Severe Weather Contingency Plan

On very rare occasions severe weather can lead to the emergency closure of schools.  The length of closure may vary from an early closure on an isolated occasion, to full closure for one or more consecutive days.

It is the education departments aim to maintain as full an education service as possible in times of emergency but the health and well-being of pupils will still be the first consideration.

The council website has a page dedicated to providing updates on the impact of adverse weather on all council services including education, click here to access it.  The council’s Facebook page and Twitter feed will also provide this information and regular updates.

At St Thomas’ we will use a variety of ways to communicate with paretns during such times including:

SMS (text messaging)
School Website
School Twitter (@St_Thomas_ERC)
Local Radio
Local Press

In extreme cases it may be necessary for pupils to be sent home early, parents should advise their child of where they should go in these circumstances.  Please be assured no pupil would be sent home unless the school could confirm where they have to go.  Therefore, it is your responsibility to ensure that the emergency contact information held by the school is kept up to date.  This information assists us in the safe and effective dismissal of pupils.