why close schools on polling day?

[Beebo]

It isnt right that my kids miss a day of school just because the school hall is used as a polling station. None of the classrooms are affected so lessosn could go on.

If it's a security risk then why cant they use the local church hall instead?

 

[Nigel-YZ1]

My polling station is the school dining area and blocks the kitchens. So the school has to close.

 

[soulful dog]

Ours has always been in a local school for as long as I can remember. Possibly down to cost - has to be a council building otherwise they'd have to pay for the use of it?

 

[rikki]

Why not have elections on Saturdays? It works well in other parts of the world.
Or is there some archaic reason for the day of the week, like Tuesday elections in the USA?

 

[tyred]

I always looked forward to elections as a kid - A day of school

 

[fossyant]

I'm sure your kids didn't mind, but a royal pain for parents.

 

[ohnovino]

My local polling station is a school and they don't close. Technically it's in a separate building which might placate any safety worries, but you still have to walk through the school grounds to get to it.

 

[jamin100]

I love Polling day
Get the day off and still get paid . . Bonus

 

[ohnovino]

Why not have elections on Saturdays?

Or maybe even Bank Holiday Monday?

 

[tyred]

Or maybe even Bank Holiday Monday?

I would take a guess they would need to pay the people extra money for weekend/bank holiday work?

 

[subaqua]

I always looked forward to elections as a kid - A day of school

you can tell from the post .

my eldest is in yr 6 ( 4th yr Juniors for the oldies like me) and hers is the only yr group in as the rest of the school is shut , they have been in the mobiles outside( nothing like the scabby things we had as kids, fully ITed up, Air con etc. lovely buildings ) . The reasons are varied for closure . in her schools case it is the fact that as well as being a polling station, the other polling station locally is also a school, and is shut as they have a central hall where the station is. the 2nd school also supplies eldests school with school meals so the school cannot open to full roll without hot meal provision . the 1 yr group can technically be "on trip " and have packed lunch.

aroundd here there isn't the other buildings available to use as Polling stations that have the capacity. the 2 polling station close to me always have queues and they have row upon row of booths. all the other buildings are just too small

 

[summerdays]

My children always loved elections for a day off school, until they extended the building and as part of that realised they could allow separate access to the new part therefore not needing to close the school. Bye bye day off

 

[Oxo]

When schools are closed for polling day the day is officially allocated and is one of the approved holiday days. For the teachers it is allocated as a training day though some schools may opt to do the training on a different day. Children do not miss a day of school, though it might seen that way to parents who have to arrange child care etc.