The decision to close the setting will take account of the safety of all our pupils, staff and visitors, some of whom travel a great distance to us each day. We will always endeavour to open the setting in the event of bad weather, as long as it is safe to do so. School attendance If the school and nursery remains open in snow or adverse weather, the decision whether or not to send a pupil to school or nursery, must be at the discretion of the parent, taking into account factors such as local road conditions and the availability of child care. Staff will always make every reasonable effort to undertake the journey to school. Sherford Vale appreciates that during bad weather children may arrive later than normal; parents should endeavour to contact the school to let them know they are on their way if likely to be delayed.
Sherford Vale recognises there will be isolated instances where families are cut off, even where the clear majority of children can get into school. In such instances, parents/carers should inform the school of the circumstances of this exceptional situation.
Parents acting on the assumption that the school would be closed without gaining confirmation or failing to inform the school of the circumstances that prevents the child coming into school risks their child being registered as an un-authorised absence.
It is appreciated that the journey may take longer than normal, and therefore some staff may not be able to arrive before the normal start of the school day. It may be necessary to ask all children to bring packed lunches if the kitchen staff are unable to reach school safely.
Communication with Parents/Carers
Notification of a school closure will also be communicated via our Facebook page at @sherfordvaleshool, via Classdojo and teachers2parents. However, in the event of bad weather we advise parents/carers to check to see if the setting is open before travelling to the site. There are a number of ways to confirm whether the setting is open or closed. The school will send out a communication to parents via our website at www.sherfordvaleschool.co.uk, under latest news. Parents/Carers should also listen for list of school closures on the local radio. BBC Radio Devon Heart FM Radio Plymouth
Once a decision has been made to shut the setting, the Local Authority will be notified. If the school is closed, we will try and make a decision as early as possible, However, this may a same day notification. Staff will aim to keep all parties updated throughout this duration, please remember to treat staff with kindness and respect whilst dealing with these unusual circumstances. School closure during normal working hours If the school does open, but extreme weather develops during the day, we will aim to remain open until the end of the normal school day. However, this is not always possible when roads are becoming treacherous. In these extreme circumstances, parents will be contacted via (teachers2parents) our text messaging service or class dojo and asked to collect their children as soon as possible. The school will also communicate to parents/carers via our Facebook page and website. It is important that parents/carers do not attempt to make contact with the school before any decision has been made about closure and wait for a communication to be sent out. This is to ensure that phone lines are kept open for us to liaise with other schools and agencies.
To ensure the safety of the school community, access to the school site will be restricted to the main pedestrian and car park entrance gate at the front of the school, the rear gate will remain locked. This is to enable staff to ensure that the pathway is clear from snow and safe to navigate. Parents will be directed to the main hall to collect their child/children.
Under these conditions we will take verbal permission for their child/children to be collected by a nominated adult (a password will be required). We will require all children who are collected to be signed out by a responsible adult. Normal lessons may be curtailed, and the remaining pupils assembled in groups under the supervision of authorised members of staff to await collection.
Where, necessary and relevant, dependent on duration of closure the school will provide remote learning.
