SCHOOLS and headteachers have been defended for their handling school closures during recent heavy snowfalls.

Senior Darlington councillor Cyndi Hughes supported headteachers who closed their schools because of the wintry weather in November and December, following criticism from some quarters.

Her comments came at a meeting of Darlington Borough Council’s children and young people scrutiny committee, during which a political opponent criticised schools that decided to close.

Councillor Hughes, cabinet member for children and young people, said: “I am confident the closure of schools was handled extremely sensitively and thoroughly by headteachers in Darlington.

“Headteachers have to weigh up extremely complex factors – safety to road users, ability of staff to travel to work and, most importantly, safety of children to get into school.

“It’s all about risk assessment – heads are in the best position to make this final assessment.

“Headteachers should be congratulated for their input and call in this regard.”

Policy regarding closures because of snow and the number of schools which closed at the end of last year prompted a lively debate by members of the scrutiny meeting.

During the debate, Conservative councillor Kate Davies said: “It simply isn’t good enough. The schools could have opened each day with the staff that turned up for the pupils who turned up.

“If by 10.30am it was unviable to keep it open, the decision should have been made then.

“Schools may have been surprised how easy it could have been to open those days.”

Other criticism included the fact that private schools were open for more days than authority- run counterparts.

Figures collated for the meeting showed that only two authority-run schools stayed open during the week from November 29 to December 3 – the worst period of snow.

Another was Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College, whose principal, Tim Fisher, sits on the committee. He said: “I cannot stress how difficult these decisions are.”

Councillor Barrie Armstrong suggested that roads where schools are situated should be added to the primary gritting routes.

Another suggestion was that teachers be allowed to go to their nearest schools on snow-affected days.

The report’s author, George McQueen, of the children’s services department, said it seemed a “reasonable argument”

but a number of factors meant it would be impossible to implement.