Pembrokeshire schools that stayed open despite the snow shouldn’t be punished by getting poor attendance records, says Preseli Pembrokeshire AM Paul Davies.
Schools that managed to stay open with skeleton staff and half of their pupils are officially classed as having had a 50% absentee rate.
But if the school was officially closed then that school day is not counted towards attendance statistics.
Mr Davies, who is also shadow Welsh education minister, is concerned that head teachers worried about their attendance records may be too hasty in closing schools.
“The recent bad weather has thrown up this interesting situation in which a school which soldiers on can get a black mark in its attendance record whereas one which closes at the first snowflake will have an unblemished one.
“I know that a number of Pembrokeshire schools have worked hard to stay open for pupils within walking distance and they shouldn’t be punished for absenteeism.
“I accept that individual head teachers must make decisions on whether or not to stay open based on the safety of pupils and staff.
“But I worry that they could be pressurised to close, sometimes un-necessarily, simply to avoid being penalised.”
The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) in Wales has been concerned about the cost to the economy of schools closing and working parents having to stay at home.
It agreed that headteachers who make an effort to open their school in the snow should be rewarded, not punished, for their resilience.
“There really should be a comparison between schools that have remained open in particular months like December and January with those that have closed,” said a spokesman.
“Then people can ask, ‘Do I want my child in a school where I have to take a day off at the first sign of a snowflake or one where they get an education all year’.”
Mr Davies added: “I do think the Assembly Government needs to look into the issue. Perhaps there should be a system whereby head teachers can declare certain days invalid for statistical purposes because of extreme weather conditions.”
