Arrangements in the event of severe weather conditions
When severe weather is expected, the County Emergency Plans Officer will be alerted and the County Education Officer notified. Local radio stations will broadcast a standby announcement to warn schools and parents of the possibility that conditions may necessitate some school closures on the following day.
Parents are requested not to telephone the local radio stations as this might jam switchboards and prevent school closure notices being notified by the LEA.
Local circumstances will be the basis for each school to decide whether it will be open. The decision will be made with a view to the safety of students, parents and staff travelling to and from school and the serviceability of the building. It is likely that severe weather will arrive during the night and require a decision to be taken before the start of the school day. This decision will be taken as soon as possible and relayed to parents and students via the local radio.
No arrangements, however, can be fool proof and it is the responsibility of parents to take account of local conditions in deciding whether children should set out for school, especially when a lengthy road journey is involved. There may also be occasions where weather conditions deteriorate in the course of the day and school buses are forced to pick students up before the end of the normal school day. Parents should ensure that there are suitable arrangements in place should this occur.
