Emergency Closure at the beginning of the school day
In the event of severe or adverse weather conditions, including heavy snowfall, local flooding, etc. a decision may be taken to close the school for all or part of the day. Should this be the case, parents/carers will receive text messages from school. It is therefore, very important that we have the correct mobile number on record. If you have changed your contact details please ensure you inform the school office. The text will appear on your phone as ‘CarltonBils’ – you will be unable to respond to this message.
We will also send an email from the admin@carltonfaceby email address advising on the closure of the school.
We will inform you of any closures as soon as possible and we will always attempt to make a decision by 8am.
If the school is to close:
- From around 8.00am onwards, members of staff will start to inform all parent/carers by email and text. BBC Radio Tees and TFM Radio may also be informed and parent/carers are requested to listen to these Radio Stations during severe weather conditions.
- The closure of the school will also be reported on the federation’s Facebook page.
If the school is open:
- Please use the main entrance to the front door path if the children’s gate is locked.
- We are not obliged to keep the public footpath and highway outside the school clear. Please take care.
- Please send your child/ren with outdoor and indoor footwear and adequate warm clothing as we will play outside if there is a safe opportunity to do so.
If it is not possible to travel to Chop Gate but Carlton is still open please take your child/ren there if you are able to, as members of Chop Gate staff will be travelling there, and vice-versa if Carlton is not accessible.
Please be aware that before and after school clubs may be affected by bad weather conditions – we some-times need to be extra cautious to ensure children and staff can get home safely.
PLEASE MONITOR CONDITIONS AT YOUR ‘HOME’ LOCATION & CONSIDER YOUR FAMILY’S SAFETY ABOVE ALL ELSE WHEN DECIDING WHETHER TO TRAVEL – CONDITIONS CAN VARY WITHIN SHORT DISTANCES.
For Children travelling to School by NYCC Transport (Taxi)
- In the event of heavy snow or severe weather during the night, it is the responsibility of the taxi company to ascertain whether or not it is safe for them to transport children to school.
- If taxis do not arrive due to bad weather and parent/carers decide to transport children in their own vehicles, this must be at their own risk, it is essential that they telephone school first (01642 712340) to check that a member of the teaching staff is present and that the school has not been closed due to severe weather conditions.
- Parent/carers should be aware that if school is open but transport is cancelled in the morning due to bad weather, the cancellation may remain for the whole day so, if they bring their children to school, they may have to make arrangements to collect them at the end of the school day. Parent/carers should therefore check with the relevant transport company to clarify the end of day arrangements.
All Children:
- Under no circumstances must parent/carers leave children on the school premises unless they have checked that a member of the teaching staff is in school.
Emergency Closure during the school day
In the very unlikely event that we have to close the school during the school day because of deteriorating weather conditions, we will contact parent/carers via text message or telephone to inform you. It is very important to ensure you have contingency plans in place for this situation.
As a last resort, pupils can usually stay with us until the end of the school day, however on very rare occasions the police instruct us to close during the day and get everyone, including staff, off site. Please ensure that you have made contingency plans as to what to do if school has to be closed early.
Prolonged School Closure
If extreme weather conditions persist and it is impossible to open the school, we shall communicate information to you via TEXT/EMAIL. Please ensure you update school if you change your mobile number or email address
This will be a very rare occurrence, so if you hear nothing, please assume the school is open.
Parent/carers can also help by contacting the school to forewarn us of worsening local weather conditions.
Closing the school is not an easy option and is a last resort.
Your co-operation and understanding will be much appreciated. If you have any questions or comments about these arrangements, please contact the school.