Classes canceled and exams threatened as ash cloud clogs working Britain
Times Higher Education
April 19, 2010
Classes will be suspended and exams cancelled as a new school term begins today with thousands of teachers and pupils stranded overseas because of the ban on flights.
Up to one in ten classes might be without teachers, with schools forced to rely heavily on supply agencies, the unions said. Education authorities said that year groups and even entire schools might be closed this morning.
Higher education is also affected, with the University of Cambridge having to cancel some language exams.
At Stoke Newington School in North London, a single year group will not attend classes each day because of a “significant number of staff who are stuck abroad”. In Milton Keynes one primary school will close its reception year because five teachers are absent. The Isle of Man education department is considering a number of closures.