My Dad lived in Caterham on the Hill in Surrey in 1947. He remembers them sending a snowplough along all the roads then taking the snow from the sides and putting on the common. He said the snow took months to melt from the common, by which time it was completely black. He also said they didn't miss a day of school, which is probably the upside (or downside, depending on your point of view!) of teachers living locally.