“Schools should, wherever possible, stay open in severe weather. They play a key role in their communities and by staying open help both their pupils and parents.” – Department for Education

Our priority is always to keep the school open and you should always try and ensure that your children attend as normal. Closures occur very occasionally. At these times it may be very difficult for you to contact school by telephone, which is needed for outgoing calls. It is therefore important for you to tune into one of the following radio stations for the latest and most frequent updates. Unless a message is broadcast via these radio stations then it is safe to assume the school is open.

• KMFM (107.6 FM),
• Radio Kent (96.7, 97.6, 104.2 FM)
• Heart (formerly Invicta) (96.1 or 102.8 – 103.1 FM)

If a decision is made to close the school we will update our website and a message will appear on the scrolling bar. If you have provided us with your mobile telephone number we will also send a text message confirming our decision and an email to your email address. At times this message service will be in high demand and messages can be severely delayed and you may have heard via the radio or website before then. Re-opening times will also be relayed using the same methods.

In conditions such as this, we may need to restrict access around the school site and may have to use the main school entrance rather than access via the playground. Please be advised that when the weather is inclement access around and leading to school may be hazardous, so please be careful and dress accordingly for the conditions.

Whilst we always work in close collaboration with local schools there may be times when one school is able to open whilst the other has to close. This is entirely due to the number of staff being able to reach the school and not due to on site conditions.

Emergency Childcare
Our aim as a school is to remain open, where appropriate. This may result in us opening for ‘emergency childcare’ only. By this we mean that if we can form a ‘skeleton staff’ at school, we can remain open for those children who can get to school and whose parents must be at work due to the nature of their role i.e. emergency services and key workers. If this is to be the case, we will contact parents to let them know that we are open for ‘emergency childcare’ only.

Health and Safety 
It is essential that the school has an emergency telephone number for both parents and where possible contact details for a friend or relative. To improve communications of a less urgent nature we are happy to contact you via text or email. We ask that you inform the school of any changes in these details.