ADVERSE WEATHER ADVICE

As we are heading into the winter months and weather conditions are changing, schools and services can be affected for a variety of reasons. Please find important information below to support you should we be faced with any severe weather conditions over the coming weeks and months.

Safe Walking Routes

In the event of snow or ice on the ground around the school we ask our school community to take extra caution. In order to allow safe access to the school one path will be cleared from the front school gate running along the low red wall and into the P4/5 playground and then continuing along the front of the building to Reception and into the P1 playground.

If your child normally enters school via the small gate and path at the front or the back gate, please note that there will not be a cleared path prior to school starting at 9am. We would therefore recommend that all pupils from P2-7 use the front gate to gain safe access to the school building. P1 pupils should come along the front of the building, following the path into their P1 playground. Please encourage your children to stick to these paths when entering and leaving school during adverse weather.

Severe weather conditions

In the event of severe weather conditions, Head Teachers are guided by the Education Department’s Standard Circular 10b. Following an assessment of the situation, in consultation with relevant staff in the Education Department, a decision will be made on whether or not to close the school. If this should happen, please check our school website, East Renfrewshire Council’s website and Kirkhill or East Renfrewshire’s Twitter feeds for the most up to date information. Please be advised that should the school remain open then it is ultimately the parent’s own responsibility to ensure the safety of their children coming to and from school and if you feel that your personal circumstances make it unsafe for your child to attend school on that day then of course you must make that decision yourself.

 

Severe weather during the school day

In the event that weather conditions deteriorate during the course of a day and we are required to begin sending children home early from school the following procedures will take place;

• We will contact the transport providers to ensure that the school buses and taxis will be available. If they are not, then pupils will require to wait in school to be collected by parents.
• We will put information on the school’s website and Twitter account (@KirkhillPS) about the arrangements for the closure. There will also be up to date information on ERC’s Twitter page (@EastRenCouncil).  It is really important that in the event of any severe weather parents and carers make every effort to regularly monitor ERC’s and the school’s websites.  The website will be regularly updated with any important information.
• We will also text parents and carers with information on the school closure and refer you to the school and council’s websites.
• At this point we will start to evacuate the school.
• Parents who arrive at school will be greeted at the main entrance by a member of staff who will then arrange for their child/children to join them to be taken home.
• Children will remain in classes until a large number have been collected by parents. Once the numbers have reduced sufficiently, remaining children will be brought down to the Main Hall and supervised there. At this point, if we have not heard from parents or carers of remaining children, we will attempt to contact them or their emergency contacts.
• In very extreme circumstances, some pupils may not be able to get home and may have to remain in school beyond the school day. This situation will be discussed with parents and, with support of senior school staff and the Education Department, pupils will be accommodated in school until arrangements are put in place for their safe transport home.
• At 3pm, we will allow all pupils who haven’t yet been collected and who normally make their own way home at 3 o’clock, to do so as usual if we have not had communication from their parent during the day requesting us to hold onto them beyond 3pm.
• If you do need to communicate information to us in these circumstances, please use the email facility (schoolmail@kirkhill.e-renfrew.sch.uk)  to try to avoid our phone lines becoming jammed.
• Please note that if your child uses MACS, they have their own procedures in place and you would be required to communicate arrangements with them directly.

Should Kirkhill require to remain closed for any period of time due to heavy snow or other adverse weather conditions, please refer to the school website, East Renfrewshire’s website and Kirkhill or East Renfrewshire’s Twitter feeds. These will be updated each morning, as early as possible, with all relevant information. Our school website gives links to Curriculum links and other useful educational websites that will allow your children to keep themselves busy should they get tired of playing and having fun in the snow

Many thanks for your consideration and cooperation with these matters. If there is anything that you would like to discuss with me regarding the information contained in this please don’t hesitate to contact me via the school office.

Thank you for your continued support.

Yours sincerely

Liz Matthews

Head Teacher