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 As snow continues to bring much of the UK to a grinding halt, up to 250,000 pupils in Scotland are expected to stay at home for a fifth consecutive day following widespread school closures.
However, a Scottish education intranet system is coming to the rescue by allowing teaching staff and pupils to get some work done whilst the white stuff continues to fall.
As The Guardian newspaper reports, the Glow programme, which was the world's first national intranet for education when it was launched in 2007, has been rolled out to all of Scotland's 32 local authorities. It is designed to link the country's schools and provide a forum for pupils, teaching staff and parents in which to share lessons and resources.
In areas where snow has forced schools to close, Glow has proved its value, say teaching officials. Teachers can set work for pupils and engage with them, even though the school itself is shut. Aberdeenshire council, which has seen some of the worst snow and ice this week, said that 2,000 teaching staff had been using the system in recent days, and there had been between 800 and 900 hits each day on the site from pupils.
Staff are reportedly using the wintry weather as the basis for intranet lessons, particularly for primary school children. Pupils were asked to send in weather reports from their area and were encouraged to do online research such as studying the Met Office website. They have been taking weather pictures and sending them in on the system, and drawing or painting the scene from a window at their home, and comparing it to a painting on show at an art gallery in Aberdeen.
Numeracy lessons were developed by asking pupils to measure the depth of snow in their gardens and the length of icicles they could find. Specialist science teachers from different schools have also lent their expertise.
A literacy project has been based on the children making snowmen and then being asked to write a story about what might happen if they came to life.
Secondary schools had also been using the system to offer learning support to pupils studying for prelims, the Scottish equivalent of mock exams.
While the Glow system is not compulsory for pupils, they are encouraged to use it.
 Pupils are making the most of the snow
A similar spell of wintry weather last January had underlined the system's benefits for Aberdeenshire Council, said Anna Rossvoll, a local Deputy Head seconded to the council as a Curriculum for Excellence Development Officer.
She said:
‘It is available anytime, anywhere. It is safe and secure. Someone said to me yesterday that they had overheard two children out sledging who mentioned they had been doing work on Glow that morning, so that's great to hear.’
Like Aberdeenshire, West Lothian council has been making full use of the system, and both authorities were praised by ministers for working remotely with pupils.
Scottish Education Secretary Michael Russell said:
‘While a day or two of playing in the snow is undoubtedly good fun, the reality is that pupils could fall behind in their studies if the weather keeps up. I would urge local authorities and schools to embrace Glow and other remote learning opportunities and what they can offer for the benefit of pupils who are unable to attend their local school.’
Officials say there has been international interest in the system since it was set up in 2007 at a cost of £37m. Run by the curriculum body Learning and Teaching Scotland, Glow can be accessed by 850,000 pupils, teachers and parents. In 2008, the Star Wars director and education advocate George Lucas, told the US House of Representatives that America should follow Scotland's lead and set up a similar platform for online learning.
What are your thoughts on this story? Have you come up with any innovative solutions to combat school closures and continue teaching? If your school hasn’t been closed, how are you using the weather to engage your pupils? Share your ideas and comments below.
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