Snow and Bad Weather Protocol
Rationale:
At St Margaret Clitherow Primary School, we want to ensure that in the event of heavy snowfall or extreme weather conditions, adequate measures are in place to enable our schools to remain open. It is always the academy’s priority to remain open in order to maintain high standards of learning. To this end, our site staff work tirelessly to ensure that the site is safe for pupils, staff and visitors.
Aims:
This plan aims to:-
- Keep pupils and staff aware of our priorities in extreme weather conditions
- Keep parents/carers updated on our methods of communication
- Prevent pupils and staff from being stranded at school
- Reduce unnecessary risks
- Reduce accidents in the school
Procedure:
In the event of heavy snowfall, where the school is unable to guarantee a full capacity of staff, a decision will be taken by the Headteacher and Chair of Governors as to whether to close the school. Where no updates have been provided, parents and pupils should assume that the school is open as normal. However, if a decision is made to close, this will be communicated out to parents/carers and staff as soon as possible.
School Closure:
In the event of school closure, a member of staff will, where possible, be available on site to ensure that messages and communication are maintained for the first few hours of closure; thereafter the school site will be closed and unmanned.
Decisions taken by the Headteacher and Chair of Governors for ‘School Closure’, will be communicated by one or more of the following means:
- Message on the School Jotter App
- Published on the school website
- Message on School answerphone
- Published on Google Classroom
Remote Learning:
All parents must ensure that their child has access to Google Classroom as a daily plan will be posted on Google Classroom each morning at 8.00am. This provides information about live lessons, independent tasks your child needs to complete and the resources to support your child's learning during the bad weather closure.
School Closure During the School Day:
In the event of heavy snowfall during the school day, a decision will be taken by the Headteacher and the Chair of Governors as to whether the school should remain open or not, taking into account the safety of all pupils and staff. If a decision is made for an early closure, the communication methods will remain the same as in full school closure.
Given the event of bad weather, the school advises all pupils, staff and visitors to wrap up warmly and wear sensible footwear.
