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EMERGENCY
CLOSURE OF SCHOOL The emergency closure is not an easy option when
decisions have to be made regarding safety of pupils and availability of staff
early in the morning. The following points relating to closure should be
noted: The principal concern when making a decision to close
the school is the safety of pupils and staff. A decision will be made as early as possible though
on some occasions the weather may deteriorate quickly after a decision to
open has taken place. The Education Authority has set up a new 0870 number
for the school. This number is
accessible remotely by the school so that a message may be left for parents
calling in. This message can
only be left once a decision on closure has been made. Please read information below regarding
the use of this number. This is the
best method of finding if the school is to be open or closed on a particular
day. In addition the school will notify Moray Firth
Radio as soon as a decision to close has been made. DO NOT telephone the school to confirm closure once heard on
the Radio as this only locks up the telephones with unnecessary calls.
Moray Firth requires a code number to accept a closure notification and
so a hoax announcement is unlikely. It is quite impossible for the school to cope with
telephone calls from 280 families and impossible for such a number of
families to be able to get through to the school. The school also has difficulty reaching even a third of those
families when telephoning I find it very difficult to get lines out of the
school to check with the weather forecasters, telephone Moray Firth, etc. due to
the number of incoming calls and the 'ring back' facility which ties up the line
almost continuously from very early in the morning.
It is very unlikely that you will receive a reply from other than an
answering machine before 8.30am. It is unreasonable for parents to always expect a
decision on whether or not the school will be open before they leave for work
though every effort is made to make an early decision regarding closure..
Those making the decision on closure also have an official starting time
for work and then must assess the various options before a decision can be made. Since a number of staff reside some distance from
Thurso a closure may be precipitated by a lack of teaching staff. The onus is on parents to ensure the safety of
children coming to school and so parents must make the decision on whether or
not to send children in bad weather. One
child was in the playground, in a blizzard, at 8.20am on a morning last winter -
before the crossing patrollers came on duty! Parents must ensure that pupils, and the school, know
where their children should go in the event of a closure at around the school
starting time. After school has
started closure is much more difficult and in this instance parents or emergency
contacts will be contacted regarding closure arrangements.
Please ensure your emergency contact details are up to date. The Miller Academy Telephone Messaging Service To enquire about school closure in times of adverse weather please phone: Highland Council Number: 0870 054 6999 Enter the school's own pin number when prompted: This number is 04 2620 |