It is the policy of Etwall Primary School to make every effort to remain open whenever possible as long as it is safe to do so. The prime concern when making a decision to close the school will always be the safety of pupils and staff.
The decision to close the school either before or during the school day will be made by the Head Teacher, in conjunction with the School Business Manager, Deputy Head Teacher and the Chair of Governors. The school will only be closed if one or more of the following conditions apply:
- An insufficient number of staff are able to come in to keep the school running safely.
- Conditions on site are dangerous
- Conditions are considered to be or are anticipated to later become too hazardous for travel
- Heating, electricity or water is not available
- There has been a cyber-attack
If the school is to close:
- The closure will be recorded on the school website www.etwall.derbyshire.sch.uk
- The school will alert parents to the closure using the school apps (Arbor and Class Dojo, for example) or e-mail.
- The school will endeavour to keep parents informed during adverse weather conditions, as we appreciate that uncertainty places very considerable difficulties upon parents. Parents are however expected to check the website and school app and/or check emails.
Learning Opportunities
The nature of remote learning depends on the reason for closing.
For heavy snowfall, we consider that this is an exciting experience for children and that building snowmen, sledging, making snow sculptures or snow art is really valuable learning. We will open the class remote learning pages so that all children have the opportunity to continue learning at home but we also encourage children to make the most of the snow and create some fantastic memories.
If we are closing for a period of time greater than one day, it is expected that all children will attempt to access some remote learning. Specific learning activities are provided on class website pages and teachers may set up online teaching sessions or story-time sessions to maintain connections.
Here are some websites which can be useful in the event of a school closure:
https://www.youtube.com/c/RobBiddulph72/ideos - Draw with Rob
Learning by Questions - particularly for Upper Key Stage 2 who use this site frequently