It is the aim of The Vale Federation schools to ensure that they remain open during adverse weather conditions, when practically possible, providing that this can be done in a safe manner.

A local assessment will be conducted by the Facilities & Estates Team and all appropriate procedures will be initiated in response to any weather alerts. Alerts will be reviewed to ensure the schools fully understand the potential impacts and how likely they are to occur.

Any decision to close a school will be made by the Principal and the Business Director. The Chair of Governors will also be consulted when making this decision.

The school will close if one or more of the following conditions apply:

• Conditions on site are considered to be unsafe and are likely to present danger to users of the site
• Staff numbers are insufficient for the school to operate safely

In the event of a school closure, staff and parents will be informed via SMS text message or email and the Buckinghamshire School closures website will be updated.

Our advice to parents is that if you consider the conditions dangerous or that it might be difficult on the return journey, it is better to be safe than sorry and not send your child to school on that day. If you do make this decision, please inform your taxi firm and the school as soon as possible.

You can find out more about our adverse weather policy below: