THE 800-plus students at Court Fields Community School in Wellington were sent home yesterday - due to "adverse weather conditions."

The decision to close the school brought condemnation from many parents - and some amusement from other schools AND businesses in the area which remained open.

Even Wellington police expressed surprise at the closure of the school after being told by the WWN.

While many parts of the country were brought to a standstill by heavy snow, Wellington appeared to escape such weather with only a sprinkling of the white stuff.

One angry parent, who did not wished to be named, said: "I was amazed. From what I can gather, staff managed to get to the school and a majority of students live locally. We hardly had any snow.

See this week's WWN for the full story