SCHOOLCHILDREN enjoyed a day off school as numerous schools were forced to close due to snow and ice yesterday with many more closed today.

At least 135 schools across Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch were closed as of mid afternoon yesterday.

See below for footage of children sledging down Gold Hill in Shaftesbury

In the western part of the New Forest only two schools remained open – Bransgore Primary School and New Milton Junior School.

Caretaker at Breamore Primary School, Fordingbridge, Terry Hobbs said staff were unable to make it in to work due to two inches of snow.

He said: “The roads are bad. Most of the staff were unable to get here. Without the staff it’s impracticable.”

Cranborne CE VA First School at Cranborne near Wimborne, was forced to close after the boiler broke down.

Headteacher Pippa Rossiter said: “The primary reason we are closed is because of a boiler issue. We can’t heat the school today. There’s also one and a half inches of snow.

“We hate closing the school because it’s terrible for working parents.”

Linwood School in Bournemouth said that it had decided to close because buses were cancelled and many children could not reach school.

Moyles Court School in Rockford, Ringwood, said it had decided to close its doors after predictions of heavy snow for Wednesday afternoon.

St Mary’s at Bradford Abbas was closed due after four inches of snow fell in the village by lunchtime.

A member of staff described it as “a struggle getting in and out of the village”.

She added: “I’m only here because I live in the village.”

One boy went home from Ad Astra in Canford Heath and asked his mum to make him a sledge.

All Dorset Adult Learning classes were cancelled. Bournemouth University also closed.

See today's full closures list here