This advice piece is primarily concerned with the annual unpredictability of snowfall. But the principles apply, in equal measure, to all types of weather that threaten to jeopardise running a school, especially at a time of year when many school leaders face the prospect of closing or partially closing their school as a result.
At the height of winter, head teachers listen with a keener ear to the weather forecasts. They gaze on dull, leaden skies on freezing nights with a frown of concern. Head teachers know snow brings with it the potential to make deeply unpopular decisions with at least one section of the community with which they work. They must make fine judgements. These judgements include weighing up the need to ensure the health and safety of pupils and staff against the pressure to not add to the disruption by closing the school and leaving parents with the headache of how to balance childcare with their work and occupational demands.
Here, we look at the work you can do in anticipation of snow and the leadership decisions you can make both when it arrives and when the thaw sets in. We also provide practical advice on dealing with flooding.
The snow cometh
There is plenty of work to do in anticipation of snow. Here are a few actions you should consider:
• Work with the site manager/caretaker (if you’re lucky enough to have one) and make sure you have enough shovels, grit and/or salt to deal with icy areas and paths around the school
• Walk the school’s premises with your site manager/caretaker and make decisions as to which entrances, exits and paths would be most used by children if the snow comes down heavily
• Look at areas affected by shade or that are on a slope. These areas might need further treatment to make them safe or might need to be avoided altogether (use tape or signs to steer people away from particularly hazardous areas)
• Consider where will children, who arrive early, go to keep warm? How will you ensure the entrance(s) does not get too wet and slippery?
• Enlist the help of a group of ‘friends of the school’, living locally, who could be counted on to rise early and clear the road to the school and other key areas around the site
• Create a contact list of staff members who travel in from different areas: are the roads navigable, and are the trains running? You can start to build up a picture as to how many staff you might expect in the event of heavy snow. Institute a communication chain to make sure all staff are informed about the decision to close or stay open
• Produce a risk assessment for certain snow-related scenarios e.g. most children make it into school, but only a few staff members are there to supervise them. You will need to ask yourself whether you’ll allow excitable children onto the school field at break time and lunchtime, and what you do with the cold and wet children who return to the classrooms later
• Send a letter to parents at the start of winter reminding them of the general principles that your school will follow when bad weather strikes, how they can find out whether the school has been forced to close, etc
• Also, don’t forget to make sure that the boiler is in good working order. The last thing you want is for it to break down when the freezing weather strikes.
The snow arrives
When it looks like the snow and/or freezing weather is inevitable, there are several important actions that you might wish to take to make life easier:
• In the evenings, ask the caretaker to keep the heating on low and close the blinds, curtains and all doors – this is to keep room temperature slightly up
• Ask the caretaker or site manager to salt or grit key footpaths as the temperatures dip
• Put into action any plans you have devised from your risk assessment, such as tailored routeways and having the school hall available for early arrivals
• Arrange for warm drinks to be available for children arriving early
• Consider a temporary change to the school’s uniform to keep children warm and safe. Notify all parents in advance if you make that decision
• Consider starting the school day a bit later to take into account public transport delays and give staff a bit longer to get into the school safely. It is worth activating an earlier finish to allow the children to get home in the light. You might also consider having just a few year groups in school on each affected day to safeguard their health and safety.
Throughout the day, keep reviewing your risk assessment because any change in the weather conditions might require you to adjust your plans.
Consider these questions – What proportion of staff has made it to school? What number of children have arrived? Can you run a normal timetable? What does the forecast look like for the next few days? Will you have to change the school day again?
Whatever your decisions, keep parents and carers informed by updating the information on your website, texting them or (if time allows) sending them a letter.
It’s much better to try to keep the school open, but there might come the point where, for the health and safety of all parties, you decide to close fully. If so, ensure you widely publicise this exceptional decision and inform both your governors and your local authority. Try to keep someone on-site to take care of any pupil who, for one reason or another, has not seen the announcement about the school closure and turns up in any event.
The snow melts
Very cold conditions might prevail long after the snow starts to melt, leaving ice, slush and lots of surface water. Should you consider keeping an adapted uniform for a while longer? Have you somewhere to put wet coats and shoes? Is there a way to prevent slush and water from being brought into the school?
It’s worth reviewing your risk assessment and the strategies used just after the event while it’s still fresh in your mind. Did everything go to plan? Could some of your actions have been done differently?
It’s a good idea to thank parents and carers for their patience and support, staff for their efforts and the children for their actions and understanding.
Practical flood advice
1. Ensure your surface water drainage system flows effectively, and check nothing is blocking gullies or drainage channels
2. Know how to turn off your gas, electricity and water supplies, so you can do this quickly if your school is at risk of flooding
3. Find out where you can obtain sandbags before you receive notice of a flood warning
4. If there is flooding in your area, help stop water from entering your school by putting plugs in sinks and weighing them down with sandbags
5. Use sandbags to prevent water from entering under doors and through air bricks
6. Turn off water supplies or disconnect any equipment that uses water
7. Most importantly, make sure you have appropriate insurance cover in place to protect you against flooding. If you are in any doubt, contact your employing body.
The Environment Agency can tell you whether you are in a flood risk area – visit www.environment-agency.gov.uk or call its 24-hour flood line on 0845 988 1188. It also has some helpful advice on protecting your school in case of a flood.
What if it’s very cold and I’m concerned about everybody’s capacity to teach and learn?
The Workplace (health, safety and welfare) Regulations 1992 lay down particular requirements for most aspects of the working environment including schools and colleges. The regulations state: “During working hours, the temperature in all workplaces inside buildings shall be reasonable”.
The Education (School Premises) Regulations 1999 stipulate that 18 degrees celsius is reasonable where there is an average level of clothing and activity (eg classrooms) when the outside temperature is below zero.
NAHT suggest schools should provide a number of thermometers to enable the temperature to be checked and regulated throughout the school’s premises, especially in cold weather when room temperatures fall below the required standard. Extra heaters (e.g. electric convertor heaters) should be provided if necessary. It’s important to make sure heaters are located in a safe place to prevent pupils from coming into contact with them and heaters should not block fire escape routes.
Pupils and staff with limited mobility may need higher room temperature but pupils who are hyperactive may need relatively cool temperatures. Schools need to consider these issues during the maintenance or installation of temporary or permanent heating and ventilation systems.
School leaders should give careful consideration to closing their schools if adequate heating cannot be provided to maintain required temperatures and parents would have to be given enough notice to make alternative arrangements for the care of their children.