In order to help parents/carers and schools plan for winter weather conditions, we are introducing a new arrangement. On days when there is an amber weather alert for snow for the Dumfries area, we will text parents in the afternoon to make them aware that school will start later, at 10:00 a.m., the following day.  This is to ensure that the school has the best possible chance of opening that day as it will allow more time for staff to travel to school in poor conditions. The main problem when schools close is the reduced number of teachers who have managed to get into work and this late start should help with this by allowing more time for difficult journeys and, hopefully, allowing roads to be cleared more effectively. The aim is to open the school even in snowy weather so that working parents can inform their employers that they will be in work, starting at a later time.

The 10:00 a.m. start will only operate where an AMBER alert has been issued for this area. Yellow alerts will not trigger this. School will still close as normal at 3:00 p.m.

It may still be necessary to close the school if the snow is too severe to allow travel even for 10:00 a.m. but you would be informed of this in the usual way. If this is necessary the Dumfries and Galloway website will display the school closure message and Westsound will broadcast details of school closures. We would also aim to send parents/carers a text to inform them as soon as possible.

Thank you,

Mrs Fisher

Head Teacher