Severe Weather

Penshurst CE Primary School will stay open if at all possible during severe weather such as deep/drifting snow, very high winds or widespread flooding.

We will follow the procedures set out below for informing you whether our school will be closed, should there be snow, or any other extreme weather conditions.

www.kentclosures.co.uk will be updated once the decision to remain open or to close has been made – by 7:30 am.

Search for the school in the search box. We do recommend parents sign up for SMS/Email alerts on the Kent Closures website. This service sends an SMS or email alert to let parents know if we are close.

We will also upload a message to the home page of the school website. 

The following radio stations will also have details on school closures:

• KMFM : Frequency 96.2/101.6 FM
• BBC Radio Kent : Frequency 96.7/104.2 FM
• Heart FM : Frequency 103.1/102.8 FM

We will send you an email via the school system  (ParentMail) – we know from past experience that the email messaging systems get overloaded and the message can be delayed quite severely. Please take this in account and be patient. 

We advise parents not to set off for school without first confirming that the school will be open. Parents have the responsibility of getting children/pupils to and from school safely and need to decide if the journey is safe when severe weather affects transport and/or walking conditions. Parents should inform school if their child is absent due to severe conditions making the journey unsafe.

If the school is open during snowy / icy weather:

1. Before bringing children into school, parents are asked to ensure they have arrangements in place to collect the children from school early, if the need arises.

2. Parents should ensure that the school has contact details on which they can be reached throughout the day. Most information will be relayed by email message, where possible.

3. We aim for the children to play outside in the snow if they wish, so please make sure they are well dressed for very cold weather: a change of suitable shoes are essential.

If children arrive late, it is important that children sign in and register at the front office. School will close at the usual time, but should the decision be made to close earlier, parents will be notified in the usual way.

Please be mindful of local advice from the police and motoring organisations. If you decide not to travel and the school is open, please contact the school and leave a message on the answerphone or direct with a member of staff.

If heavy snow falls during the day, when the school is open:

If conditions worsen within the school day, and we feel, for safety reasons, that the school should close, parents will be informed by email and a message will be displayed on the school website.

1. If disruption is foreseeable, then parents should set off from their place of work, or from home, in plenty of time to ensure that they arrive at the school before the school closes.
2. It may be that parents are asked to pick children up early due to the need to close the school part-way through the day to allow children and staff to get home safely before the weather deteriorates. Please be alert for messages throughout the day.

Additional clubs /activities:

There will be no after school activities, games or clubs on ‘Snow Days’. Breakfast club will be open, if possible, dependent upon staff availability and travel conditions.

If parents feel it is absolutely necessary to collect children before the end of the school day , the school should be contacted prior to collection – if this is possible.

Please avoid collecting children before the end of the day unless you feel their safety is at risk.

On occasions, school meal services may be affected by weather conditions so it is a good idea for pupils to bring in extra food.

In line with guidance from DfE and KCC the decision to close the school will always be one based on the safety of the school community. 

Letter to Parents - Severe Snow / Ice Plan for Parents and Families