On snowy days schools make every effort to stay open but
sometimes they must close or partially close if it’s unsafe for
pupils and teachers to attend.
Here we answer your questions about snow days.
Who decides if schools should close?
Schools and other
education settings set their own plans and policies on how to
deal with adverse weather conditions.
It’s up to schools to decide on whether it is safe for
them to open or close based on their own risk assessment and
taking local issues into account.
What things should schools consider when deciding whether
to close?
Decisions will be made locally based on common sense and there
are a large range of things that schools will consider
This could include where staffing levels can’t be met because
transportissues are
preventing teachers from getting to work.
Other examples include safety conditions around the school,
temperatures in school buildings and more.
If they do decide to temporarily close during severe weather,
they should consider moving to remote learning for pupils until
it is safe to reopen.
How should schools and councils inform parents?
Schools will have their own approaches to contacting parents, in
many circumstances they have their own apps and/or messaging
services.
Schools will try to give parents as much notice as possible but
sometimes decisions will be made quite late as circumstances
change.
What if it’s unsafe to travel to school in the snow and
ice?
Parents should not send their children to school if they believe
it is unsafe to travel.
Instead, they should inform the school as soon as possible to let
them know their child will not be attending and
why, in line with the school’s absence policy.
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