Snow Procedures

Information & Procedures

Wherever possible, we aim to keep 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 – especially considering the road that we are based on!

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. Please note our meals are not cooked on site so there may be times we have to take the decision to close the school based on the decisions taken at New Mills Primary, who cook our food.

Snowfall Overnight School Closure / Delayed Opening

Heavy snowfall overnight may result in access to the school 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, with local members of the school leadership team and the school caretaker if possible, will evaluate the prevailing conditions at the school site and in the area.
  • Staff will contact the Headteacher as early as possible, but before 7.00am 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 or delay opening. We aim to make this decision by 7.15am. Please do be patient however, as we do have to wait for a site inspection to be carried out by the caretaker and this can sometimes take longer.
  • The school will contact all parents via ClassDojo, Arbor app notifications and e-mail as soon as possible after the decision is made. We will also post this information on the school Facebook page.
  • 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.
  • Please don’t phone the school office to request information. E-mail is the fastest form of communication in these circumstances.

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 friends/relatives as long as the school is informed. All children must, in this instance, be collected at the end of the school day and no clubs will take place. We understand that this may cause some difficulties but the safety of staff and pupils is paramount.

The following procedures will be followed:

  • The school will contact all parents via ClassDojo, Arbor app notifications and e-mail as soon as possible after the decision is made.
  • We will also update the school Facebook page.
  • Staff who live closest to school will remain at school later than those who live further away.
  • Any decision about whether the school will be open the following day will be taken as early as possible.
  • If extreme weather conditions persist the school will implement our Remote Learning Policy

If the forecast is for more snowfall 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. In all instances of closure, the Headteacher will be in contact with other local Headteachers within the local cluster and the Trust.

**ONLY PATHWAYS AROUND SCHOOL WILL BE GRITTED BY SCHOOL STAFF. PAVEMENTS AND WALKWAYS OUTSIDE OF SCHOOL MAY NOT BE GRITTED AND THERFORE MAY BE SLIPPERY IN SNOWY AND ICY CONDITIONS**