Unexpected School Closures and Adverse Weather Conditions
In extreme circumstances, schools may be unable to open for a variety of reasons, including:
- breakdown in the heating;
- frozen or burst pipes;
- inaccessibility of roads and/or the site due to very heavy snowfall or other adverse conditions;
- public health emergencies such as that caused by the COVID virus or other pathogens.
In the case of inclement weather, the decision to close an individual school lies with the headteachers in consultation with their chairs of governors. This arrangement enables decisions to be taken quickly and in the light of local circumstances.
In the rare event of EXTREME WEATHER CONDITIONS (e.g. heavy snowfall) across the whole of the City, the local authority may take a central decision to close all schools.
Birmingham City Council has the same arrangements for all schools in the Birmingham area in the event of extreme bad weather. If a decision is made to close schools, the information is broadcast on local radio stations. Please listen to one of the following radio stations from 7.00 a.m.
Mapledene will also send out a text message to all parents (please remember to inform the office of any changes to your contact details) and will also update Twitter and the school website as soon as a decision has been made.
In the event of such a closure, in order to minimise disruption to children’s education, school will switch to remote learning.
For periods of closure which are likely to be short, the day’s learning will be placed on the school website and will consist of pre-prepared videos and other work such as activities and worksheets which will be as close as possible to what the children would have covered in school. However, if it is likely that the school will remain closed for more than a couple of days, school will also provide live teaching sessions via Zoom or Teams to ensure that children receive instruction from a qualified teacher and can take part in discussions and receive help and support.
Families of children who do not have access to technology should contact the school and suitable equipment will be provided on a loan basis.