[I]T is the Cumbrian school which has the white stuff and beats the snow, hands down, every time.
Staff at Stoneraise primary, at Durdar, near Carlisle, believe that since first opening, in 1874, it has never been forced to close no matter how fierce the flurries.
“We never really shut,” said head teacher Clem Coady. “It used to shut in the 1800s and early 1900s due to the farming. The last time it closed properly was on the outbreak of World War Two where they had to shut to bring in 57 evacuees.”
Since then only one police-enforced closure due to nearby road flooding, and strike days, have seen the school fail to open.
And true to form, Stoneraise has bucked the trend this week, despite the Beast from the East’s best attempts, by remaining open.
“With working families, sometimes a day off work for them results in a loss of earnings and a significant disruption to places of business and local infrastructure,” said Mr Coady.
“We strive to stay open whenever possible to ensure as little disruption to normal routine; we have never had to close the school to date. The route to school is on a main gritting route so travel to and from school for our pupils usually is drivable.
“Even without the gritting, many of the staff can walk into school and ensure it remains open.
“For the pupils who attend school, they have a brilliant time playing out in the snow with all of their friends,” Mr Coady added.
“In adverse weather conditions, many schools do close. Each school is unique and will have a variety of different circumstances to take into consideration. School leaders will take the issue of safety for pupils and staff first when deciding when it’s not safe for the school to be open.”
