Weather Conditions

A reminder to parents concerning the weather conditions.

The weather forecast for the next few days is pretty bad with the possibility of snow. As there is the possibility of further “winter” weather over the next couple of months I wish to ensure that everyone is aware that in times of bad weather the school will operate as follows: -

Overnight Snow
Should heavy overnight snow or deteriorating weather mean that the school is unable to open then announcements will be made on the radio via Invicta Radio 103.1 – 102.8FM and BBC Radio Kent on 96.7FM, 104.2FM, 97.6FM on their morning news programmes. There are also websites for both radio stations for you to check to see if the school is closed. If Gad’s Hill School is not mentioned then you must assume that the school is open and will function normally. These radio stations only list those schools which are closed.

Snow during the school day
Should the situation arise where school begins to operate as normal and the weather deteriorates such that snow begins to fall during the course of the day the school will continue to operate as normal until 4pm. Parents are asked not to collect their children from the school unless there is a real and significant risk that they will be unable to get home during the normal late afternoon traffic. If parents do wish to collect their children from school early they must telephone the school office beforehand.

If the school takes the decision to close early then the school’s website will be updated, text messages will be sent to parents or the School Office will telephone parents. This will only occur in extremely hazardous conditions. It is our judgement that once the school is open and the pupils are here then the best policy is to continue with normal school arrangements until the end of the school day. However, there may be exceptional events which force the school to close early (this may include severe weather coinciding with the breakdown of the school’s heating system etc). In which case the school will telephone you.

Requests from pupils
Parents are asked to not come into school at the request of individual pupils who telephone them to say that other pupils are going home or that the school is closed. Such calls must be treated with suspicion. Indeed, the school will take disciplinary action against pupils who attempt to “bunk off” school in this way. Indeed, I ask for parents to support the school’s stance on this matter and to refuse to collect their children if they are called in this way. By all means check with the school office who will be happy to advise parents of the current situation.

I am sure you will appreciate it is incredibly disruptive and damaging to children’s education if they miss school. The knock on effect of children being pulled out of their lessons is detrimental not only to them but also to the children who are left behind. We do need to keep these things in perspective. The vast majority of our children live within the Medway towns and Gravesham and whilst the snow does bring a degree of traffic chaos it is more of an inconvenience rather than a threat to safety.

It is important that we attempt to keep the school operating as normally as possible and I value your support.

The Headmaster