A note about bad weather arrangements:

Firstly, whatever the weather conditions, please assume that the school will be open as normal until you have heard from us otherwise.  However, with variations in weather forecasts and contrasting road conditions across our large catchment area, it will always be difficult to choose the right moment to close the school. We cannot guarantee that such a decision can be made in time to meet the expectations of all our families, but we will endeavour to keep you informed in as timely a way as possible.

As stated above, if the school cannot open for whatever reason, parents will be informed through Parent Group email lists (held on Arbor), student email, the school website, and our school Facebook page. This information will be broadcast as close as possible to 7:00am. 
 
If the regular bus your child uses to get to school is not running on any day due to extreme weather, please do not instead deliver your child by your own transport. Similarly, if you live some distance from the school, please do not send your child to school if there is a foreseeable possibility that they may have difficulty getting home safely later in the day. Even if the school is still open, please do not send your child if you feel there is a risk to their safety in making the journey.

Bus companies and taxis will make every effort to honour their normal contracts, even if they arrive very late. However, if they advise us during the day that local roads are about to close, then sometimes there is no safe alternative to early closure of the school so that both students and staff can get home. Where this happens, senior staff will remain on the premises until the last child leaves the site safely.

If extreme weather arrives suddenly, please do not telephone the school (unless it is an emergency) as this may cause a delay in us being able to contact bus companies for updates about any changes to student collection. Your child will be permitted to make contact with you to inform you if they are leaving school early.

In exceptional cases where the school has to close early and your child is unable to return home, or you cannot collect them, please have an alternative arrangement in place with a relative or family friend so that your child has somewhere local and safe to go. This is a vital arrangement to make for children who live some distance from the school. Please ensure that your child knows what this arrangement is in advance and recorded with the school to avoid us trying to contact you on the day for this information.

We are grateful for your assistance with these arrangements to ensure everyone’s safety.