School snow closure could trigger £500 payouts A spokesman for insurers Towergate said that parents who had taken out school closure insurance were expected to claim £100 a day if day nurseries or schools closed because of the snow. Although the first day of closure is not covered, if the snow persists into next week, families could receive as much as £500 a child. Parents who take out the insurance, for a £30 premium per child, will receive £100 for every day that the school is closed - whether it is because of floods, bad weather or heating failure. However, you can only start claiming 14 days after you buy the insurance. Neil Forrest, Area Managing Director and Partner at Towergate said, "Theres no doubt that unpredictable weather conditions are causing more and more schools to close. This leaves many parents with the hassle of taking time off work or trying to arrange child care at short notice. More than 3000 schools have been closed in England and Wales due to the current snowy conditions, which are expected to persist through the next few days. School closure insurance costs no more for those families who live in areas prone to bad weather or those who attend schools with poor heating systems. There is no requirement for the parent to prove loss of earnings or increased childcare costs to be able to claim. Although employees who are parents of young children have the right to unpaid time off for emergencies relating to dependants, or to find emergency child care, this can cost them dearly. What is more, many companies are inserting adverse weather policies into their employment contracts, meaning that employees will not be paid if they are unable to attend work because of adverse weather. Teachers on permanent contract are still paid when schools are closed.