Dear Parents,

                   We have now come to that time of year when we need to plan for unavoidable school closure in the event of snow. Priority must be for the safety of children and staff travelling to and from school in what may be dangerous conditions.

In the event of overnight snow, the procedures are quite straightforward. Please make a note:

A decision on whether or not school should be closed, will be made after consideration of the state of the roads around school and in those areas from which staff and pupils will need to travel. We will also have to consider the likelihood of further snow fall during the day as once the decision is taken to open then the school will remain open for the day.

If school is to be closed, staff and parents will be informed by our text messaging service and a message will be put on the scrolling banner at the top of the school website.  For those unable to access this service, it is important to listen to Radio Lancashire or visit the BBC Radio Lancashire website and refer to the schools’ closure list. 

If school is to remain closed the next day, a further text message will be sent and a message will be placed on the school website. If you do not receive a message, you may presume that school will reopen.

If school is to open, a message will be placed on the scrolling banner at the top of the school website to confirm this. (Please note that no text message will be sent if the school is opening.) As a parent you will need to make your own decision as to whether it is safe to make the journey to school from your home. The safety of you and your child is our paramount consideration so if you feel it is unsafe then please inform school that your child will be absent as it is unsafe to make the journey to school. The safety of our staff is also paramount so therefore on such days it may be the case that certain members of staff are also unable to make the journey to school safely. School will only open if we are able to guarantee safe staffing levels for the day for all children. To ensure that your child's attendance figures are unaffected please inform school that your child's absence on that day is due to the snow making it unsafe to make the journey in to school.

In the event of snow falling during the day, a decision about closing will be made following consideration of the likelihood of further heavy snow, and the state of the roads. It has been decided to follow the protocol of other local schools which is that if the decision is taken to open for the day it will be very unlikely that the school will then close. If however you feel that conditions at your home are deteriorating and becoming dangerous then as a parent you may wish to take the decision to collect your child early. If you are asking a friend or member of your family to collect your child for you then please make sure that you inform the school office that you have given your consent for this person to collect your child.

If school is to close, a text message will be issued to parents and a notice put on the school website. If you are not able to collect your child/ children yourself, you must make arrangements for someone else to do so and ensure that they are aware of the situation. If it is someone different to usual collecting your child then please can you notify the school by text with the name of the person collecting your child.

Please avoid contacting school to find out if we are going to close as school will notify you as soon as a decision is made. 

Thank you in advance for your support with this.

Yours Sincerely

Mrs A Ewens and Mrs C Duffy

Headteacher     Chair of Governors