It certainly appears things are not going well for the start of this term, not only have we closed to most of our children, but now the weather forecast is also causing concern!
Despite only opening for some children – please can we request that you revert to the information below and be aware this could also impact on the opening of our school.
https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/forecast/gcy8n36q6#?date=2021-01-05
This post is to alert parents to our procedures in the event of bad weather. It is our priority to remain open and as such Mr O’Dowd will work to ensure that the site is both accessible and safe.
There may, however, be occasions when the school might not be able to open as normal as a result of severe weather. It is always difficult to make the right decision due to the unpredictability of the weather; we will aim to do this as swiftly as we can. Please rest assured that any decisions taken will be based around ensuring that your children are kept as safe as possible, taking into account: whether children can get safely to school/public transport is running/main roads are accessible; whether enough staff can get to school to have a safe pupil-teacher ratio.
In such instances, any changes to the usual opening times will be communicated via:
◦Visit https://www.durham.gov.uk to see a list of ‘temporary school closures’
◦Local radio alert
◦A school App alert
◦A school website update
◦A school text message
Please be aware that when the school is open during periods of bad weather, we anticipate a later arrival of children due to transport delays caused by road traffic conditions. In light of this, on some occasions we will alert you if we change the time we close the register.
On rare occasions too, a decision may be made to send pupils home early or to close the school during the school day due to severe weather conditions. In such instances, parents/carers will be notified in the first instance by a school text message, followed by a school app alert and school website update. There are also some families who will be contacted directly on other numbers, but only if they have notified the office to do so. It is on these poor weather occasions we would stress the importance of checking your phone and ensuring your contact details are correct.
If you are in any doubt about school closures please ensure you check our systems for our communications first.
