by Adam Hewitt and Alex Gore

PUPILS are streaming back into schools this week to sit exams and have lessons, in many cases thanks to the hard work of staff, parents and governors who got their boots on and got shovelling.

Southcote and Katesgrove primary schools were among those to get help, and parents and governors at Alfred Sutton School in Wokingham Road, east Reading, also spent a long, tiring Saturday clearing snow.

Jamie Fahey of College Road took these photos of their hard work and Richard McKenzie, a school governor and its lollipop man, and also a Labour council candidate in Park ward, told the story on his blog.

He wrote: "There were about 20 people working very hard, and only on the promise of a cup of tea and a portion of chips to keep going. The effort was greatly helped by one of the dads going home and making massive snow shovels; without these I don't think that we would have done it so quickly. Starting at 10am three of us were steadily joined by more and more people so that by 3pm we had finished."

All secondary schools in the area plan to be open for GCSE, AS and A Level students to take their exams this week, despite the terrible road conditions in some parts. Students completely unable to get into school will have alternative arrangements made for them by the exam boards, including sitting them in the summer instead.

Reading Borough Council spokesman Chris Branagan said: "The council and its secondary schools are working together to ensure there is safe access by road and on foot for these students on all approaches to these schools. "

Some secondaries are open virtually as normal from today (Monday), including Prospect, Bulmershe, Theale Green and The Willink School. Most were open for Years 10 and upwards, including Kendrick, The Forest, Denefield and Chiltern Edge, while others were open for Year 11 and up, including Blessed Hugh Faringdon, Reading Girls', Reading School and Maiden Erlegh.

Many have access restrictions and some schools, including Hugh Faringdon, are banning pupils from going outside because of the "dangerous" playgrounds.

Little Heath School, which was open to all sixth formers, gave pupils the incentive of hot bacon rolls and pizza.

Lauren Foncette, 17, who sat her AS Maths exam after walking through the snow, said: "To be fair it's much better to be able to do the exams now. If I did have to wait until the summer I would be doing 10 in two weeks, which is too many."

Sophie Absolom, 16, who managed to sit her Health and Social Studies AS, said: "I think it's good to have the school open. It was a shame that we missed so much last week in the run-up to the exams but it's a lot better that we are able to do them now rather then in June, when they would really start to pile up."

Headteacher David Ramsden said: "Our biggest priority is exams and we are really chuffed that they have been able to go ahead. We have 18 buildings here so it has been a challenge because if you clear an entrance to one of them you also have to clear the fire exits and assembly points."

Denefield School in Tilehurst was also open to sixth formers as well as pupils in Years 10 and 11 after maintenance staff, teachers and parents spent the weekend shovelling snow and their out of hours efforts meant A2 and AS exam were able to take place.

Deputy headteacher, Mike Steen, said: "We are really pleased, not least because the 20cm of snow predicted for Sunday never came.

"We worked all weekend to make the area safe and clear for students to come in and the main focus was getting the school ready for the exams. If we hadn't done that the pupils would have had to wait until the summer."

Stephanie Williams, who walked to school from her home near Arthur Newbery Park, said: "I am glad it was open, we have got exams coming up. This is my final year and I'm hoping to go to university so the less disruption to my studies the better."

Highdown and The Elvian schools were open for exam students only, while both plan to re-open by tomorrow (Tuesday). Elvian headteacher Paul Bevis drove 18 miles through the snow on Friday to deliver salt and help site officer Denis Devane shovelling snow to make the school safe for exam pupils.

Ryeish Green was closed completely today but planned to reopen for all students, including those with exams, from tomorrow (Tuesday).

One mum contacted the Midweek angry that Wokingham Borough Council, on its weekend snow alert, said the school had no exams even though it does.

She said: "I was horrified to read that. Ryeish Green may be small now, and due to close in August, but the students still have GCSE and AS Level exams to sit."

The alert has since been amended.

Our sister paper the Reading Chronicle reported last week that shelves were looking bare at rural and isolated stores and over the weekend the shortages spread to supermarkets - shoppers reported no bread at the Oxford Road Waitrose and no milk at the Friar Street Sainsbury's.