RE: Procedures for inclement winter weather

 

With the weather forecasting lower temperatures and possible ice and snow in the coming days, we thought it would be useful to remind you of our procedures in the event of bad weather.

We will always try to keep the school open if it is possible and safe to do so.

If the school remains open

If severe weather is forecast, our Caretaker will grit a pathway from the front and back of the school to the main building. Please supervise your children carefully and only use the path when you drop off and pick up, as it is impossible to clear the entire playground and some areas may well be slippery and dangerous.

Children will need to wear appropriate clothing– hats, gloves, coats and waterproofs. Wellies or a change in footwear is advisable, as we will allow them out to play in the snow for short periods if we deem it safe enough.

Decision to close the school

We will only close the school in the event that it is not a safe place to be. Safety levels will be judged on:

 The number of staff who are able to make it in to school. Most of our teachers live several miles away and this makes it less likely that they can travel in the event of dangerous roads.

 In Pre-School, if we cannot maintain the correct ratio of staff to children we will have to close, even if the main school remains open.

 Site safety. If the severity of the weather means that we are unable to keep paths clear of snow or ice.

 If the forecast for the day is very bad so that there is a high likelihood that we would have to close the school during the course of the day when it may then be very difficult for parents to reach the school, leaving children stranded.

Communication

As soon as the decision to close has been taken, we will put a notice on the school website https://www.holtspursch.co.uk/ and we will contact parents via the School App.

Additionally, our closure will be posted on the Bucks CC website https://closures.buckscc.gov.uk/

We will use the same methods of communication to inform parents when the school is reopened.

Occasionally, the decision to close may happen at shorter notice than we would like due to uncertain weather conditions. If there is a possibility of this happening, we will put a warning on the website the night before so that you can prepare a contingency plan should it be necessary.

Let’s hope we have no need to put these procedures into use.