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Emergency Closure

Important information concerning possible school closures in the event of severe weather.

 

The decision to close is an emergency closure and will only be taken if it is not practicable or safe to open the school or keep the school open.

This can be because of snow/ice which makes travelling to the school difficult or impossible, or if the school site is not safe for pupils and staff.

The decision will be made by the Headteacher and the Chair of Governors after taking all factors into consideration.

In the event of overnight snow an early decision will be made in terms of opening the school.

  • In the first instance we will delay opening to 10am, giving staff a better chance to get in ensuring sufficient numbers of staff are present to supervise and ensure the safety of pupils.
  • In the second instance we may partially close school (e.g. 2-3 classes) should we not have adequate numbers of staff to supervise all classes.

Communication

Please avoid telephoning us and tying up phone lines unnecessarily as this may prevent us in adequately assessing the situation. If school is to be closed fully or partially, information will be given out using all of the following means of communication:

Travelling to school safely

Please note that the Department for Education classes travelling to or from school as “an essential journey”. While it is possible to get to school it is important to do so safely. 

  • Please leave your cars at home and walk in if you can. The road and parking outside school is not easy at the best if times but would be very dangerous if we had a large number of cars trying to park in thick snow. Also bear in mind that staff may be parked in the lay by as our car park is often not accessible in snow.
  • Pupils should not come to school on bikes or scooters as it may be dangerous to ride them and they may not be able to get to the bike rack in the snow.

Possible changes to normal arrangements and other things to think about:

  • Registration may be in the hall (enter through the fire exit door) and there will be a station for each class. This is so pupils can wait for staff in safety.
  • It is possible the kitchen will not be in operation so please send your child to school with a packed lunch just in case.
  • All after school activities will be cancelled.
  • There may be variations in the normal timetable and staffing in each class.  We will probably spend some time playing in the snow so please make sure your child has appropriate warm clothing and a change of shoes.

Closing the school early

In the event of snow during the school day and if it becomes not practical or safe to keep the school open or if we consider that pupils will not be able to get home safely, we will inform parents immediately via mobile phone text and via ParentMail. Please do not worry as staff will remain on the premises until all pupils have been collected.

Generally, pupils will not be released early unless the school has been closed although parents living in outlying areas may collect children before school finishes if they wish to.  Any after school activities will be cancelled.

Finally, it is not always easy ensuring the school site is safe in time for the children arriving when it is snowing and any help would be greatly appreciated. If you able to help us clear paths, there is no need to ring, just turn up if you can!

Thank you for your cooperation.