Wherever possible, we aim to keep school open.
However, there are times when, for the safety of children and staff within school and travelling to school, we have to make the decision to close the school.
The information below will give an insight into what we will do when we have to make that decision and when and how we will communicate it.
Snowfall Overnight
Heavy snowfall overnight may result in access to the school grounds and building being restricted or may stop children, parents/carers and staff from getting to school safely. If these conditions apply, the following steps will be taken:
- The Headteacher will evaluate the prevailing conditions at the school site and in the area as well as the weather forecast for the day. Consideration is also given to our ability to provide meals at lunchtime and whether external agencies e.g. police, local authority, motoring organisations are advising against travel.
- Staff will contact the Headteacher as early as possible, but before 7.30am to advise of their capability of getting to work safely.
- If access to the school is regarded as too dangerous or there would be too few staff to teach the children, the Headteacher will take the decision to close the school. We aim to make this decision by 7.30am at the latest particularly to assist parents and carers of children attending our Breakfast club.
- The school will contact all parents/carers via the school text message service as soon as possible after the decision is made.
- Our school website (www.stmarysglossop.srscmat.co.uk) will be updated with information regarding the school closure.
In the event that poor local road conditions result in pupils or staff taking a longer time to arrive at school, the Headteacher may decide to open the school later or extend the time for registration so that everyone can get to school safely. If the decision for opening later is agreed, the following steps will be taken:
- The delayed opening time will be announced on all the channels listed above – by the text message service and on our school website.
- If the school is opening late – it is essential that no children arrive until the new communicated opening time as there will not be sufficient staff to supervise them. School opening will not be delayed beyond 10am.
Snowfall during the School Day
In the event of a heavy snowfall and/or there is a significant deterioration in local conditions occurring during the school day, so that the return home may become unsafe, then the Headteacher may decide to close the school early. In this instance, parents will be requested to collect their children from school as soon as they can. Children can be collected by family friends as long as the school is informed. In the event of early closure, no after-school clubs will take place. We understand that this may cause some difficulties but the safety of children and staff is paramount.
The following procedures will be followed:
- The school will contact all parents / carers via the school text message service as soon as possible after the decision is made.
- Our school website (www.stmarysglossop.srscmat.co.uk) will be updated with information regarding the school closure along with our official social media channels.
- Staff who live closest to school will remain at school later than those who live further away.
Decisions for following day(s)
After a closure/ early finish, any decision about whether the school will be open the following day will be taken as early as possible. If the forecast is for more issues overnight, the decision may well be taken in the afternoon rather than waiting for the next morning, to allow parents/ carers more time to make suitable arrangements.
