Extreme Weather – School Closures

Dear Parents/Carers

Re: Recent School Closures

Please accept our sincerest apologies for the recent school closures due to the severe snowy and icy conditions. We understand that these closures can cause significant disruption to your family routines and childcare arrangements.I am sure you will have seen from the media coverage of the weather that this is not an issue that has just affected our school, but has also caused closures in hundreds of schools in Leeds and beyond. In my 30 years of working in education I can not remember a situation where the weather has forced us to close a school for three consecutive days.

Decisions to close schools are not something we do lightly but the safety and well-being of our pupils and staff are our absolute priorities. Given the challenging weather conditions, we made the difficult decision to close the school to ensure the safety of everyone on site. 

Site Safety:

• Our school grounds can become treacherous in icy conditions, posing a significant risk of slips and falls for both children and staff. 
• We need to ensure that all pathways and entrances for pedestrians and vehicles are safe and accessible for everyone. 

I would like to assure you that we are doing everything within our resources to clear the sites and make them safe again. This however is an uphill struggle as the continued freezing overnight temperatures have undone much of this good work making sites very icy and dangerous again. I want to express my sincere gratitude to our dedicated site staff who have been working tirelessly to clear snow and ice, grit pathways, and make the school grounds as safe as possible. Their efforts are continuing and are greatly appreciated.

Safe Transportation:

• You will know that we are reliant on external transport providers to bring many of our pupils to and from school. They have reported to us their concerns about accessing side roads which have not been cleared and the treacherous conditions on paths around the city.
• In severe weather, these services may be unable to operate safely, leaving some children stranded. 

We understand the impact these closures have on families. We will continue to monitor the weather conditions closely and will make every effort to reopen the school as soon as it is safe to do so. 

We will continue to monitor the weather and the conditions on our sites and work tirelessly to make them safe and accessible as soon as we can. The Principals on each site will keep you informed of the situation as soon as they are able to give clear information.

We appreciate your understanding and support during this challenging time.

Sincerely,

Scott Jacques

Executive Principal