This policy can be found in the Policies section of the Brooklands Farm website. In light of the weather forecast, please also find a copy here:
Brooklands Farm –Adverse weather policy
During the winter months there are occasions when we can experience adverse weather conditions. It is always very difficult when we have snow and ice to determine how this will affect travel, etc. and I would ask that you follow the policy below if we experience any bad weather over the next few weeks.
If at all possible the school will remain open and staff will be here as normal. We are quite a large school and the majority of staff does not live locally and therefore may find it difficult to get to school if there is a heavy snowfall or if the road conditions are dangerous. In these circumstances it may be necessary to close the school.
If after taking local advice it is decided to close the school this will be announced on the Milton Keynes Council website http://www.milton-keynes.gov.uk/closures, the school website http://brooklandsfarm.milton-keynes.sch.uk and on local radio. Whenever possible this will be before 7:30 am. Please listen to the local radio stations Heart Radio (103.3) or BBC 3 Counties Radio, until you are ready to leave for school as they announce any school closures.
The council offer a text /email notification service for school closures. Visit http://www.milton-keynes.gov.uk/Closures/Subscribe where you can sign up for this free service.
The Policy at Brooklands Farm Primary School for adverse weather conditions is that:
At the start of the school day
Wherever possible the school will remain open, however due to road conditions some staff may be late arriving and the start of the school day could be affected. We would therefore ask that children do not arrive on these days until 10.30am details will be given to parents via local radio.
Parents are asked not to call the school as it may not be possible for staff to answer the telephone. Listening to the local radio or checking the council website or our school website for details of any closure is the preferred method of communication.
If conditions are snowy or very icy we would encourage you whenever possible to walk to school as the road to school is a private road not yet adopted by Milton Keynes Council and therefore will not be gritted by the council or their contractors. Please be aware that this will be an issue throughout the winter and the school cannot accept any liability for damage to cars/accidents whilst using Fen Street.
During the school day
Once the decision has been made to open the school it will not close during the day. If the weather becomes severe during the day then parents may contact the school if they feel that they would like to collect their child early for safety reasons (i.e. travelling/walking long distances or collecting other children from local schools). Parents will then be advised that children can be collected from 1.15pm onwards. For this reason, we strongly advise you to ensure that your email address and mobile number are up to date in ParentMail as this is how we would communicate with you. (This is something you must update as we cannot administrate your account.)
The school will remain open until 3.30pm. After school activity clubs will not run; however, if parents are delayed due to the adverse weather conditions, they should contact the school as soon as possible to give an anticipated arrival time.
Children will be supervised until a parent/carer is able to collect them.
Parents must consider their own safety, traffic congestion and safety of others in these circumstances and understand that children at Brooklands Farm will be cared for until it is possible for them to be collected.
Gritting policy
The caretaking staff will salt those parts of our paths that are close to the building and we know are likely to be slippery. We cannot salt the playgrounds, car parks or other areas. We would therefore recommend that staff, parents and pupils treat all path and playground areas as potential slip hazards and take appropriate precautions in cold weather.
