Bad Weather

At Dean Trust Rose Bridge we want to ensure that in the event of heavy snowfall or extreme weather conditions, adequate measures are in place to enable our school to remain open with our pupil’s learning undisrupted. It is always the school’s priority to remain open in order to maintain the pupils learning and as such to ensure that our site staff maintain our high standards of safety.

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 in pupils and staff travelling to and from school;
• 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 whether to close the school. This decision will aim to be made by 7.30am.

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:

• Text message to parents;
• Published on the school website;
• Message on Social Media;
• A recorded message on the school answer phone (if possible).

Where no updates have been provided parents and pupils should assume that the academy is open as normal.

School Closure during School Day

In the event of heavy snowfall during the school day a decision will be taken by the Headteacher and Chair of Governors whether the school should remain open or not, taking into account the safety of pupils and staff. The communication methods will remain the same as in full school closure.

Should inclement weather occur and the school remain open, we advise all pupils, staff and visitors to wrap up warmly and to wear appropriate footwear for the circumstances.