IN THE EVENT OF BAD WEATHER
We have been fortunate in the recent
batch of bad weather that we did not need to close the school.
You will know that many school
nationally did decide to close and I thought it might be useful to explain the
factors schools consider when making what can be a very difficult decision.
- Can
staff safely travel to the school site?
Many staff travel a significant distance to get to work. If they are unable to travel safely then
they often have to make the difficult decision themselves not to travel to
work. This reduces the ability of
the school to supervise students safely.
- Staff
child care arrangements: Many staff
have young children of their own and may be in a position where their
child care provider or children’s primary school is closed
- Site
Safety: This can be the most
challenging factor. Can the school
site be made safe for students and staff?
Slippery pathways are a real challenge. Students will also want to take
advantage of snowy conditions and have snowball fights, whilst the grit
previously laid can result in injury.
- Student
transport to and from school: Many
of our students catch buses and public transport. These companies themselves have to make
decisions on whether they can operate a full service. Parents will also have to decide if it
is safe to transport their children to school – this can be especially
difficult when police advise only to make essential journeys.
- Students
walking in can also be dangerous.
Please be assured that in deciding to
close the school, all of these factors will have been considered. We are aware of the difficulty this can
create for parents of younger children who may need to miss work themselves.
If at all possible we will give the
earliest indication as to whether we will close or if possible open later to
facilitate travel. Please look out for
messages on the school website, on twitter, the South Gloucestershire school
status list (http://essential.southglos.gov.uk/schoolstatus/)
and a text will be sent home.
I sincerely hope this will be our only
period of difficult conditions this year