 1,248 posts	0 Ceratonia School is not paying. I think they did plan ahead - they planned to work as normal. The head simply told staff that they could not use transport problems as a reason for not coming to work on the day. As buses are not running their usual routes and road closures start at 5am, that means finding somewhere local to stay (and making childcare arrangements) for some of the staff. I thought INSET days had to be for staff training? Bit frustrating when many nearby businesses are closed for the day (in some cases because their offices are unreachable due to road closures).
Longwayround Jun 2014 11:00am, 25 Jun 2014 1,172 posts	0 Longwayround INSET days do have to be used for staff training but many schools will do a few after-school INSETs and count them towards one training day. The sort of planning ahead that consists of carrying on regardless is not planning. It's sticking one's head in the sand. Which some might argue is exactly what ought to have been done with that particular head. Not paying for B&Bs is asking for trouble. Does the head know that the staff have the spare cash? Anyway, I've just been browsing the Yorkshire Tour website and am now so excited I could pop. There's a big screen a few hundred yards from our campsite where le caravane is scheduled to arrive at 1203. Once the peloton has passed (between 1352 and 1403) I'm then planning to cycle the seven miles to Leyburn to catch some more racing a little over an hour later. And then there's a big fête scheduled in the village up the road. Booking a campsite two years in advance seems to be about to pay off.
CStar Jun 2014 12:08pm, 25 Jun 2014 3,280 posts	0 CStar Ceratonia I'm taking mine out of school in Berkshire to come over and watch stage 3 as it goes past where we used to live. Am debating whether to ask the school for permission or just throw a sickie on their behalf. Given that at this stage of the summer term, they are not actually doing anything useful, I think TdF is far more educational and I have no qualms about doing this at all.
ThorntonRunner Jun 2014 12:37pm, 25 Jun 2014 892 posts	0 ThorntonRunner A bit off-topic, but controversy here in Leicester where a headteacher has been granted two weeks unpaid leave to go to Brazil for the world cup! So kids taking a day for the TdF - sounds OK to me, especially at this stage of summer term
Chris the Fish Jun 2014 1:23pm, 25 Jun 2014 930 posts	0 Chris the Fish I saw that on a Leicester Mercury board today as well TR, there was a big hoo-har the other month about another head going on a summer holiday during term time. No one would mind if it wasnt for their draconian measures against the parents.
Ceratonia Jun 2014 1:57pm, 25 Jun 2014 1,249 posts	0 Ceratonia Think I'm going to take the kids out for the morning and simply email to explain why and that I realise its unauthorised absence, rather than pretending they're ill. As one of them announced this morning that he was missing all lessons today due to competing for the school in an athletics tournament, I don't feel too badly about the missed academic work.