It would be extremely rare for Buxton Community School to have to close on a day when it should be open to students.  However, it is possible that for health and safety reasons such as the failure of the power or water supply we would be unable to remain open. Severe weather such as heavy snow could also cause the closure of the school at short notice.

Hopefully these arrangements will rarely, if ever, be needed but it is important for you to be aware of how we can keep you informed.

Advance warning of event likely to necessitate a school closure

Once advance warning is received, a message will be displayed on the school website indicating the school is currently open, advising parents/carers to regularly check the school website for updates. Decisions will be taken daily and posted on the school website by 7.00am.

Closing before the start of the school day

Please check the school website – a message will be displayed from 7.00am indicating whether the school is open, part-open or closed.

A school comms text message will be sent to all parents regarding the closure, however, the best place to check for information is on the school website.  

Towards the end of the school day, a further message will be posted on the school website regarding the following day. This will indicate either that school will be open, part-open, closed or that a decision will be taken early the following day with a further message being displayed from 7.00am.

Closing during the school day

In the winter, during spells of poor weather parents are asked to help in the following ways:

• Please check the school website. We will inform you if the school is not going to open. This will avoid confusion and jamming of the school’s telephone lines.
• We will use School Comms (text service) whenever possible to keep parents informed of the current situation.
• Students are expected to attend school unless we have announced that we are closed.
• If weather conditions decline during a school day we may need to allow all children the option of going home early. In the event of students being unable to communicate with parents they will be able to remain in school until arrangements can be made for their collection or safe return home.
• Please make sure your child understands your wishes in severe weather circumstances about what they should do.
• Notices will be placed on our website if circumstances change during the day.
• Please ensure that children are appropriately dressed in the event of severe weather with waterproof shoes, a coat and gloves.

Important: Students should be made aware that if they are experiencing difficulties getting home once they have left school, or their lift/bus does not arrive, they should return to school reception as soon as possible.

*Sixth form students will be permitted to leave as soon as the decision has been taken to close the school.

Lockdown Procedure

As part of the health and safety aspects of running a large organisation, the school has developed a lockdown procedure to implement in the case of a need to do so.  This has been promoted by National Guidance given to all schools and does not reflect any particular risk connected to Buxton Community School.

In many ways this is similar to a fire procedure where there are set steps to take within school to ensure that everyone’s safety and welfare is secured.  Also, just like with fire procedures, the school will be practising the procedure to test it at least annually.

In the event of a lockdown situation we would notify parents/carers, where possible, via the school website and text alert.  If such a situation, parents/carers should refrain from contacting the site as this could tie up phone lines that are needed for support providers.  As access to the school would be limited in these circumstances, parents/carers should also refrain from coming to the site as this could interfere and cause problems with the procedures and processes that are taking place. The school will notify parents that a lockdown has ended via the website and School Comms text alert, which will also contain information on the next steps to be taken.