The county council is to survey schools to try and find out if there are any localised issues which prevent them from opening after snowfall. A total of 215 of the county’s 249 schools decided to close in the recent snow, this despite highway teams gritting 46 per cent of the county’s roads at the time.

Cllr Peter Butlin (Cons, Admirals), the council’s portfolio holder for highways and transport, said: “We will be contacting schools to find out what arrangements they already have in place, and what we can do to help them stay open in wintry conditions. Obviously it’s not always possible to remain open if conditions are particularly adverse, but if schools keep their doors open then children can continue their education and parents are able to go to work.”