02 January 2024
Dear parents and families,
Planning for adverse weather
As we move into the coldest and wettest months of the year, I would like to update you on our contingency planning for disruption caused by adverse weather conditions. This includes circumstances where the school is forced to close entirely, but also when we might be forced to close early once the school is already in session.
We only take the decision to close the school as a last resort. There are several factors to be taken into consideration; the safety of students and staff here on site, the safety of students and staff making their way to and from the school, and the ratios of staff to students in the event that staff travelling longer distances to work are not able to get here. We understand also that a significant number of our students rely on Somerset school transport to travel to school, and if the bus operators cancel services these students might not be able to attend.
In the event that we have to close the school, we will communicate this to families via an email notification and a notice on the school’s website. We also update Somerset Council’s school closure website, which is linked here.
If the school has opened for the day, but worsening weather conditions and/or floods force us to close the school early, we will inform families in the same way; with an email to all contacts, a notice on the school website and on the Somerset Council school closure site. However, we can only allow students to make their own way home following an early closure when we have obtained parental consent for them to do so. In these circumstances it can be safer for us to have a prepared list of students for whom consent has already been given. If you know that your child would be able to safely make their own way home following a school closure, and you are happy for us to allow them to leave as soon as our notifications have been sent out, please complete this form. Students without prior consent will be kept in school until we can reach you. Please note that we will not allow text messages on students’ own phones to be given as evidence of consent. An orderly dismissal from site is essential for everyone’s safety. We appreciate your patience and participation in our safeguarding measures.
We are aware that flooding has already caused some disruption to bus services, before Christmas. We would like to remind our families that the school buses are managed by Somerset school transport and not by Monkton Wood. In the event that an operator cancels a service, Somerset school transport communicate directly with families and not through the school. We work with the transport service to ensure that messages regarding bus services reach the children in a timely fashion, and without excessive disruption to lessons.
Finally, in the event of a school closure, learning will continue online. We will send out further details of our remote learning arrangements in a separate letter for each year group, including login details for MS Teams.
Yours faithfully,
Hannah Jones
Principal
