Severe Weather Arrangements
Very bad weather can sometimes force an emergency closure of the school. A closure is something we will always try to avoid because of the problems it creates for pupils, and even more so for their families. However, please be assured the health and safety of pupils and staff will always be our first priority.
The following guidelines should be helpful to parents if severe weather sets in:
If heavy snow during the day begins to affect roads and traffic this is only an emergency situation for pupils and staff who have to travel a distance. Families who live within walking distance of the school will not normally have a serious problem. In this situation we take the advice of our bus and taxi operators, the police and up-to-date weather reports and if necessary will arrange for pupils in outlying areas to be taken home early and for staff who travel a distance then to be released. Local pupils may have to be sent home at a later stage.
Please note that where possible we will endeavour to advise parents registered for our Groupcall messaging service of school closures via this system. If you have not registered for Groupcall, please do so as soon as possible.
Since we cannot normally give advance warning of an early closure it will be sensible if families have plans worked out to deal with this situation. We always tell pupils to stay in school if they do not have a safe house to go to, but this is not an ideal situation for any length of time.
Please remember that we will never question a parent’s own judgement on a question of a child’s safety. Conditions in Crieff can be quite different from those in the surrounding countryside and parents who therefore decide to pick up children early will have our full co-operation even if the school is staying open. Information and advice from parents out in the countryside can be very helpful to us in making our own decisions.
If snowy weather sets in overnight we again get the best information we can and if possible arrange for advice to be broadcast on Radio Tay before people begin their journeys. Sometimes our bus or taxi operators will make their own decisions not to operate the service because they are worried about the safety of the journey to or from school. Our experience is that they do not take such a decision lightly, and parents who then make their own arrangements to get children to school should have a fall-back plan in case conditions worsen and transport is not available to get them home. Again, we will not question a parent’s own judgement about the safety of the journey.
The advice given here is based on our own experience and also on guidelines supplied by the Education Department. The Education Authority has made arrangements to give parents and pupils information about school closures and these are given below.
Any parents who have questions about any of the points covered here should feel free to contact us for further advice.
Sources of School Closures Information
Used in all instances
Radio Tay AM1584 FM 96.4 Perth only
Radio Tay AM 1161 FM 102.8 Everywhere else
Only used for widespread weather conditions
Radio HeartlandFM FM 97.5
Radio Central FM 103.1
Only used for widespread severe weather conditions or failure of essential services
Perth & Kinross Council Customer Service Centre – 01738 475000
Available from 0800 hours to 1800 hours, however this line may operate from 0700 hours in exceptional circumstances.
Calls are charged at the local rate.
Parents/Carers can also find closure updates on the Perth and Kinross Council website. Parents/Carers can log onto www.pkc.gov.uk/schoolclosures
Social Media: Facebook /CrieffHighSchool Twitter: @CrieffHigh
PKC Facebook/Twitter pages are also available on the Perth and Kinross Council website.
