Dear Parents,

This letter is to remind you about the school’s arrangements in the event of severe winter weather (snow).

Please may I urge you to ensure that your child is prepared for such weather and that in the event of a severe weather forecast suitable clothing is worn/carried.

Potential School closure due to severe weather

A risk assessment will be made of the school site and road and transport conditions each day and a decision will be made whether or not to open the school as usual. In the unlikely event a decision be made to close the school for a day, parents will be sent a text message at the earliest opportunity. Information will be available through the following channels:

a) The school website www.englishmartyrs.org

b) BBC Radio Leicester 104.9FM / digital

Unless there is a message on these outlets then the school will be open as usual.

Closure during the school day

Should the school be forced to close after the start of the school day, and students have to return to you before the end of the school day, then each family needs to know what their plan will be. A member of staff at school will contact parents/carers using the telephone contact on the school database and a record kept of permissions given. Students who normally walk home or take a public service bus will be released once their parents have been contacted. Other students will wait in school until someone from the family comes for them. It should be noted that in these circumstances contract buses may not be available. Siblings will be released together.

In these circumstances, catering facilities will not be available. As staff also have to travel in severe weather, you are asked to collect your child at the earliest opportunity. It should be stressed that we will try to avoid closing the school once the working day has begun, however all families should have a plan in place for such an eventuality. The school may close if the forecast is for heavy disruptive snow during the next school day.

Please ensure that if you have changed your mobile/contact numbers recently the school office has been notified and the database changed.

Yours sincerely,

Marius Carney

Principal