School Closures
A decision to close our school would never be taken lightly and our main consideration is always the safety of our children and staff. Schools are affected in different ways in relation to an emergency situation depending on whether children come to school by bus or whether staff live nearby or a distance away from the school. Hopefully, it will not be necessary to close the school but it is always best to be prepared.
Emergency Closures outside of the school day (e.g. snow)
In the case of adverse weather, any decision whether or not to close the school will be taken as early as possible. The Headteacher will consult with our Premises staff at 6:30am and make a decision as to whether the school can open. We will reassess the conditions of the site throughout the day and on a daily basis.
If the decision is taken to close the school, we will notify parents and carers in the following ways:
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- Website (if the website does not state that the school is closed then it is open as usual)
- On our Facebook and Twitter pages:
- Communication from Arbor
School closure information can also be found in the following ways:
Kent County Council 03000 41 81 81 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm)
The school’s answerphone will remain the same and will not state whether the school is closed.
Emergency Closures within the school day
Should weather conditions or other emergencies (eg lack of heating) deteriorate significantly during the course of the school day, the decision may be taken to close the school. The staff in the school office will contact parents in the same way as detailed above including telephoning parents and carers.
In some emergency situations it may be necessary for staff and children to move to an alternative site in order to keep them safe. If this situation does arise, we will escort the children from the school to St Mary's Church, 131 Mounts Road, Greenhithe, DA9 9ND, 01322 382031 and parents and carers will be contacted in the same way to arrange for them to collect their children.
Please could parents and carers ensure that that the school office has their up-to-date telephone number and e-mail address so they can be contacted swiftly.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank our parents and carers, as always, for their support and understanding.