“Children at play”

Adverse Weather

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In case of further severe weather this winter I would like you to know that shutting the school, finishing early or closing after school care will always be my last resort.

I always drive to work before making my decision so that I know firsthand what the road conditions are like. I then take soundings from staff and parents in various locations. Every effort will be made to keep you informed of decisions asap via the website and schoolcomms. We understand if local conditions where you live are such that you believe it is inadvisable for your children to travel to and from school. Of course you should then keep them off school.

I try to balance:

Keeping the school closed and giving children the message that as soon as things get a bit difficult it is acceptable to stay home and have fun

It’s great fun for children to be able to stay at home and play in the snow, there’s great excitement, especially since it happens so rarely. A couple of days off school, is no need to be hysterical over, after all children attend their school all year round

School closure can cause financial and emotional pressure because most parents have got to go to work and they’ve got the added problem of what to do with the children. Can enough staff/teachers can get safely to school

Deep snow on the pavements around school together with treacherous conditions on access roads means that the school closes on health and safety grounds

The School will only be closed at the start of the day if it is absolutely necessary. This decision will be based on conditions at our school site, travel warnings and predicted weather forecasts for that day. The decision will be indicated on the front page of the website and by schoolcomms. We will endeavour to do this by 7.30am but cannot guarantee this on all occasions.

If, during the course of a day, you are concerned about your child getting home because of the weather conditions it is fine to collect them early.

School will not end early unless the situation is regarded as extreme. Very rarely conditions can get so bad during the day that we feel it advisable to end the teaching day early.

Finally, in such winter extremes please encourage your children to dress warmly and sensibly. In bad snow conditions boots, ski kit/coats/gloves etc in addition to the school uniform are quite in order.

We will, whenever possible, let them have fun in the snow during break time but we will balance this with keeping them warm, well and safe.