DfE blog: How should schools prepare for snow, storms and flooding, and will they close?

Schools and other education settings should stay open during severe weather wherever it is safe and reasonably possible. With effective planning, most settings can adapt and keep operating safely in storms, flooding, snow, ice, high winds, heatwaves and extreme cold.

Schools are responsible for their own plans and policies on how to deal with severe weather conditions. These plans help schools operate safely and reduce disruption. Before winter, schools should check that their business continuity and emergency plans are up to date and cover severe weather risks.

How can schools adapt to snow, ice and storms?

Adaptations will vary depending on the type of weather and local conditions, but schools may consider measures such as:

• Making greater use of indoor or sheltered spaces for lessons and breaks.
• Adapting PE and outdoor activities, or moving them indoors or to different times of day.
• Relaxing uniform requirements, for example allowing warmer clothing in cold conditions.
• Reorganise classes, staffing or activities where some staff are unable to attend.
• Prioritising vulnerable children, children of critical workers and children taking exams where attendance has to be limited.
• Reviewing site health and safety risks, such as checking for flood risks, hazards from high winds, or icy surfaces.
• Adjusting timetables while maintaining teaching time and giving parents as much notice as possible. 

Should schools stay open in bad weather?

Yes. Schools should remain open with normal attendance, except in rare circumstances where it is unsafe to do so. Being in school helps pupils learn and reach their potential and supports working parents and children may not be any safer outside of school in severe weather. Planning and practical changes can usually help schools manage severe weather safely.

School leaders should close a school or reduce attendance only as a last resort, following a careful local risk assessment. Other local schools closing does not necessarily mean your school needs to close. If attendance must be restricted, schools should prioritise vulnerable children, children of critical workers and children taking exams. Schools should also provide remote education for pupils who cannot attend and tell parents promptly.

When should schools close in severeweather?

School leaders should use a local risk assessment to decide whether they can stay open safely. They should consider the following factors, alongside any other local risks:

• Whether staffing levels can be met, particularly where transport issues are preventing teachers and other staff from getting to work safely.
• Safety conditions in and around the school site, including access routes for pupils, staff and vehicles.
• Conditions of school buildings, such as heating, structural safety in high winds, or flood risk to the site.
• The needs of vulnerable pupils and staff, and of children of critical workers, where attendance may need to be prioritised if numbers must be limited.
• The risks children not attending school could be exposed to.
• The degree to which any negative considerations can be mitigated.

Schools should not assume that disruption to transport or difficulty travelling for some staff or pupils makes full closure unavoidable.

Which weather warnings should schools monitor?

Schools should monitor guidance from relevant bodies such as the Met Office and, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and Environment Agency. This includes weather warnings and alerts covering storms, flooding, snow, ice and extreme wind.

UKHSA Weather-Health Email alerts provide early warning when adverse temperatures are likely to impact health and wellbeing

Environment Agency Flood Warnings will warn you about risk of flooding from rivers, the sea, or groundwater, by text, phone or email.

A weather warning or alert does not automatically mean a school should close. Alerts help schools understand the risks and decide what extra action may be needed.

What to do if your school closes

If a school does decide to temporarily close, it should keep the period of disruption as short as possible and reopen as soon as it can safely do so. It should consider moving to remote learning for pupils  until it is safe to reopen. This may include online lessons, recorded teaching, learning resources or independent work to complete at home.

There is specific guidance schools should follow if exams or assessments may be disrupted.

Tell parents as early as possible what remote education will be provided, how pupils can access it and what support is available.

Schools should not take an afternoon register and then offer large-scale 'optional' early collection of pupils immediately afterwards.

How should schools inform parents?

Schools should communicate clearly with parents ahead of periods of severe weather. Communications should make clear that the school will remain open wherever it is safe to do so and that pupils are expected to attend as normal unless parents are informed otherwise.

If normal arrangements need to change, tell parents as early as possible. Explain why the changes are needed and what the school is doing to stay safe. Include any changes to entrances or exits, transport, uniform, outdoor activities or other parts of the school day. Tell parents when they will receive the next update.

If a decision is taken to restrict attendance or close the setting, schools should communicate that decision promptly and explain the rationale for it.

How can settings support clinically vulnerable children during cold weather?

Settings should plan for children's individual needs when assessing cold-weather risks, taking account of advice from parents, carers or clinical teams. Younger children and those with underlying or complex health conditions may be more vulnerable to the effects of cold weather. The UK Health Security Agency and Department for Education have produced specific guidance for education professionals on this.

How should settings manage seasonal illness in the colder months?

Some illnesses circulate more in autumn and winter. Read our blog on reducing the spread of illness this winter for seven practical steps that settings can take to keep pupils and staff healthy.