Safety First

Closing a school is a complicated decision that affects students, staff and families. We want our school to provide students with a safe and stable place to learn.   We are also aware that by closing the school we may be stopping parents/carers from going to work and difficulties with childcare issues.   Closing school is an exception and we will always do everything possible to keep open, even if we can only open the school to a limited number of year groups.

The primary criteria we consider when making a decision will include:

• The safety and well-being of students and staff
• Severity of the weather (extreme cold, flooding, etc.)
• The ability for buses and cars to travel safely
• Our ability to keep our site safe.

In the event of a risk of closure in the week ahead, we will monitor the forecast from the Met Office and other trusted local providers.   In the event of overnight snowfall, staff members will endeavor to be on the school premises from early in the day, to ensure that the site is safe.   We will liaise closely with bus companies and the local authority also at this time.

Notifying Families

In the event that school is closed due to severe weather, we will make every attempt to notify families as soon as possible.

Full-day school closure decisions will be made as early as possible in the morning following severe weather overnight .

We notify families via:

• Email messaging
• Our website
• Our Twitter account @johncabotnews
• We will also communicate via other forms of media, including TV, radio and local newspapers/

Parents can help by making sure that we hold up-to-date contact information, as well as emergency contact information.

Notifying Staff

Staff will be informed of any closure (partial or full) by email and/or our school website and twitter feed.

Making the Decision to close or partially close

The Principal or other nominated member of SLT will make a decision after consulting with our Building Services team and other stakeholders as needed.

Scenarios

Cancel after-school activities – When conditions become severe during the day, we may cancel after-school activities. Every effort will be made to notify parents/carers before midday.

Late start or early dismissal – These options are only used during emergencies because they have significant impact on transportation and child care. We will notify families as early as possible if this is required.

Closing the school – This option will be taken if conditions render our site unsafe or if we do not have sufficient staff to supervise students for all or the majority of the day.

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