Snow Day - Why does the school close?

We are often asked: 'Why close the school when it snows........?'

Already during 2017-2018, we have had to close the school on 4 days due to weather.

St. Luke's CE Primary School is known for staying open and rarely closing - but even we made the decision to close during this recent extreme weather.

Decisions to close a school are not easy to make - but are based primarily on Health & Safety factors.

-Is the site accessible and safe for pupils, parents and staff?

-Are pavements and roads in the immediate vicinity affected seriously by ice/snow which could seriously hinder travel to school?

-Could increasing traffic on dangerous roads increase the risk of accident, injury or worse?

-Can we adequately clear paths in order to ensure pupils, parents and staff can safely access?

-Can enough staff travel to school safely to make opening viable?

-It the school warm and dry?

-Are food deliveries affected and do we have enough produce for meals?

-Does the forecast indicate weather will deteriorate?

Concerns about any of the above can lead the school to make the decision to close.

But even then - it is not as simple as texting parents........!

Governor approval and the need to inform Staffordshire Education Authority is needed prior to announcing a closure.

For our staff, they are still working under what's called 'Directed Time', meaning that although they are not teaching - they are contracted to ensure tasks are addressed. Staff receive emails with specific tasks which need to be addressed - often linked to their areas of responsibility or whole school matters which need to be addressed.

So a Snow Day isn't always an easy day and often is far from it!!!!

Have a look at images of our site on Friday 2nd March!

We are sure you will agree - it was wise to close !