From mountain to sea

Adverse Weather Conditions in Aberdeenshire Guidance for parents and carers on school closure due to bad weather or other emergency We want to work in partnership with parents and carers to ensure the safety of children at all times. These guidelines outline the procedures for dealing with school closures during bad weather or other It is essential your contact details emergency. and emergency contact details are kept up-to-date to ensure we can contact you at short notice. Parental Role We would like you to: took to school are transported home again and therefore need to • Provide the school with your be available in the event that the up-to-date contact information school has to close early due to including emergency contacts to deteriorating weather conditions. whom your child can be sent to or collected by at short notice if you • In difficult weather conditions are unavailable. This is vital. pupils should not wait any longer than 15 minutes past the normal • Ensure your child wears pick up time before returning appropriate outdoor clothes home. In case the transport throughout the winter, especially doesn’t arrive please make footwear. sure you have made alternative • Decide whether it is safe for your arrangements for your child. child to travel to school in bad • If your child travels by school weather, either by school transport transport you are responsible for or on foot. their safety to and from the pick • Provide the school with a bad up/drop off point whether they weather address within safe use school transport or a public walking distance of the school. service vehicle. This is also the If you cannot do this contact the case for your emergency contact school who will provide you with a person. form to complete. School transport contractors have been told not to allow children to Also: walk home alone from drop-off points • If school transport is not running under any circumstances during please don’t take your child – or extreme weather conditions. If you other children – to school yourself can’t meet or arrange for your child unless it is safe for you to do so. to be met, the school transport will return them to a designated location, You will be responsible for • which may be another school or ensuring that the children you Council establishment.. Public service vehicles – drivers of information is up-to-date and that this these vehicles follow a specified route person is always available. and keep to timetables – they cannot make special arrangements. No child will be released from school without contact being made. It is important contact details are current When will schools be and the people named are available – closed? particularly during bad weather. Head Teachers decide if and when schools should close or in some Secondary Schools cases not open due to bad weather or Because of the large number of another emergency. In bad weather pupils in Secondary Schools, it is they will decide this after receiving impossible to inform all parents in information about local weather advance of emergency closures and conditions. This decision can be made schools may dismiss pupils without during any time, day or night. first contacting parents. During bad weather some staff may Individual schools will let parents not be able to get to school – so the know of any local arrangements. school may have to close or in some cases not open because there are What education might my too few teachers present. Sometimes only part of the school will be closed child be missing? or only some of the pupils will be Some parents and pupils worry that dismissed early. important examinations or work is missed because the school is closed If you are concerned about local or conditions make it difficult to weather conditions contact the attend. But the safety and welfare of school. You may wish to collect your children must take precedence when child yourself and are free to do so making judgements about travelling provided you make arrangements to school in bad weather. with the school. Arrangements can be made for lost Nursery, Primary and time to be made up and examinations can be rearranged. Special Schools If your child attends a Nursery, Some schools will have homeworking Primary or Special School, which materials available electronically is to close early, the school will through eg GLOW and ‘Show My contact you by telephone. If this is Homework’ website. Packs or not possible the school will contact information may also be provided in your named ‘emergency contact’. It advance of anticipated closures. is vital that the emergency contact Further Information Aberdeenshire Council Website Outwith school hours, your local https://online.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/ radio station is a good place to find Apps/schools-closures/ out information on school closures. You have the option to sign up to The following radio stations receive receive email alerts when your updated information every 30 mins school(s) updates their closure status: from our website: https://online.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/ myAberdeenshire/ FM 96.9 Tel: 01224 337000 School SEEMIS text system or the Northsound 2 School’s social media being used. MW 1035 kHz Tel: 01415 652200 School Information Line Tel: 0370 054 4999 then 02 + your BBC Radio school’s 4 Digit Pin. If you cannot get FM 92.4 - 94.7 through first time, please do not put MW 810 kHz this number on redial. This will only Moray Firth Radio lead to the line being busier. FM 97.4 Please note: Call charges from mobile phones MW 1107 kHz and landlines to the School Information Tel: 01463 224433 Line will depend on your contract with your telephone service provider. North East Community Radio FM 97.1 - 106.4 Public Transport Unit (PTU) Tel: 01467 632878 Tel: 01467 533335 (9am-5pm only) - This is a limited source of information FM 101.2 as contractors may make locally Tel: 01779 491012 based decisions the PTU will be unaware of. FM Tel: 01224 293800 Education Offices (9am-5pm only) (On-Air Presenter) Banff Tel: 01261 455838 Tel: 01224 294860 (Team) Fraserburgh Tel: 01346 515303 Twitter Peterhead Tel: 01467 534362 Inverurie Tel: 01467 539651 http://twitter.com/aberdeenshire Stonehaven Tel: 01569 690535

If you require the above information provided in large print or translated into another language, please contact Aberdeenshire Council Education and Children’s Services on 01224 472840. Produced by Aberdeenshire Council GDT13326 February 2011 Produced by Aberdeenshire Council GDT24770 Feb 2018