Volcano schools chaos

Published: 22 April 2010
by DAN CARRIER

SCORES of school children are facing an extended exam period because of the volcanic ash cloud which stopped them returning from trips abroad.

With planes grounded all week, pupils returning from Easter holidays have missed the beginning of the summer term when crucial GCSE and A-level coursework deadlines loom. And to make matters worse, many teachers have also failed to make it back in time to for the start of the summer term. 

On Tuesday, Haverstock School took the unprecedented step of closing the school to younger pupils to enable the older three years to get benefit of a full curric­ulum staffed by teachers. They have had 25 members of staff stranded abroad.

The Town Hall say 27 schools across the borough have experienced problems of staff struggling to return. 

Haverstock headteacher John Dowd said: “We have had staff stuck across four continents. The first to get back managed to get from Tokyo to Helsinki and then made their way home overland.”

Mr Dowd said he had considered recruiting temporary staff, which could have cost thousands of pounds.

“It is not the cost, it is the fact there are not 25 supply teachers out there, and there is an issue with the quality you can get,” he said. “We have very good supply teachers, but we also know with others, the quality is variable.”

Camden Council’s education department are monitoring the effect missed days may have on students’ exams. A spokesman said: “Decisions of this nature are taken by the examination board and not by schools. Exam boards do sometimes make arrangements for pupils who miss exams due to extenuating circumstances.”

Other schools hit by the crisis have included William Ellis in Highgate Road. Headteacher Robbie Cathcart found himself stranded in Atlanta, US and, as of yesterday (Wednesday) had still not returned. Ten other members of William Ellis staff also had their returns delayed.

Among those Camden residents stranded were 52 teenage members of the Camden Swiss Cottage Swimming Club. They got stuck in north Africa with eight adults. They had gone to the Tunisian resort of Nabeul for a 10-day intensive training camp. 

Coach Dave Hobbs, speaking from their hotel in Tunisia yesterday, said they hoped to catch a flight later that day. 

He added: “It has been a bit of an adventure. We have been stuck for five days, but fortunately the hotel has been able to accommodate us. We have just been sitting it out. There have been some mixed emotions. Some of the younger ones are ready to see their parents.”

Parents will have to pay the extra cost of the stay, said Mr Hobbs, but will hopefully be able to claim it back from their insurance companies.