Schools across the district are bracing themselves for the impending impact of Storm Goretti.
The Met Office has issued snow and ice warnings for Thursday and Friday as Storm Goretti, which has been named as the first storm of the year by French forecasters is set to arrive.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has extended its amber cold health alerts across England until midday on Sunday.
Louise Harris, assistant principal and head of Marling School sixth form, said: “A decision is taken early in the morning on the basis of site safety and transport. We inform the GCC school closure service if the school is closed and let parents and staff know. We also post the information on the main school website.”
Meanwhile a letter to parents from KLB head Hannah Khan says: “Earlier this week, the weather forecast suggested there might be heavy snow in Wotton and surrounding area towards the end of the week. Whilst this is now looking unlikely, I thought it would be helpful to share our approach and procedures should we ever need to close the school due to snow.
“Any decision to close the school will be made with safety as the priority and will consider a range of factors, including a site assessment, decisions made by the bus companies, and staffing levels. I would expect to liaise with transport providers and make a decision between 6.15am and 6.30am, wherever possible.
“If the school is closed, we will communicate this in the following ways: via our In Touch email system, via a Class Charts announcement on students’ home pages, via a pop-up announcement on the front page of the school website
“We will also notify Gloucestershire County Council, who publish closure information on their website.
“If we have a single snow day, we will not move to online learning. These closures are rare, and we think it is lovely for children to experience and enjoy the day as a snow day. If we were to have a second consecutive snow day, we would then move to online learning. In that situation, we would send clear instructions on how lessons will run and where students ca access work.
“Thank you for your understanding and support.”
