CLOSING THE SCHOOL IN AN EMERGENCY

Although we work hard with parents in order to provide a high quality education for their children, there may be occasions when parents wish to make some form of complaint. In most cases we can resolve the matter quickly and at the same time maintain a good relationship between home and school. If parents are still worried or dissatisfied after contact with the school, they do have the right to complain formally, through the ‘Complaints Procedure’. Any parent requiring information about this should contact the school for details.

Copies of all DCSF documents and guidance on the curriculum, schemes of work, school policies and the School Plan are kept in the school and are available for parents to view on request.

After consultation with the Local Authority and the Governors, we now have a procedure for those rare occasions when the school has to be closed down with little or no notice.

1. Closure due to weather conditions prevailing before school starts

a) If the weather has been bad overnight, e.g. heavy snowfall, listen to the local radio stations early in the morning before school is due to start (Mix 96).

They have public service announcements at regular intervals.

b) Parents can also access a list of schools closed in the Parent Zone area of SchoolsWeb, accessible from the Bucks County Council Learning home page at (buckscc.gov.uk/education/schools/closures).

There will be information posted on the school website www.waddesdonprimary.com, and be sent via text messaging as part of ParentMail. c There will be a notice at the school entrance to let you know that the school is closed.

d) Children who arrive at school unaccompanied by an adult will be looked after until parents or an emergency contact can be reached. e) Children who travel to school unaccompanied and are told on the way, by an adult known to them that the school is closed, should return home only if they are absolutely certain that there is an adult there to look after them. In all other cases please emphasise to your child that they should continue the journey to school, where they will be looked after (see paragraph d) above). f) If you are in doubt about whether or not school is open please telephone the school. A recorded message will state the situation at that time if the phone is not answered in person.

2. Emergency conditions, which have occurred either overnight or during the day, but are unknown

to you, e.g. boiler breakdown a) The above conditions apply. b) We would also try to get local radio to put out an announcement.

We hope that this is clear. The important things to stress are firstly, that these events happen rarely and secondly, that your children will be looked after.