Closure of Rose Hill School on Polling Day [12 December 2019]

[andrewbowden]

Depriving 550 kids of a day's education so that the election can take place seems quite disproportionate.

Why does it have to be at the school at all? Up here in Mellor we vote at the sports club and the school stays open. Marple Cricket Club is just over the road from Rose Hill - what's wrong with that?

I don't know either way, but it's possible the Cricket Club already has regular bookings on Thursdays.  Or that no alternative venue has ever been sought because the school normally manages to stay open during elections.

As I noted below - this is a specific problem at Rose Hill caused by the time of year.  Normally they don't close for elections.

[Digster]

In Marple Bridge we vote at the Women's Institute - doesn't affect the schools.  Agree with the comments, not sure why they are using the school in Marple, there must be other suitable places.

[Dave]

Depriving 550 kids of a day's education so that the election can take place seems quite disproportionate.

Why does it have to be at the school at all? Up here in Mellor we vote at the sports club and the school stays open. Marple Cricket Club is just over the road from Rose Hill - what's wrong with that? 

[andrewbowden]

As a parent with a child at Rose Hill, this obviously is something I'd like to know.

We are fortunate that Rose Hill generally can stay open during elections.  The issue - for those that don't know - is that the hall is used for polling.  This means that they can't use it to feed the children.  Normally during an election, they use the classrooms and outdoor space at dinnertime and give the children a packed lunch.  Given the time of year, they can't use the outdoor space.  And they don't have enough indoor space.  Thus the whole school is being closed because of space issues between 11:55 and 1:10.   I wonder if the fact that Rose Hill normally stays open meant that the need for it to close wasn't even considered.

There are many schools that can't stay open during any election.  And this year those schools will now have lost three days of education thanks to the local elections, European elections and now this general election.  (Local elections have in the past been scheduled to happen on the same day as European Parliament elections, thus reducing that problem.  But our pig-headed government wouldn't do that this year.)  I understand why schools make ideal polling places.  But the impact to the education of our children and to their parents, amounts up.

[admin]

Closure of Rose Hill School on Polling Day [12 December 2019]

So who is it that decides a 550+ pupil school must close for a day when we go to the polls?



Does anyone know what's the criteria and process for making that decision?

It is understood that the local authority has the right to use the school and the school management has no say in the matter but how does the local authority decide the benefit of doing this, compared to, say, installing a temporary porta-cabin somewhere in the school grounds or at another location nearby – which is exactly what they do at Marple College on Buxton Lane for voters in that area.

Why can't a stand-alone porta-cabin be erected for the Rose Hill area? Is it down to cost? And if so, does the local authority take into account the disruption and expense to parents of pupils at Rose Hill School? That those who work will have to take a day's holiday or unpaid leave, or they may have to pay for extra childcare? How does the local authority weight all this up and come to the conclusion that, sod it, we'll shut this large school down for a day to use as a polling booth and disrupt the education of over 500 children.

So who is it? What department and who is the head of it?

Can they please explain the decision process that they have gone through and why it is considered to be their best option? Because it surely can't be their only option can it? There must be many ways this could be done so that it doesn't cause a large school to close for the day!

Can any of our local councillors or our former MP shed any light on this please?

@Malcolm Allan
@Steve Gribbon
@TomDowseMarpleSouth
@BeckySenior
@ColinMac
@Aron Thornley
@William Wragg MP