In the case of extreme weather, any decision whether or not to close the school will be taken as early as possible. The Headteacher will consult with staff from 6:30am and make a decision about whether school will remain open by 8am. In the event of disruption caused by heavy snow the prime concern of the school must always be the safety of the pupils and staff. Each school closure is logged on a daily basis after reassessment of conditions of the site and the surrounding area and the supervision of pupils.
Emergency Closures outside the school day (e.g. snow closures)
Once a decision has been made to close the school, the following actions will take place.
We will announce the closure on the Cambridgeshire County Council website follow the link from http://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk
Local radio stations will also be informed.
If you log onto the Schools Closure website or tune into these stations and there is no mention of Fenstanton & Hilton Primary School closing, then we are open for business as usual. This is the means by which we will communicate with all parents and I urge you not to phone school because we need to keep the telephone lines clear for staff.
We will also aim to publicise the closure via the school’s website.
Again, we urge you not to phone the school.
Therefore, if it is possible that the school may be closed due to bad weather, please check the school closures website as detailed above and/or tune in to one of the radio stations. If you hear that the school is to be closed, it is always helpful to contact others you know to check the message gets through effectively.
Emergency Closures within the school day
If the school has to be closed during the school day, the school will begin a procedure for contacting parents as soon as possible that the school is being closed, through SIMS In Touch alerts as well as through contacting local radio stations and Cambridgeshire County Council website.
In such occasions, our main aim is to ensure the safety of the children on the school site whilst waiting to be collected.
Decisions to close the school
The decision to close the school is a serious one. Our main consideration will always be the health and safety of our children and staff. Please be aware that all schools are different and can be affected by such situations in different ways, depending on whether children come to school by bus or whether staff live a long way away etc.
Hopefully, it will not be necessary to close the school this winter but it is always best to prepare for the eventuality just in case.
Safety of the site
The site will be gritted whenever frost is forecast.
