School closure procedures

During periods of inclement weather we always do our best to remain open. We recognise that parents have busy working lives and having to make arrangements for younger children at short notice can be very stressful.

The decision to close the school is usually taken between 6.30am and 7.00am on the day following:

• An assessment of the weather conditions and related forecast
• Consultation with the bus companies regarding issues of accessibility and safety
• An assessment of the school site, particularly with regard to access and safety, both around the site, and particularly on journeys to and from the school
• A general assessment of the likely staffing implications should colleagues be unable to get to school
• If the forecast clearly indicates sustained bad weather a decision to close the school may well be taken the day before

Once the decision is made to close the school, local radio stations are alerted – specifically BBC Radio York, BBC Tees, TFM Radio, Heart FM, Your Harrogate Radio and Greatest Hits Radio.

A message is posted on our school website and we also send a text message on the morning of any closure to all parents for whom we have a mobile phone number recorded on their child’s student record.

There are occasions where we may need to make the decision to close the school during the school day. For example, if weather conditions deteriorate during the day, if there are heating problems/power cuts etc.  On these occasions we follow the same process for advising parents i.e. local radio stations are advised, our website is updated and a text message will be sent to parents.

If the decision is made to close the school after the day has started, please rest assured that arrangements will always be made to ensure that any students who are stranded at school are supervised until parents can be contacted and arrangements made for them to get home safely.

We do recognise that making the decision to close the school creates logistical problems for parents, and we would stress that this decision is never taken lightly.

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